At the age of 81, Mary Chronister is a tennis player, coach and fan, all in one competitive package.

She plays doubles every weekday morning at the Bellingham Tennis Club, and wins more than her share of matches, but that's not nearly enough tennis for her.

"I've probably seen more than 5,000 individual tennis matches," says her son, Bellingham High School boys' and girls' tennis coach Steve Chronister, "and Mom has seen nearly every one of them, too.

"She's not only a great fan, but also a great pair of extra eyes. She has been an invaluable help at times and really can tell me what's going on. I'm very fortunate to have her help."

Mary is too humble to describe her athletic ability.

"Mom is just an animal," he said with a grin while Mary winced, realizing she was headed for more kidding from her tennis friends.

"She really is," Steve said. "I think she's fantastic. I really think she's one of the best players in the state and could play in a national tournament. She often plays against women about half her age."

Mary, though, isn't fond of travel and isn't interested in seeking honors on far-flung courts. A lifelong resident of Bellingham, she'd rather play locally and root for her son's teams.

"The kids all know her," said Steve, whose girls' team this spring extended its dual-match winning streak to a school-record 33. "Mom almost never misses a match."

Mary and her late husband, Bob, were the founding managers and teaching pros at the Bellingham Tennis Club. She never played tennis in her school days, but Bob, who passed away in 1993 after 39 years of marriage, got her hooked on the game in her 20s. She has become more passionate about tennis every decade since.

"Bob and I opened the tennis club in 1973, but we weren't anything like the teaching pros they have at the club now," she said. "That's been one of the most rewarding things of my life - seeing the club grow and prosper. Doug and Robin Robinson (the current owners) pay attention to all the details, to everything that makes for an outstanding tennis experience."

Steve and brother Stan, 53, formed a district championship doubles team when they played at Sehome High. Sister Shelley, 46, also an outstanding tennis player for the Mariners, joined her brothers in year-round sports participation, following the example of their spirited parents.

Tennis, though, was their first love. Mary was thrilled to see Steve named Western Washington University's "Tennis Player of the Century" in 1999, but that was four years after the school dropped its intercollegiate squad. Steve was Western's last coach, serving two seasons.

The Chronisters were especially proud to see Shelley, who now lives in Australia, qualify for national competition at Western in 1979.

Mary also saw six of her 10 grandchildren play high school tennis.

"Anything involving tennis, that's where I want to be," she said. "I just love the challenge, and we have so many wonderful players at the tennis club. There are a lot of older people there, and it's great fun. It's where I love to be."

Some of Mary's and Steve's happiest memories were family tennis outings at Elizabeth Park and other city courts.

When Mary attended Bellingham High - Class of 1945 - she recalled the school had some of its all-time athletic greats in an era when only boys played interscholastic sports in Washington.

"But I still played just about everything I could," she said. "I remember, we girls would have to play intramural basketball the old way (with three girls on each side of the court). When I could, I would sneak off and play real basketball with the boys. I remember when Steve and Stan were young, I used to get out and play catch with them."

Mary recalls that when she was a young girl, her mother, Babe Nix, taught swimming as a sports and exercise enthusiast in an era when most women were not into athletics.

"I just followed her example," said Mary, who is still all about fitness more than 70 years later.

"I get up at 5 a.m. and I'm working out at 6 a.m.," she said. "I'm at the tennis club at 8:15 to play. On the weekends, I walk a lot. And I lift weights. In fact, I lift weights when I'm watching TV. If you don't use it, you lose it."

Steve said he has never forgotten how his mother broke her arm when she fell backwards, chasing an overhead shot, in a match about a decade ago. Yet she soon was right back on the court, playing with a cast.