A tennis match begins with one person standing behind a baseline. But tennis was never meant to be played completely alone. There is someone across the net. Maybe a doubles partner beside you. Players on neighboring courts. Friends watching. A coach offering encouragement. Someone keeping score. People talking between matches. A community gradually forms around what originally looked like a simple game.
That idea—connection through activity—is one of the reasons tennis became the foundation of Serve It Up for Life.
The CRC Memorial Tennis Tournament was created to honor Christopher “Ryan” Collins and to support mental-health awareness and suicide-prevention efforts in New Mexico. But the choice of tennis is more than symbolic. Physical activity, relationships, social support and belonging all have meaningful relationships with human well-being.
No one at Serve It Up for Life claims that tennis is treatment. It is not.
A tennis tournament cannot replace counseling, psychiatric care, medication when medically appropriate, crisis intervention or other forms of professional support. But communities do not have to choose between professional care and human connection.
We need both.
And sometimes a court can become a place where connection begins.
What Physical Activity Can—and Cannot—Do
Exercise is sometimes discussed carelessly in conversations about mental health. Someone who is struggling may hear advice like:
- “Just exercise.”
- “Go outside.”
- “Think positively.”
That can be dismissive.
Mental illness is not a lack of effort, and serious mental-health challenges cannot simply be exercised away. At the same time, physical activity is an important part of overall health.
The World Health Organization reports that regular physical activity provides physical and mental-health benefits and can improve overall well-being. Among adults, physical activity is associated with reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety as well as benefits for brain health and sleep. That does not make exercise a cure. It makes movement one component of a broader picture of well-being.
For one person, that movement might be walking. For someone else swimming, cycling, hiking, yoga, basketball, weight training, or tennis.
The best activity is often one a person can realistically enjoy and continue.
Tennis Adds Something Else: Another Person
There is a particular characteristic of tennis that fits the Serve It Up for Life mission especially well. Someone is usually on the other side of the net.
Even when two people arrive as strangers, the game immediately gives them something in common.
- A serve.
- A rally.
- A score.
- A joke about the wind.
- A questionable line call.
- A shared complaint about a forehand that refuses to cooperate.
Those little interactions matter because connection does not always begin with a deep conversation. Often it begins with a shared activity. You see someone next week. You remember their name. You play again.
Eventually, you know a little more about each other’s lives. That is how communities are built.
Not every meaningful relationship begins with someone saying, “Let’s talk about mental health.”
Sometimes it begins with:
“Want to hit?”
Connectedness Matters
Connection is more than a pleasant social experience.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifies feeling connected to others and receiving support from family, friends and community as protective factors that may reduce suicide risk.
The CDC also identifies social isolation as a risk factor.
This does not mean that being part of a tennis club guarantees someone will never struggle. It means that connection is one piece of a much larger prevention picture. People benefit from relationships where they feel seen, supported and valued.
Communities can create environments where asking for help is less stigmatized. Families can learn how to recognize concerns. Friends can listen. Schools and workplaces can provide resources. Healthcare providers can deliver treatment. And crisis services can be available when someone needs immediate support.
Suicide prevention is not one intervention. It is a system of people, resources, relationships, environments and care.
Why Belonging Is Part of the Serve It Up for Life Mission
Consider what happens at a community tennis tournament.
- People arrive from different neighborhoods.
- Different professions.
- Different age groups.
- Different skill levels.
- Different backgrounds.
Some know the founding family. Many do not.
- Some have personal experiences with mental-health challenges.
- Some have lost someone.
- Some work professionally in healthcare.
- Some simply like tennis.
And some may not fully understand why the cause matters until they arrive.
For one day, those people occupy the same space.
- They see the organization’s message.
- They meet volunteers.
- They hear why the event exists.
- They encounter mental-health resources.
- They see businesses publicly supporting the cause.
- They may hear a story they recognize in their own life.
That exposure can change what happens later.
- Maybe someone talks to a family member.
- Maybe an employer explores better mental-health resources.
- Maybe a parent learns about 988.
- Maybe a player decides to volunteer next year.
- Maybe a sponsor introduces the organization to someone else.
That is why Serve It Up for Life views the tournament as more than fundraising. Fundraising matters, but community-building is itself part of the mission.
The Power of the Doubles Partner
There may be no better metaphor for this mission than doubles tennis. In doubles, you are responsible for your side of the court. But you are not responsible for every ball.
You have a partner. Sometimes you cover for them. Sometimes they cover for you. Sometimes you communicate perfectly. Sometimes you completely misunderstand each other and both watch a ball sail directly between you.
Then you reset. You communicate. You serve again.
Life is obviously much more complicated than a tennis match, and mental-health struggles should never be reduced to a sports metaphor.
Still, there is value in remembering something basic:
People are not supposed to handle everything alone.
Being willing to accept support is not weakness. Offering support does not require having every answer. Sometimes the most useful thing a friend can do is listen and help someone connect with professional resources.
You Do Not Need to Know What to Say Perfectly
Fear frequently gets in the way of conversations about mental health.
People worry:
- “What if I say the wrong thing?”
- “What if I make it worse?”
- “What if they don’t want to talk?”
- “What if I don’t know what to do?”
Those are understandable concerns.
But supporting someone does not require becoming their therapist.
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline encourages people to listen without judgment, show interest and support, and help someone connect with appropriate resources when needed.
You do not need a perfect speech. Sometimes simple questions matter.
- “How are you doing?”
- “No, really—how are you doing?”
- “Do you want to talk?”
- “Would you like me to stay with you?”
- “Can I help you find someone to talk with?”
Compassion does not require clinical credentials. Treatment does. Knowing the difference is important.
Competition and Compassion Can Occupy the Same Court
The CRC Memorial Tennis Tournament is still a tournament.
- People compete.
- Matches matter.
- Players want to win.
That energy is part of what makes the day enjoyable. Mental-health advocacy does not require turning every moment into something solemn.
- Joy has a place here.
- Laughter has a place here.
- Competition has a place here.
Remembering Ryan does not require asking everyone to remain sad. In fact, a community gathering can honor someone’s life precisely because people are living.
- They are playing.
- Talking.
- Eating.
- Laughing.
- Meeting.
- Remembering.
- Supporting.
Those things can coexist with grief. That is part of what makes the tournament meaningful.
Community Is Not Limited to a Tennis Court
One of the lessons Serve It Up for Life hopes to carry forward is that connection can be built almost anywhere.
That is why our growing outreach now includes:
- Tennis communities
- Businesses
- Healthcare organizations
- Mental-health professionals
- Schools
- Universities
- Volunteers
- Civic organizations
- Gaming communities
- Esports programs
- Streamers
- Local media
Ryan was a gamer as well as a son and friend. That gives Serve It Up for Life another avenue for connection. The gaming community may gather around a Discord server or Twitch stream rather than a tennis court, but the underlying human need for friendship, belonging and community is not so different.
Why Businesses Belong in the Conversation
Employers are communities too.
A person may spend more waking hours with coworkers than with many members of their extended family. That makes workplace culture important.
When an Albuquerque business sponsors Serve It Up for Life, its contribution does more than place a logo on a banner. The company can also:
- Form an employee tennis team
- Invite employees to volunteer
- Share mental-health resources
- Encourage conversations about well-being
- Introduce employees to community organizations
- Promote the tournament to customers
- Sponsor participation for others
- Match donations
- Provide useful services or products
A company’s involvement says publicly:
This issue matters to our community.
That message has value.
Mental-Health Awareness Should Exist Between Tournaments
One of the dangers of annual events is that public attention disappears when the event ends. The banners come down. The photographs are posted. The fundraising total is announced. Then everyone waits another year.
Serve It Up for Life is working to change that pattern.
The long-term objective is a year-round community that continues discussing:
- Mental-health literacy
- Available resources
- Suicide prevention
- Social connection
- Volunteerism
- Community support
- Youth mental health
- Workplace mental health
- Gaming communities
- Sports and well-being
- Stories of hope
- Local organizations doing meaningful work
The tennis tournament should be the largest annual gathering. It should not be the only time the community hears from us.
The Next Rally Begins Before Match Day
If you are reading this months before the CRC Memorial Tennis Tournament, you do not need to wait until October to participate. You can make a connection now.
- Call someone you have not spoken with recently.
- Invite a friend to play tennis.
- Volunteer.
- Learn about local mental-health resources.
- Ask your workplace to become involved.
- Share a trustworthy mental-health resource.
- Join a community organization.
- Invite someone to lunch.
- Listen when someone tells you they are struggling.
- Register for the tournament.
- Sponsor a team.
- Share Ryan’s story.
Small actions build communities. And strong communities are built long before the crowd arrives on tournament morning.
Come Play for Something Bigger
This October, Serve It Up for Life will once again bring players together in Albuquerque for the 3rd Annual CRC Memorial Tennis Tournament.
- We will play because we love tennis.
- We will compete because competition is fun.
- We will remember Ryan.
- We will raise money.
- We will support organizations doing important work.
But most of all, we will create another opportunity for people to connect.
- One player to another.
- One family to another.
- One business to another.
- One community to another.
- One conversation at a time.
Because every serve begins a rally. And sometimes a rally can become something much larger.
Join Serve It Up for Life
Register for the CRC Memorial Tennis Tournament: COMING SOON!
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Learn Ryan’s Story >>
Mental-Health and Crisis Support
If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress or a mental-health crisis, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.
Serve It Up for Life and the CRC Memorial Tennis Tournament promote mental-health awareness and fundraising but do not provide medical treatment, counseling or crisis-intervention services.
