Politics
How a Children’s Tennis Instructor Spends Her Sundays
Joyce Short, who has worked with New York Junior Tennis and Learning for decades, takes a popcorn break in between classes, and plays pickleball with friends.
Joyce Short, 77, has survived many things.
She used to be a bond trader and was on Chambers Street in Lower Manhattan the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. When the World Trade Center towers collapsed, “I ran for my life,” she said.
“That experience was an awakening,” she said, adding, “It made me want to create a better society.”
She had already been involved in the community, running a program for New York Junior Tennis and Learning, a longtime nonprofit that serves 90,000 children per year. She is also a fitness and life skills coach for the group’s Scholar Athlete Program.
Outside the program, she has talked openly about surviving childhood trauma and sexual assault.
“Athletics gave me the resilience and drive that got me through,” she said. “I hope to impart those benefits to my kids.”
Ms. Short founded the Consent Awareness Network in 2009 to urge legislators to change laws around consent, in order to help others.
She lives with Casey, her 1-year-old toy Aussiedoodle, on Roosevelt Island.
MORNING MUFFIN I have two alarms. One is on my iPhone; the other is an alarm clock. Both go off at 4:30 a.m. I’m not a morning person, but I’ve been doing this for three decades, so I’m used to it. I don’t do anything without brushing my teeth first. I’ll have a banana or English muffin, then take Casey, who I got from a breeder last year in Indianapolis, for a quick walk. He’s unconditional love and companionship.
COLD COMFORT I’m lucky: The5:47 a.m. bus is across the street from my apartment. I usually get there a minute before it arrives. I’m cutting it close. If the elevator is working properly, I normally don’t miss it. The sun isn’t up yet and most of the world is sleeping. It feels quiet, cold, but invigorating.
