A quiet, calm moment is tough to come by at the Knowles household. Part of that is due to tennis.

Gabe Knowles, for instance, is as active a teenager as they come. A 13-year-old middle school student, he participates in USTA Tournaments, Junior Team Tennis, football and lacrosse.

Needless to say, his schedule keeps his family quite busy. But as dad Nate and mom Maia have quickly learned, the rest of the kids are starting to follow suit.

The youngest, Bodhi (2), is even showing he may develop quite the forehand.

“All he does is racquets and balls,” said Nate, who works as a sales engineer. “Once we were cleaning up and found 11 ping pong balls on top of our cabinet. He hits them from the table, over and over again.”

Among all the activities, tennis is a family sport for the Knowles. Maia played in college, and the kids have shown a strong interest even in their young age. During 2015’s JTT Section Championships, Gabe and his Northwood Racquet & Fitness Club team competed against teams from around the Middle States Section. Between the matches, Bodhi showed off some of his skills, wowing the crowd by hitting balls with his favorite racquet.

Sister Gaia (3) also has an interest in tennis, as does Gideon (8), although both are also interested in other sports and activities, as well. All in all, they form quite the fan club.

“It never ends,” Nate laughed. “All the kids love to play whatever it is they’re playing at the time. It might be kicking a ball, throwing a ball, hitting a ball. It’s a busy house.”

For more information about USTA Junior Team Tennis, visit the Middle States website. For specific questions regarding Junior Team Tennis, email USTA Middle States Junior Competition.