GULF HARBOUR TENNIS

Important Reminders

2011-03-10T20:08:00.001-05:00

A Time to Remember
Don’t forget that this Saturday night we begin daylight savings time so the time “springs forward.” Basically it’s time to move your clock ahead one hour. I’d hate to have you miss your final match of the tournament this weekend because you forgot to change the clock.

For the Ladies
Keep your eyes peeled for the Intent to Play Form which the Captains Council will be disseminating soon. If you would like to play on a Lee County Women’s Tennis League (LCWTL) team at Gulf Harbour, it would be a good idea to submit the form by the April 11th deadline. If you do not submit the form, the Council won’t know that you would like to play and you may miss out on a tremendous experience. There will be an announcement when the form is out, but if you haven’t heard or seen anything by the end of March, please check with the Tennis Pro Shop (239-444-3644).

Annual Celebration Reservations
As usual, this should be a really nice evening to look back at a great tennis season. We have the awesome Bobby Ross band, and Chef Ron will do his thing in the kitchen. The tennis staff will be assisting the Food and Beverage department this year by coordinating the seating for the Annual Tennis Celebration before you get there on April 9th.

In efforts to assist, registration for the event will be limited to online sign-up or calling the Tennis Pro Shop. All of the members of your party must be included in the final reservation, which is limited to maximum parties of eight this year. Table assignments will be determined from the order in which the reservations are booked online, i.e., first come first served. Essentially, if you have folks that you want to sit with and have seating preferences, it would be a good idea to get online as soon as you can and make your reservations. This is a party you don’t want to miss!

Would you like to help with this big event? We really need coordinators for Tennis Celebration to work on a theme and decorations for the April 9th Event. We need fresh faces to step up. If you are interested in having your team or friends help with this task, please contact Mike, Bob, Meg Jacobs, Sally Mellendorf, or Linda VanWyk.

Tennis Advisory Committee
As noted in the Minutes of the most recent Tennis Advisory Committee meeting, the Committee will be dissolved as of the March 14th Annual Club Meeting, since a new Board of Governors will convene on March 16th. Notification will soon be sent to all Members requesting volunteers for all of the Club’s amenity Advisory Committees. From that pool of volunteers, each Board of Governor will have the opportunity to select their Advisory Committees for 2011-2012.

We encourage anyone in the tennis community interested in participating on the Advisory Committee or as a coordinator for any of the events to respond to the Club's Committee request for volunteers by getting in touch with Bob Ostrom or Mike Curran.

Court Reservations
As you may know by now, the final stage of the Club Championships begins tomorrow (matches begin at 3:00 P.M.), and there will subsequently be limited access to the courts through Sunday. However, there will be some open times for play, and you should check online for those opportunities.

Obviously, a very popular event like the Mixed Doubles Tournament that engages more than a third for our tennis community deserves the high court priority this weekend. Consequently, although you may not see a match time scheduled, the courts are being held for tournament contingencies, participant warm ups, court grooming, spectator overflow, etc.

We always do what we can to accommodate non-tournament participants also, so please bear with us as we strive to make the Club Championships the best possible experience for the members who have chosen to participate. If you have a question about whether a court may be available, please call the Tennis Pro Shop.

I hope you enjoy the Mixed event this weekend, whether you are a player or spectator. Thanks for the big assist Anonymous Editor! Until next, game, set, match, Gulf Harbour.

Climactic Tennis Events Imminent

2011-03-06T17:34:00.007-05:00

Club Championships Mixed Doubles

2009-2010 Court Crashers Mixed Champs & Finalists

2009-2010 Ball Bashers Mixed Champs & Finalists

The Grand Finale of the Tennis Club Championships, the Mixed Doubles event, is upon us. Unfortunately we have a shortage of men for all of our talented ladies, so a number of quality players will remain on the sidelines for the event, which begins this coming Friday, March 11th. Those joining the ranks of spectator this year include semifinalists, finalists and champions of multiple divisions in last year’s event. What a shame!

In any event, we currently have 88 players registered for the event, and it promises to be every bit as much fun as the previous two legs of the Championships. It's not too late to get in, but the deadline (Tuesday the 8th at noon) is approaching rapidly. Ladies, I wish we had more men to go around. Those of you who are playing can look forward to seeing the tournament draws sometime Tuesday evening. Good luck to all!

Gulf Harbour Teams

Members take in Sure Shots-Power Shots Match-up

There is some must-see action taking place this week with our teams on both the men’s and ladies side of the court. Tomorrow our Championship Men’s White-B team will play its final home match of the season at home tomorrow (Monday, March 7th) at 2 P.M. and I’m sure the team would love to have you join them in the celebration.

Of mega importance is the Men’s Red-C match that will be played at home this Thursday, March 10th at 2 P.M. Our Red-C men are tied for first place in their division and this final match of the season will determine whether they will be champions or runners up. Whether you are on a team or not, your support will surely be appreciated. Nothing like a nice home crowd for inspiration!

No.1 Court for Double Trouble

Another big match will be taking place at home tomorrow (Monday the 7th) at 11 A.M., as our 3.0 Double Trouble ladies, who are in the thick of the first-place race, take on the second-ranked team in their division.

This match will go a long way in determining where our ladies finish, and don’t imagine I have to say, yet again, how much your presence would mean. If you haven’t seen Double Trouble play before, we have some of our most…uh…animated players on the team, so you'll have guaranteed entertainment. Hope to see you there.

There are other big matches happening at home this week, so check out the latest Team Report on the Tennis Teams & Leagues page of the Club website for additional Info.

Davis Cup

2009-2010 Davis Cup Participants

It’s almost time for the “FUN” team event of the 2010 – 2011 Season! Yes, the Davis Cup happening is less than three weeks away, and you can now register online and on the bulletin board adjacent to Court 1 if you would like to swing into action on March 26th and 27th (Saturday & Sunday). We were 61 players strong last time around and we are looking to top out at 64 this year.

2009-2010 Davis Cup Champions

If you haven’t done it before, this is a really fun event where the play is of course competitive, but much more social than any other competition we have. Last season, Team Canada claimed the Cup after some spirited matches, edging Team Ireland by a mere six points.

Current members on the reigning Davis Cup team include Pam Lemon, Janie Heck, Bill Donegan, Greg Pilant, Bill Cole, Anna Pitts, Don Pitts, Roy Steigerwald, and Val Steigerwald. One member of the team, Donna Giovaniello, is no longer a member. Think you can help your team claim the Cup this year? Go to the Club Calendar on the Club website and click on the link to sign up.

Ritzman Tennis/USPTA Pro League

Mike & Scotty battle on Pro League Court 1

The very popular Pro League, in which all three of your pros play, is finally reaching its climax, and Mike, Joel and I are in the thick of the race for the top spot. Going into the final match of the regular season, Mike’s and my team has an almost insurmountable eight-point lead over Joel’s team, which is in second place.

Joel & League Commissioner Jim Katterfield go down fighting

The final regular season match is this coming Friday, March 11th at The Club at Grandezza. Mike and I will be playing at 4 P.M. while Joel will be playing at 5:30 P.M. Joel’s team will be playing the third place team, and since only the top two teams will be playing for the championship, this is a big match for his team. Despite our team’s considerable lead, and a matchup against the last-place team this Friday, that team surprised Joel’s team with a three point victory, so we need to bring our A-games to the courts this Friday.

As always, we very appreciate those of you who have made it to most (if not all)l of the matches this season, and hope you can make this Friday’s event. If not, the playoffs are at West Bay on Friday March 25th, and perhaps we’ll see you there when it is all on the line.

Annual Tennis Celebration

Believe it or not, the season is almost over and the Annual Celebration will be upon us before we catch our collective breath after the Davis Cup. Don't forget to put Saturday, April 9th at 6 P.M. on your calendar, because food, drinks, dancing, awards...uh, did I mention food, drinks and dancing? Oh, yes I did. Well, all of the above makes for a really enjoyable celebration of all that we experienced during the season. This one can go late, so leave the evening open...or skip out whenever you choose. Some of us will be there until (wink). You can register for the fun right now on the Club Calendar.

Sorry if I missed anything or anyone, but that's about it for now. Oh, please do like Marvel Jones did recently and helped me out with a correction to the blog when she saw an error. Until next...Game, set, match, Gulf Harbour.

Big Tennis Weekend on Tap!

2011-02-17T11:42:00.001-05:00

Gulf Harbour Memorial Foundation Event
Ok my beloved tennis friends, we do an awful lot of good things around here, but the best thing that we do is coming up fast on the fuzzy yellow horizon! The Gulf Harbour Memorial Foundation’s tennis event, dubbed the “2011 Tennis Charity Challenge” (don’t ask me by whom), is this coming Sunday February 20th beginning at 9:00 A.M. Don’t hesitate to come if you don’t wake up early, because we’ll be having fun all day (until 3:00 P.M. or so).

Participants can take part in a variety of fun activities, including round robin play, target tennis, fast serve contests, raffles, and can also partake of the delicious baked goods that will be on hand for the bake sale. Whether we break the fundraising record that we set for the tennis community last year or not, it will be a very good time and whatever we raise will go to good causes. This year the Foundation is focusing on five grant requests: Brightest Horizons, Lee County Sheriff's Office K-9 Unit, Lee County Red Cross, Paws for Independence, and Paws for Patriots.

Ritzman/USPTA Pro League
Your pros are back at it again folks. The Shadow Wood Pro League match-up taking place this Friday the 18th at 5:30 P.M. will feature Joel and his partner against my partner and me. Joel has gotten me twice this season and I am loathe to make it thrice!

Speaking of threes, that is precisely how many points our team, captained by our peerless leader, Mike Curran, is ahead of Joel’s team, so this is a BIG match! I hope to see you out there supporting us if at all possible…yeah, yeah, I know Shadow Wood is a bit of a hike, but it’ll be worth it. And, hey, I’ll even forgive anyone who cheers for the youngster (wink).

Club Championships Mixed Doubles
Watching good competition is fun, but playing good competition is even better; isn’t it? Well in two shakes of a cat’s tail (I now have two tail-shaking cats sharing my abode-yikes!) our Club Championships Mixed Doubles event will be here. Registration opens this Friday, the 18th online and on the bulletin board adjacent to Court 1.

The event itself takes place Friday March 11th through Sunday the 13th. As we did for the doubles event, we will do our best to accommodate those with schedule conflicts, but can make no promises. Of course we would love to have as many participants as possible, but if you aren’t available for all three days, you may consider not registering. Full details can be viewed here. Oh, if you don't have a partner and would like to play, send me an email. We'll do our best to get you paired.

Teams
And now, on to one of my favorite topics: How Gulf Harbour’s teams are doing in their local leagues. Let me start with a major event that will be eclipsed only by the Charity Challenge, and…well…maybe the Mixed Doubles Tourney…just maybe. I am speaking of “Masiello versus Cupaiuolo II” right here on our courts, next Tuesday the 22nd.

Tony Cupaiuolo’s Blue-A Team edged Jim Masiello’s Blue-A team the last time the two teams met, moving ahead of Jim’s team in the standings. After today’s matches, in which Jim’s team pulled out a couple of tiebreaks to win three of four matches; and Tony’s team dropped 3 of 4, Jim’s team is now in 3rd place, 1 point ahead of Tony’s squad. It ought to be a donnybrook next Tuesday. I have to remember not to book any lessons during that time slot!

I suspect that John Hess, Captain of our White-B team; Rich Fox and Tim Baldwin, Captains of our Red-C team, are both wondering how third and fourth-place teams got top billing in this edition. Location, location, location. That match is a happening in Gulf Harbour tennis and is at our courts!

But in all fairness, Hess’ men have held the first-place position for several weeks, and are holding on tenaciously to a 7-point division lead. With only three matches remaining on the schedule against teams they have either beaten (2) or tied (1), It looks like they may have put a lock on this Championship.

Fox and Baldwin’s lads have been leading their division for some time as well, and currently are holding a five-point lead. Like the White-B team, a solid performance down the stretch against teams they have either beaten or tied, should clinch the title for them as well. They play at home today (Thursday the 17th at 2:00 P.M.), so come out and cheer on your soon-to-be-champs. Sure hope I didn’t put the kiss of death on you guys!

We have some stellar performers on the ladies side of things as well. Thus far, the standard bearers for our ladies teams have been the 3.5-Minus Sure Shots. In first or second since early in the season, the Sure Shots regained the division lead by seven points after winning three of four courts yesterday.

The Sure Shots have six matches left this season, with four of those at home, the biggest of which will be against their Gulf Harbour sisters on the Power Shots (currently in 7th after winning three of four courts at home yesterday) on Wednesday, March 2nd. This is another match you won’t want to miss!

Our 3.0 sister teams, Double Trouble and Raquettes are turning in strong performances this season as well. The Double Trouble ladies were the League Runners-Up last season, and are currently in third, but the Raquettes are hot on their trail in fourth. Double Trouble plays its next five matches at home, playing the top two teams on March 7th and 21st. Those two matches will be huge in determining where Double Trouble finishes in the standings, so if you can make it out, I know they would appreciate it.

The Raquettes don’t play at home again until March 14th, but have been coming on strong lately, winning eight of twelve courts in their past three matches. With a few more good performances coming down the homestretch, the Raquettes could leapfrog Double Trouble, which has struggled of late, winning four of twelve courts in its last three matches.

Our 3.0-Minus team, which finished atop the standings last season, is struggling to remain among the leaders this year. They sit fourth, and chances of a repeat division title are slim, given that the division leaders have swept all courts in eight of their twelve matches, and boast an individual court record of 42-6! Can anyone say, “Ringers,” “Sandbaggers?” Ok, maybe that’s just sour grapes on my part.

In any event, although the top position seems out of reach, a second-place finish is well within our 3.0-Minus Dream Team’s grasp. The ladies have played well as of late, taking three of four courts in the last three matches. They play at home today (Thursday the 17th at 11:00 A.M.) against the Landings Lucky Ladies, but unfortunately I didn’t get this out in time to remind you. Chances are they will be one step closer to that second-place finish at the end of the day.

Well, I’d love to continue talking about the great performances of our teams, but I have to get this posted and go cheer our ladies on before my Chiro visit. Keep tuning in for the latest happenings, and we’ll do our best to keep you informed. Ah, before I go, please express your condolences to Norma Schuyler on the recent passing of her dad. Until next, game, set, match Gulf Harbour Tennis….

Super Championship Doubles on Super Sunday

2011-02-09T17:12:00.037-05:00

The weather threatened. Our players remained undaunted, and the crowd drizzled in much like the early morning mist did on Doubles Championship Sunday at Gulf Harbour. The Men’s and Women’s Court Crashers took to the court first, with Don Pitts seeking yet another upset with partner Tim Carr, and Sally Mellendorf trying to repeat as Champion, with new partner Meg Jacobs.

Preston Clark and Ron Jones were favored to claim their second Club Championship and they didn’t disappoint. Although Don and Tim got off to a quick start, Preston and Ron came back to win the first set, 6-3. There was no quit in Don and Tim, however, and they took the second set 6-4. The crowd was anticipating another of the incredibly close three-setters we’ve experienced over the past few days, but Preston and Ron ran the table for a 6-0 third set.

Lori Frantz and Nancy Davis were in the hot seat in the ladies Court Crashers final, because they both play on higher level teams than Sally and Meg. The match was so even that teams and ratings were of little consequence.

Back and forth they went through the first set, and when sally and Meg broke serve to go up 5-4, it appeared that Meg would get her first Club Championship. But Lori and Nancy broke right back and held serve, losing only two points in two games, and went up 6-5. Sally and Meg held easily to get to the tiebreak, which was nip and tuck all the way until Lori and Nancy took the 7-5 breaker.

The second set was the same sort of back and forth affair, with Meg and Sally down a break early, before rallying to tie the set at 4-4. They were broken again, and Lori and Nancy served for the match at 5-4, but Sally and Meg stiffened yet again, to even the set at 5-5. Meg and Sally failed to hold once again, and after a tough deuce game, Lori and Nancy closed out the very entertaining match 7-5.

In the Men’s Court Crashers final, the speed and athleticism of Don Pitts & Tim Carr (who only plays tennis about twice per year at tournament time) were pitted against the experience and unorthodox shot-making of Ron Jones and Preston Clark. Just as a puncher always has a chance in a boxing match when faced with a superior boxer, speed and athleticism always has a chance in a tennis match.

When Don and Tim went up 2-0 in the first set, and had multiple break points in the third game, it appeared as though they had a pretty good chance. However, that experience came to the fore soon thereafter and Ron and Preston held serve in that third game and lost only one more game in the set, taking it 6-3.

The second set was nip and tuck until Don and Tim broke serve in the sixth game to go up 4-2, but neither team would hold serve again in the set, and Don and Tim evened the match, closing out the second set 6-4 by virtue of the fifth consecutive break between the two teams.

Ron and Preston were challenged on their serve in the fourth game of the third set, but they held, and that was the only challenge Don and Tim could mount for the remainder of the match. Ron and Preston eased their way through a 6-0 third set to earn their Club Championship.

Both the Men’s and Women’s Ball Bashers draws featured No. 1 seeds attempting to close the deal, and in both draws the top seeds had been tested before reaching the final. Monica Robb & Pam Lemon, who played in the All Aces Division last year, had to be considered ladies favorites coming into the event, and John was defending Ball Basher Champion, with a terrific partner, so he had to be the odds on favorite in the men’s.

Monica & Pam faced Bonnie Graham, a recent victor over cancer, and Bev Auda, a relatively new addition to the tennis family. Bonnie and Bev had edged the No.2 seeds in straight, but very tight sets the day before, and had proven their toughness in a three-set victory over the dangerous team of Jan Carlson and Gina LaManna. Monica and Pam had also proven their metal in overcoming the No.3-seeded Angela Mitrisin and Bev Adams in three sets in their semifinal match.

The stage was set for another of the nail-biters we’ve witnessed all tournament long. Bonnie and Bev started the match in fine fashion with a break of serve, then a hold, and held the break advantage until they served at 3-2. Monica and Pam broke serve, then held to pull ahead 4-3. But Bonnie and Bev would not be denied and ran off three consecutive games, fending off a break point in the last game of the set to claim it 6-4.

In the second set it was Monica and Pam who got the first break to go up 3-1, but couldn’t hold the advantage once again, and Bonnie and Bev tied the set at 3-3. They broke again to go up 5-4 and served out a love game to claim their first Club Championship. The victory was pretty impressive considering they had beaten a talented and seasoned team.

Unfortunately, there was very little drama in the Men’s final, as Bruno and John overwhelmed Peter and Rich in straight sets (6-2, 6-2), breaking them in all but one service game. Despite solid play from Peter and Rich, the combination of stellar net play from Bruno and superb back court mobility from John was too much for them to overcome.

Although 10 of the 16 games played reached 40-30, only two games reached deuce. Apparently the two three-set matches Bruno and John had played in previous rounds resulted in their becoming a fine-tuned machine. John is now two-time Ball Bashers Champion, after losing in the first round two years ago. Yes, he’s come a long way baby!

What the Men’s All Aces lacked in drama, they made up for in quality of play. Seeking his fifth consecutive Club Championship title, Chip Graddy teamed with his reigning Co-Champion partner and Singles Finalist, Geoff Negin against Alan Canfield and Arnie Wohl.

Coming off what some might consider an upset victory over Gary Delanois and Bob Ostrom in the semis, Arnie and Alan had nothing to lose, and they played like it. Early in the match, however, points were hard to come by for Alan and Arnie. They won just three points in the first three games. But despite Chip’s high-kicking serve, his daunting presence of Chip at net, and Geoff showing improved doubles acumen, Arnie and Alan hung in there and clawed back to 2-3. Unfortunately they would win just two more points the rest of the set, as Chip and Geoff closed it out 6-2.

The second set was a much closer affair, despite the 6-3 score. Chip and Geoff struggled through multiple deuces to hold in the first game of the set, and Alan and Arnie did the same, but both held. Alan’s athleticism and Arnie’s deadly lobs appeared to give them a fighting chance, and after a couple tough deuce games, they broke serve and took a 3-2 lead. Chip and Geoff broke back, and Alan and Arnie battled valiantly in the seventh game, holding multiple break points, but couldn’t solve the riddle of the Graddy serve.

It appeared that the steam had gone out of Alan and Arnie’s game, and they were broken at love to go down 3-5. But with Geoff serving for the match, Alan and Arnie stiffened and fought off two match points. Not stiff enough unfortunately, for they could get the break. Geoff had picked up his fourth Club Championship in three years in the top-level draw. Chip had claimed his fifth in two, and will be seeking to make it six straight when he teams with Jemin Martinsen (his Co-Champion of last season) in the Mixed Doubles Championship next month.

The final Match of the day, with a standing room only crowd in attendance, was nothing short of scintillating. Reigning All Aces Doubles Champion (with Jemin last season) Kathy Lanzalotta paired with Janet Craycraft, recently off foot injury, to seek the repeat. The two would face last season’s Finalists, Carole Shapiro and Janie Heck, who lost in two tough sets last year, 6-4, 7-6.

The match was dead even until Kathy and Janet broke serve in the seventh game and held to go up 5-3. Carole and Janie held at love to get to 4-5, broke back after saving set point to even it at 5-5, then held to go up 6-5, and were two points from the set at 15-30 on Kathy and Janet’s serve. But Kathy and Janet seemed to play best when the match was tightest. They held serve and ran away with the tiebreak, 7-2.

Janet and Kathy held serve in a tough, multiple-deuce game to open the second set, and I wondered if Janie and Carole might fold after losing the tough first set and tough first game of the second. Wrong! They held serve despite facing a break point in that second game, and nip and tuck it was again.

Kathy and Janet broke for a 4-2 lead, but showing incredible moxie, they saved game point in the following game and broke back. Janet and Kathy returned the favor to get within one game of the Championship at 5-3, but Carole and Janie refused to go away. They broke back, then held for 5-5. Both teams held to reach the tiebreak, but again, Kathy and Janet seemed to play best in the latter stages, and took the second tiebreak 7-2.

The quality of play and competitiveness displayed in the final match was a fitting climax to the best Club Championships we have seen over the past three years. We began and ended the first session of the event with the sensational Ball Bashers match played by Eddie Dance and Jake Keltner against Tom Auda and Charlie Beagan, and ended it with a thrilling Women’s All Aces Final. And, between those tremendous bookends, we had numerous other thrillers in all three divisions.

It doesn’t get much better than Gulf Harbour tennis folks, and everyone who participated and came out to watch the event ought to feel really good about being a part of such a thriving tennis community. Thanks to Linda VanWyk and George Kane for their fine work on the Seeding Committee, to Food and Beverage for bringing out refreshments, to Fernando for keeping the courts beautifully playable, and to all of you for a great weekend…even if it was spent working. We came close to the 100 participant mark, but didn’t quite make it. Mixed Doubles is next. Can we reach the century mark? Only time will tell. Until next, game, set, match, Gulf Harbour…

Club Championship Doubles Finals Set

2011-02-06T09:43:00.001-05:00

Things were hotly contested as usual on Day 2 of the Club Championships Doubles tourney. The Women’s Ball Bashers produced two three-setters and two tiebreaks in six matches, and the favorites were more than tested.

After cruising in their opening match, top-seeded Monica Robb and Pam Lemon, faced a scare from Angela Mitrisin and Beverly Adams. After claiming the first set 6-3, Monica and Pam dropped the second by the same score. Although games were competitive in the third set, Angela and Bev could not close any of them, losing 0-6.

Monica and Pam will face Bonnie Graham and Bev Auda, who upset the second-seeded pair of Connie Hess and Lili Canfield in two nail-biting sets. Bonnie and Bev won the first set 7-5, and went up 5-1, before Connie and Lili fought their way back to reach a tiebreak. Connie and Lili then clawed their way back from a 6-3 deficit in the tiebreak, but succumbed to the determine Bonnie and Bev 9-7. Tomorrow’s final ought to be another massive struggle to the end.

Maintaining the intensity of competition, the Women’s All Aces semis gave us one three-setter and one tiebreak in the two matches. Representing one half of last season's championship team, Kathy Lanzalotta, teamed with Janet Craycraft, who is recently off injury, in her repeat effort. Kathy and janet dropped the first set 2-6, to Judy Schafft and Kathy Karofsky, but rallied to win 6-1, 6-3 in the final sets. The scores of the final two sets are deceptive, because the quality of play was exceptionally high right down to the final points.

The other half of the final will feature last year’s Finalists, Carole Shapiro and Janie Heck, battled Jemin Martinsen, a Triple Crown winner last season, and Judy Wilson, a Double Crown winner in the Ball Bashers Division last year. Carole and Janie got out to a nice lead in both sets, but Jemin and Judy fought back both times, saving several match points in the second set. Carole and Janie eventually emerged with a very tough 6-4, 7-6 victory. They are hoping their second time around as a team will be the charm.

The women’s Court Crashers also produced at least one humdinger of a match, when reigning Doubles Champion, Sally Mellendorf, who is teamed with Meg Jacobs this time, faced Current Singles Champion Jayme Lewis and Linda Gardiner. In a symmetrical war, Sally and Meg eked out the victory (4-6, 6-4, 6-4), and will face the team of Lori Frantz and Nancy Davis. Lori and Nancy started a little slowly in their match against Linda Riedl and Kathy Masiello, but they finished strong, winning in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.

The division that produced the most fireworks today was the Men’s Ball Bashers, as both semifinal winners had to go three sets to make it to the final. In one of the longest matches of the day (well over 2 hours), the “Double Doc” team of Dr. Rich Fox and Dr. Peter Karofsky, appeared to be on their way to an early termination, after dropping the first set 2-6 to Tim Jones and Bill Wright. But the docs had the “Wright” prescription, toughing out a second set tiebreak, and closing the third set at 6-4. Nice recovery Docs!

The second semifinal match features the team that is maximizing their time on the court. The Division’s top seeds, Bruno Glavich and John Hess, have played six sets in two matches, with five of the six sets going 6-4, and one finishing 7-5.

In their quarterfinal match on Friday, after receiving a bye, Bruno and John went 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 against Manny Lima and Peter Jensen. Today, they faced another team that got their money’s worth (six sets in two matches), Rich Meyers and Tim Baldwin, and won 7-5, 4-6, 6-4. If the final goes three sets, I don’t think anyone will be surprised.

The Men’s All Aces final will feature the only individual left in the Club Championships with the opportunity to win the Triple Crown, and if accomplished, it would his second consecutive sweep. Chip Graddy, who took all three events last season in the highest event division, is teamed with Geoff Negin (his championship teammate of a year ago) in attempts to repeat as All Aces Doubles Champion.

With a first round bye and a relatively trouble-free 6-2, 6-1 victory over a less-than-hundred-percent David Weber and Maxwell Thompson, a first-year competitor in this division, the two seem poised to repeat. However, Alan Canfield and Arnie Wohl, will do their best to derail such repeat hopes.
Alan and Arnie faced perennial Club Champion in multiple events, Gary Delanois, and Tennis Committee Chairman, Bob Ostrom in their semifinal match. Although Bob wasn’t 100%, he and Gary gave Alan and Arnie all they could ask for, falling 5-7, 4-6. It will be interesting to see what strategies Alan and Arnie will employ in attempts to derail the Graddy train that has been chugging merrily along since joining the club last season.

Perhaps Alan and Arnie should ask Don Pitts for some tips, because Don has become the upset specialist of the Club Championship season. After some surprising results in his singles foray, Don teamed with occasional player, Tim Carr, to topple the favored Ron Graham and Jim Masiello in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2 in the Court Craashers semifinal.

Don and Tim have another tough test in front of them as they will battle Ron Jones and Preston Clark. Ron and Preston dismantled the team of Tony Cupaiuolo and Ted Poppinga, 6-0 in the first set, but Tony and Ted scrapped their way to a close 4-6 loss in the second set.

There is no doubt that Ron and Preston have the tennis experience advantage over Don and Tim, but the speed advantage belongs to the latter duo. You know what they say about speed, right? Come out and see if what “they” say is correct, as the two teams collide in the morning.

Major Tennis Happenings on Tap

2011-01-30T19:13:00.003-05:00

Entries for the Club Championships Doubles close at noon this coming Tuesday, February 1st. We have 80 members registered thus far, attesting to healthy participation, but we are likely to fall short of our goal of 100 participants.

Defending Champions Chip Graddy and Geoff Negin will attempt to make it two in a row in the All Aces Division, but reigning Ladies Champions in that division, Jemin Martinsen and Kathy Lanzalotta, have chosen different partners for this year’s event. Last year's Finalists, Carole Shapiro and Janie Heck, will pair up once again for a run at the top woman’s prize in the event.

In the Ball Bashers Division, Triple Crown Winner Maxwell Thompson is moving up so won’t be able to defend the title he won with John Hess last season. However, John may be back in the Ball Bashers mix (depending on Seeding Committee placements), this time with Bruno Glavich.

The same applies to Judy Wilson, who claimed the Women’s Ball Bashers crown last season with Lili Canfield. Judy will be playing with Jemin Martinsen in the All Aces Division this time around. Lili has not entered the event as of this writing, and the Women’s Ball Bashers draw appears to be wide open.

There will be no defending Men’s Champions in the Court Crashers Division either, as Tom VanWyk, who teamed with Manny Lima to win that Division in 2010, will be attending the Super Bowl to cheer on his Green Bay Packers. Manny will be moving up to challenge for the Ball Bashers Championship with PJ Jensen. Tony Cupaiuolo, who was a Court Crashers Finalists along with Peter Malen, will challenge once again; this time with Ted Poppinga.

Sally Mellendorf will try to repeat as Women’s Court Crashers Champion, albeit this time with Meg Jacobs, who was a Division Finalist last season with Jayme Lewis. Coming off her Singles Finalist finish in the singles, Meg will be hungry to nab her first Division Championship. Jayme will team with Linda Gardiner in her attempt to capture a companion trophy for the Singles Championship she won this season.

If the Doubles tourney is anything like the Singles event, then we should have some very exciting tennis this coming weekend. Hope to see you there.

Memorial Foundation
In case you haven’t already put it on your calendar, let me remind you that we have one of our biggest events coming up on Sunday, February 20th. The Gulf Harbour Memorial Foundation charities benefitted handsomely from the generosity of our tennis members last season, when our members' efforts generated over $17k for the Foundation.

I understand that Jim and Kathy Masiello have gotten us off to a great start by agreeing to be Title Sponsors of the event to the tune of several $k. According to event organizers, Connie Hess, Lili Canfield and Tim Baldwin:

“On Sunday, February 20th, the tennis community will once again sponsor the events that generated over $17,000.00 in contributions towards the 2010 Gulf Harbour Memorial Foundation. We will kick off this year’s activities with two "grab bag" round robin mixed doubles. Each round robin will be for three rounds for about 1 1/2 hours at a cost of $20.00. Each participant will receive an event goodie bag. There will also be fun fast serve and target tennis competitions at a cost of $10.00 a try. The tennis finale will be $5.00 a person for some really fun play with the pros that includes a funny twist as the moderator decides.

Concurrently, there will be a raffle for local goods and services, a separate 50-50 raffle and a bake sale provided by the awesome cooks of Gulf Harbour. An auction of donated boat rides, airplane rides, a week end at the beach and who knows what else will be held with Bill Wright as the primo auctioneer of all these wonderful donations. The Club will provide food and beverages to sustain you throughout this fun event. Please come join the tennis fun, eat lots of food and win some wonderful prizes.”

Pro League
The Fort Myers Ritzman Tennis USPTA Pro League is in the final third of the season, and Boston Retirement Advisors (BRA), Mike & T. A.’s team, has made up the deficit on Johnny Malloy’s (JM), Joel’s team, and now sits in front by 3 points. Posting two strong weeks in a row, claiming nine of 10 possible points both weeks, BRA is poised to go into the playoffs in fine fashion.

In yesterday’s matches, all three Gulf Harbour pros emerged victorious in straight sets, although Joel and T. A. had to win tiebreaks to do so. The top two teams will face each other in the next Pro League chapter at Shadow Wood on February 11th, just three days after Mike turns 38. Hopefully Father Time won’t have slowed down “Da Dawg” too much over the next two weeks and we can build a commanding lead. I owe Joel one (wink) from last time.

Your Teams
About halfway through our league season, Gulf Harbour’s women’s and men’s teams are more than holding their own. On the strength of five sweeps, our 3.0 Double Trouble team is in 1st, but only by a slim four-point margin over Paseo. Double Trouble plays at home again on Monday, February 21st so make a calendar entry and come see our potential Division Champs play.

Our 3.5-Minus Sure Shots had been holding on to first for a few weeks, but because they have played two matches fewer than Cape Coral Yacht Club, the standings show them in second. I suspect that once rained-out matches and an equal number of matches have been played, our Sure Shots will once again sit atop the leaderboard. The Sure Shots next play at home on Wednesday, February 9th.

Our Defending Champion 3.0-Minus Dream Team has slipped to 4th, but is only six points out of 3rd. Given the current standings, it appears that 3rd is the best that the Dream Team can hope for after the triumphant run of last season. Third or 4th among ten teams is still an excellent showing. The Dream Teamers next play at home on Thursday, February 10th against the second-place Park Meadow team.

Other ladies teams maintaining top-five berths include our Bronze Stringers who sit in third-place, four points ahead of the fourth-place team, and our Gold team, which holds the fifth spot. The Stringers play this coming Wednesday the 2nd at home against Lexington, and Gold plays at home next on Friday, February 11th.

Not quite in the top-five, but knocking on the door is our 3.5-Minus Power Shots who are tied for 6th. Given the standings, a strong second-half showing could vault the Power Shots into the top-three by season’s end. Our 4.0 Team also has clawed its way into top-five contention, sitting just five points out of fifth-place. A top-five finish is well within reach of our 4.0 ladies, but it will take some strong outings the rest of the way.

On the men’s side of things, Gulf Harbour has two teams leading their divisions and two of the other four teams amongst the top-five. Leading the way is our White-B team, posting a seven-point advantage over Fiddlesticks in second place. However, our guys have played one match more than Fiddlesticks so the substantial lead (each match counts for 1 point in this league) is misleading. Our division-leading White-B team will take to our home courts tomorrow at 2pm, so come on out to help them maintain the lead.

Our other men’s Division Leader is our Red C team. Our Red men hold a two-point edge over West Bay, with whom they split matches (2-2) this past Thursday to hold on to the lead. They are next at home this Thursday, February 3rd against Legends.

Top-five contenders include both our Blue-A Teams. Team Cupaiuolo is in 3rd, moving three points ahead of the 4th-place Team Masiello after the teams’ most recent matches. Both teams are well within reach of the top spot in the Division, with Cupaiuolo trailing the leaders by three and Masiello by six. Team Masiello plays at home this Tuesday the 1st, while Team Cupaiuolo doesn’t play at home again until the 22nd.

As usual, you can find out when the teams play, as well as where they stand, by going to the Tennis Page of your Club website and clicking on the provided links. That’s about it for now folks. I’ll be back with you soon. Tournament participants, you will get specific info regarding the tournament by Wednesday evening. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Game, set, match, Gulf Harbour….

Club Championships Singles Wrap-Up

2011-01-18T14:04:00.045-05:00

Geoff Negin & Chip Graddy
Singles Finalist & Champion

The first leg of the Club Championships Triple Crown (Singles, Doubles, Mixed Doubles) is complete, and only one horse has a chance of completing a repeat as Triple Crown Champion. That thoroughbred would be Mr. Chip Graddy.

Bryan Schwartz Edges Rich Edelman
in Quarters

Rich Edelman: A Gentleman
and a Warrior

But before I get into the wrap up of Championship Weekend, I must send out an apology to Bryan Schwartz and Rich Edelman for failing to mention their hard-fought three-setter in the quarterfinals of the Men’s Ball Basher Division. That match is certainly among the top candidates for “Match of the Tournament,” with Bryan claiming the 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory after more than two hours of strategic struggle.

Beth Haidet Takes on Jayme Lewis

Holly Thompson Returns Forehand to Meg Jacobs

Their match, however, was only one among a number of barn-burner, three-setters we witnessed leading up to the semis; yet only one semifinal match (Jayme Lewis’ win over Beth Haidet in the Court Crashers Division, 6-1, 4-6, 6-0) went three sets. Two others semis provided significant drama, as Meg Jacobs just edged Holly Thompson 7-6, 7-5 in the same division, and Don Pitts threatened to take heavy favorite Charlie Beagan to three sets, losing 2-6, 6-7, also in the Court Crashers.

All Aces Final

All Aces Singles Champion Chip Graddy

Back to our Triple Crown repeat threat. Are you familiar with the movie, Walking Tall? Well, Chip Graddy walks softly and definitely carries a big stick! Chip faced Geoff Negin in the All Aces final, the first match of Championship Sunday, and everyone present was primed for a match that was at least as well contested as last year’s final when the two first met. Early in the match it appeared as though that is exactly what we could expect, as the two traded early holds and breaks.

All Aces Finalist Geoff Negin

Geoff went up 3-1 after breaking Chip’s serve in the fourth game, no mean feat in and of itself, but Chip broke right back to get back on serve. Geoff appeared to be on his way to another break and I walked away. When I returned not too much later, Chip had won the first set 6-3, and was up 4-0 in the second. He went on to win 11 consecutive games to earn the 6-3, 6-0 victory and top honors in the Men’s Singles Championships. There was no Women’s All Aces event, because Reigning Champion, Jemin Matinsen, had no one to play.

Ball Bashers Finals

Ball Bashers Champion & Finalist
Angela Mitrisin & Monde Breton

Ball Bashers Champion & Finalist
Frank Kaplan & John Hess, with Joel Hampton in Chair

The mid-morning session of Championship Sunday featured Frank Kaplan versus John Hess and Angela Mitrisin versus Mondé Breton in the Women’s and Men’s Ball Bashers Divisions. While the final score of the women’s final might appear as though it was an easy victory for Angela (6-1, 6-4), a closer look tells another story.

Women’s Ball Bashers Final

Angela Shows Great Backhand Form

Despite the score of the first set, with Angela going up 5-0 before taking it 6-1, all but one game of the set went to deuce. The second set score (6-4) was a more accurate indicator of the level of competition, and at one point there were five consecutive breaks of serve. When Angela lost only two points in two games to go up 4-2, one might have thought it was over. Not so. Mondé recovered to tie the set at 4-4 with a break of Angela’s serve in the eighth game.

Monde's Backhand:
Unconventional but Effective

The critical ninth game with Mondé serving was another filled with multiple deuces. Angela seized it with superior speed and shot-making, as she had done in all but two of the several deuce games played. In all, 10 of the 17 games played reached deuce, with Angela winning seven of them. Angela’s toughness in those crucial games and her ability to hold serve more consistently than Mondé resulted in her first Gulf Harbour Singles Championship. It should be a nice addition to the Mixed Doubles Trophy she collected last year in her first Gulf Harbour Championships appearance.

Men’s Ball Bashers Final

Frank Takes Racquet All the Way Back

In contrast to the women’s match, it was quite obvious from the score (6-4, 7-6) that Frank and John were evenly matched in this hotly contested skirmish for the Men’s Ball Basher crown. Also in contrast, there was only one deuce game in the 10 played in first set of their match, compared to six of seven for the women.

John Hess Lines up Backhand

One similarity, however, was the fact that both players had difficulty holding serve during portions of the match. In fact, before Frank held serve in the eighth game to go up 5-3, no one had held serve! The second set also began with two services breaks, but then the two held serve until Frank broke John in the ninth game to serve for the match at 5-4. But then the service-breaks resurfaced, and neither could hold serve the rest of the way.

It was only fitting that the second set went to a tiebreak, given the neck-and-neck nature of the set that featured six of the seven deuce games in the match. In the end, Frank jumped out to a big 6-1 lead and closed it out on his third match point to claim his second singles title in two years (he won the Court Crashers event last year). As for John, this was his second consecutive finish as the Men’s Ball Bashers Finalist, and the third consecutive year that he has lost to the eventual Champion.

Court Crashers Finals

Court Crashers Champion & Finalist
Jayme Lewis & Meg Jacobs

Court Crashers Finalist & Champion
Chuck Beagan & Tony Cupaiuolo

Teammates faced each other in, both, the Women’s and the Men’s Court Crashers Finals. Jayme Lewis and Meg Jacobs, friends and teammates on our 3.0 Double Trouble team, gave the 50-60 engaged and vocal spectators all they could ask for.

Women’s Court Crashers Final

Jayme Prepares to Deliver Her Big Serve

Jayme jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first set, but what Meg may lack in tournament experience, she makes up for in championship spirit. With the crowd urging her on, she roared back to even the match at 4-4. Jayme is no slouch in the champion spirit department either, and she did not panic when Meg came back, breaking Meg in the ninth game and holding serve to take the first set 6-4.

In the second set, Jayme, again, claimed the early set lead, going up 2-0 with a break and hold. But Meg just wouldn’t go away. She tied it at 2-2 and the pair struggled mightily to the end. In fact, six of the last nine games went to deuce, with the fifth game going to eight deuces!

Meg's Ready to Step into This One

Jayme broke Meg in that fifth game and you would that if there ever was a back-breaker that was it. But Meg came right back to break Jayme. Unbelievable! The good friends and doubles partners traded blows evenly for the rest of the set, and Jayme served for the match at 6-5 and had two match points. Over, right? Wrong! Meg fought her way into the tiebreak, getting the break after three deuces.

A lesser person may have been rattled by the inability to put Meg away, but not Mrs. Lewis. Jayme bounced right back to take the early tiebreak lead, and this time Meg couldn’t quite catch her. Jayme had taken home a hard-earned first Singles Club Championship. When asked how it felt to be Champion, she responded, “D$#% Good!” You go Jayme!

Men’s Court Crashers Final

Looks Good in Pictures Tony

Given the tremendous competition we had seen throughout the event, it was only fitting that the final match of the day culminated in a third-set tiebreak. Teammates on one of our Blue A teams, Captain Tony Cupaiuolo and Chuck (AKA Charlie) Beagan finished Gulf Harbour’s opening Club Championship event in style!

While this was Tony’s third consecutive year in the Court Crashers Final, it was Chuck’s first venture into the singles event. The experience appeared to get to Chuck in the early going, as Tony won the first seven points of the match, and went up 5-1 with only two deuce games among the eight played. Tony’s strategy of just keeping the ball in play, while Chuck tried to dictate the action seemed brilliant.

But Chuck did not make it to the final just to go down with minimal resistance. The first sign of his resolve came in the first game of the second set, when he won his first multiple-deuce game. However, Tony held firm, staying even until Chuck broke serve in the sixth game of the set. Chuck won his second multiple-deuce game of the set to go up 5-2 and broke Tony to claim the second set. The two had played 16 games and were deadlocked at eight games apiece.

Chuck's Karate Chop Forehand

Both players held serve to open the third set, but Chuck broke to go up 3-1. They traded breaks again, and Chuck sat two games away from the title at 4-2. Back came Tony to tie at 4-4, and Chuck held at love to reach 5-4. Tony returned the favor, holding at love. He then broke Chuck and would serve for the match and Championship. Tony was in control and needing four measly points to claim the prize he had sought for years.

Once again, Chuck refused to say, “die,” and to the tiebreak they went. They played even through the breaker with neither going more than two points ahead. Chuck served at 6-6 and they played an incredible point with Tony coming up with an unbelievable play to get to 7-6. Another terrific point and Tony had finally earned the win in just over two hours. It was a fitting way for the match and the Championship to come to a close. Two of the best points of the match, and the event, had been played to decide the Champion.

Final Thoughts

Ann Wright Played the Match of the Event

Carol Carr: Winner of Match of the Event

Overall, the level of play throughout the event was pretty phenomenal. The quarterfinal match between Carol Carr and Ann Wright wins my vote not only for “Match of the Tournament,” but for best match I have seen at Gulf Harbour period (ask me and I’ll tell you why)! The Men’s Court Crashers Final was clearly the winner in the “Most Dramatic Finish” category.

Laurie Watson is All Heart and Class

Laurie Watson and Mondé Breton on the women’s side and Richard Edelman and Bryan Schwartz on the men’s side get my votes for the “Sportsmanship Award,” my favorite award of all. I didn’t see all the matches (and I’m sure many others are worthy), but I can’t imagine anyone displaying any more all out effort, fair play, and graciousness regardless of circumstance and outcome than these four showed.

Don Pitts: Surprise Performer of the Event

The “Surprise Performance Award” has to go to Don Pitts, who upended the heavily favored Erik Vettergren in the quarters, and almost pushed Finalist Chuck Beagan into a third set before losing in a tiebreak. Finally, the “Perseverance Award” goes to Dr. Tony for hanging in there until he claimed his title in his third try. Hey, I get to choose, cuz I’m writing this thing; ok :-)?

Congratulations are due, not only to the winners of the five events, but to all of the members who stepped up to participate and make yet another Gulf Harbour event a success. Thanks to George

Kane and Connie Hess who volunteered their time and braved the wrath of the participants by serving on the Tournament Seeding Committee. T’was a fine job they did! Thanks to Fernando for getting the courts ready for championship play. Oh yes, and thanks to Maxwell Thompson for being the "Official Warmer-Upper" of the event :-).

Jayme & Meg Drew the Largest Crowd

Carole Shapiro & Amy Ciarrocchi among the Crowd

How Cool is Fernando Jimenez?

Finally, we thank all of the spectators who came out, often in challenging weather conditions to cheer on our participants! Together, we made it happen. Isn’t that the way it ought to be?

The Champions will be crowned and will receive their hardware at the Annual Tennis Celebration Banquet on April 9th. We expect that event to be at least as special as it was last year, and look forward to seeing you there. Game, set, match: Gulf Harbour….

Unbelievable Action in Club Championships Singles

2011-01-15T06:46:00.005-05:00

I can’t help but start this blog with “WOW!” The strokes may not be what some would consider “classic,” but there have been some classic matches played on Gulf Harbour’s tennis courts over the past few days.

Bill Wright's Forehand Grip Backhand

On Wednesday night it was a tremendous contest of wills and skills between Chuck Klucka and Bill Wright in the All Aces Division. I missed the first set, but uncharacteristically, Bill won it (6-3)! Given Bill’s track record, I wish someone had been giving odds on the second set, cuz I would have bet the farm on Chuck!

Chuck Klucka Prepares to Whip a Forehand

Sho nuff, Chuck stormed back to claim the second set (6-2), looking as though he, the favorite in the matchup, had hit his stride and would take no prisoners for the remainder of the match.

The Crowd Enjoys Match Despite Chilly Temps

The first game of the third set appeared to confirm the above, as Chuck went up 1-0. It wasn’t looking too good for Bill, but as he has done at least a few times before, he came up with the “Wright” answer: “Not Yet!” Chuck seemed to relax for a moment and before the chilled crowd could say “D&*^* it’s cold!” Bill had reeled of six consecutive games to pull off the upset, storming (as only he can) into the semis and the challenge of his tennis life. He’ll face Chip Graddy this morning at 9am.

As good as the Wright-Klucka match was, it was just a portent of things to come. On Thursday afternoon, Laurie Watson (who had the nerve to register the Court Crashers Division…yep we moved her up to Ball Bashers :)) took the court against last year’s Ball Bashers finalist Martha DeLeeuw.

Anna Pitts Battles Angela Mitrisin

Those familiar with Martha’s game knew to bring a lunch, and they needed it before this one was over. Things appeared to be progressing as expected in the first set with Martha claiming it (6-3) despite solid resistance from Laurie. But there’s no quit in Laurie Watson! She turned the tables and took the second set convincingly (6-2). The action was just heating up.

Back and forth they dueled, with Martha slowing things down considerably. One of Martha’s strengths, her mobility, was unfortunately compromised by leg cramps. As sweet as Laurie is on and off the court, she showed no mercy, and kept the pressure on until the two were tied at 5-5 in the third. To the dismay of the crowd, which was anticipating a third-set tiebreak, Martha’s legs suggested she call it quits. She listened, and almost three hours after they began, Laurie had posted the second big upset in two days.

One would think the Wright family had provided us with enough entertainment for one tournament, but Ann Wright and Carol Carr lit up the night and the crowd the following evening in a Ball Bashers battle. I have watched and played in many a singles match, but seldom have I experienced such thrills while watching a match, and never while watching a club event.

This match had it all: Uncommon displays of sportsmanship, ebbs and flows of momentum, all out effort, and a surprising utilization of strategy and tactics. If all of the above wasn’t enough, superb shot-making saturated the contest.

The pressure was all on Carol as she was the favorite on paper. But again, no one who knows Ann, even a tad, would hesitate to put too much on the favorite in this one. The crowd murmured through the mounting tension of the first set, as Ann edged Carol in a tiebreak to claim it. Could it be? Could Ann pull this off in only her second singles event ever? It looked like a distinct possibility.

Ah, but if you know Carol Carr, just a smidgen, you wouldn’t be breaking out the champaign just yet if you were in the Wright camp. Back and forth they went, fighting fiercely through every single point, drawing myriad, well-deserved “ooooos” and “ahhhs” from the crowd. At the end of the second set, Carol had fought her way back to square one (6-4). Bathroom break for Ann while Carol paced the arena…

The third set got underway and these incredible ladies battled on into the night, back and forth, shot for shot, sprinting, advancing, retreating, and midway through the final set, neither had given an inch! Ah, but someone had to finish on the darker side of this moon, and with Carol's crucial break and determined hold, that someone was Ann.

Carol had held it together, had refused to crumble under the pressure of being the favorite, hadn’t given in to Ann’s relentless retrieving and stellar play. The hard-earned victory after 2 ½ hours and the amazing play of both players drew the first standing ovation I have seen at Gulf Harbour (I think Don Pitts and Rich Buckingham drew the first jumping ovation the day before in team play though).

Wow! What a tremendous few days of tennis our members have provided! The matches featured above were just the highlights. Other matches included Dave Weber taking down Maxwell Thompson, who is 30 years (that’s three whole decades) his junior, in straight sets (6-3, 6-4). Oh, and it’s only few weeks post knee surgery for Dave. He'll face former All Aces Champion Geoff Negin next.

Other results include Angela Mitrisin moseying past the very game Anna Pitts in straight sets (6-3, 6-1); Mondé Breton claiming a three-set victory over the talented Jan Carlson (4-6, 6-2, 6-1); Tom VanWyk, a few weeks post hospital stay for a blood clot in his leg, posting a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Preston Clark who is just about fully recovered from shoulder issues; and Don Pitts notching a surprising triumph over Eric Vettergren (6-3, 6-0).

We have some really intriguing matchups today, so if you like this game and enjoy being a part of Gulf Harbour tennis, you might want to take a stroll, a drive, a ride (or however you get around) down to the courts today to catch the action. Go to the Tennis Page of our Club website if you are interested in viewing the draws and today’s match times.

Until the next installment, game, set, match...

Club Championships & Much More

2011-01-12T18:25:00.003-05:00

Club Championship Singles
And so the Singles Championships are underway. Early matches include Laurie Watson, Captain of our Power Shots 3.5-Minus team, posting a 6-2, 6-4 victory of Liz Byck, who captains our 3.5-Minus Sure Shots team, which is in first place in its division.

In the first thriller of the event, April Burkholder, who recently announced victory in her battle with cancer, couldn’t quite pull out the victory against the gritty Anna Pitts, who faced set game in both sets. Anna eventually won 7-6, 7-5, but April is truly a winner to perform as she did after what she has been through recently.

Other first round results include Terry and Jan Carlson both winning in straight sets. Given that Terry only started playing tennis a few months ago, and got out of a cast on his foot a couple of weeks ago, his straight-set victory over Bill Otey was an accomplishment. Of course, Bill also is recovering from recent surgery on his leg, and was having some back issues, but showed his champion's spirit and played anyway. Jan dispatched the very game Lori Frantz who was playing singles for just the second time.

Zoe Bradley, another member who showed her tremendous heart and love for the game, gave it all she had despite very distressed knees against the incredibly quick and determined Ann Wright. The word mercy is not in Ann’s vocabulary, and despite Zoe’s valiant effort, it is Ann who is moving on to face Carol Carr in the quarterfinals.

The men swing into action tonight (Wednesday, 6:30pm) with Bill Wright facing Chuck Klucka in the Men’s Ball Bashers Division. Bill is stepping up into the top division this season even though he failed defend his Ball Bashers title of two seasons ago. He faces a tough test against Chuck’s skill and experience, but if you know Bill, you know better than to count him out despite his underdog status. Stay tuned for more results and we hope you can make the semis and finals this weekend.

Club Championship Doubles
If you didn’t get into the singles, you may want to get into the doubles event which will be held February 4 – 6. Registration opens this Friday the 14th, so get yourself a partner and sign up. You can register online or on the bulletin board adjacent to Court 1. Last I heard, Defending All Aces Ladies Champion, Jemin Martinsen, was still without a partner. I’m thinking about shaving, a wig, and a short skirt. I wouldn’t mind riding those coattails (wink).

USPTA Pro League
In preparation for the Double Championships, watching your pros play at Heritage Palms this coming Friday the 14th, in the first Pro League of the New Year, should provide plenty of opportunity to absorb some dos and don’ts of competitive doubles. It is a pretty close race thus far this season, with only a few points separating the top three teams. Mike and I play at 4pm this time around, and if you really want a show, Joel plays at 5:30pm.

Memorial Foundation
Two weeks after the Doubles Championship, the tennis community will once again do its part to contribute to the worthy Memorial Foundation cause. Last year our tennis members raised over $17, 000.00 for the charity, and although it may be too much to ask to meet or exceed that tally, we plan to give it the ole college try.

The event was very well attended last time around with members participating in Tag Team Tennis, Blind Draw Round Robin, Fast Serve and Target tennis contests, raffles, auctions, and they also sampled the bake sale goodies provided by our expert bakers. Your pros can attest to the baking skills of our tennis members, as Amy Ciarrocchi and Meg Jacobs, and Inge Lorenz do their level best to make us fat with their delicious offerings all too often (Thanks ladies!).

The bottom line is that the Memorial Foundation Tennis event spearheaded by Lili Canfield, Connie Hess, with strong support from Tim Baldwin and others, is one of the more important events on the tennis calendar. It is a ton of fun and it contributes even more to the local community. Put Sunday, February 20th on your calendar, and prepare to spend the morning having a great time with your friends and tennis family.

Members Corner
Speaking of our tennis family, it has been a tremendous pleasure to see Norma Schuyler back out on the tennis court! Hopefully Norma’s tennis game will soon be looking as good as she does (wink).

In addition to welcoming back some much missed friends, we have some new additions to the family. Pam Duncan (Memphis, Tennessee) has come into the fold, and Amy Ciarrocchi gracefully made room for the talented newcomer on the 4.0 team. Pam should really help the team. We are hoping that Amy makes a speedy recovery from shoulder surgery, because she has been sorely missed around the courts.

Lisa Murn (Waukesha, Wisconsin) is another very talented player who recently joined the tennis community. After hitting with her yesterday, I can assure you that she will fit right in amongst the top women at Gulf Harbour. If she’s around next season, I would expect her to pose a serious threat to capture at least one event in the Club Championships.

Well that’s about it for this edition of your Gulf Harbour Tennis Blog. I’ll be back with you soon with more on the Club Championships. Game, set, match….

Gulf Harbour Tennis Heats Up

2011-01-07T07:45:00.008-05:00

It hasn’t been very long since you last heard from me, so what’s new? Welllllll, two ball machines for starters. The first arrived on January 5th and another should be here shortly. Hopefully the ball machine experience will be more pleasant for those who use it frequently (Penny Lownes & Erik Vettergren just let out big “Yeeeaaaaas!” in unison).

If you haven’t spent much time (not to mention money :)) in the pro shop, you may not have met Ajla (pronounced I-la) Memic who is a terrific part time addition to our staff. Ajla recently graduated from FGCU and will be taking her GREs this coming Monday in preparation for grad school. Don’t hesitate to stop by and wish her luck or congratulations. And I know I don’t have to tell you, but of course Laurie has new goodies in the pro shop for you.

In addition to the many changes you have seen in the facility this season, if you take a look over the bleachers adjacent to court one you will notice that there is a new canopy up above, and examination of some of the others will reveal additional upgrades.

Singles Championships Begin Monday
Thirty-nine players have registered for the Club Championships Singles event which begins Monday the 10th. There is still a little time for some last minute entries, so if you are still thinking about it, you have until noon today (Friday the 7th). Draws for the event will be posted online and on the bulletin board on Saturday the 8th as soon as we can get the draws completed.

There is some new talent in a few of the flights, so the event should be interesting. It will certainly be warmer if the meteorologists are on their “A” games. Keep an eye on the reservation sheets for match times and you don’t want to miss the semis and finals next weekend.

Big Blue-A Battle

And now, what everyone has been waiting for: the report on the anticipated battle between our two men’s Blue-A teams. You’ve heard that bit about ties in sports being like kissing your sister, right? Well, our Blue-A brethren teams were exchanging sibling smooches after the big match on Tuesday. Due to sad and unfortunate circumstances Captain Jim Masiello was not present to see his team tied by Captain Tony Cupaiuolo’s gritty bunch.

On paper, it appeared as though Jim’s team could sweep all four courts…at least that was he word from some who will remain unmentioned…not even their initials (ok Bryan?). In any event, Jim Rollero and Frank Kaplan remained undefeated despite taking on the talented and previously undefeated duo of Bryan Schwartz and Manny Lima. In all fairness, the report is that Manny got off his deathbed to cross swords with the vaunted Rollero-Kaplan duo.

On Court 2, in Captain Tony’s own words, “…Bill Crouch and Charlie Beagan came close to pulling off an incredible comeback against two of GH's best in John Vaughan and George Olsen. After losing a first set tie-breaker, Bill and Charlie took the match to three sets.”

Almost as surprising as the Court 1 triumph for Team Cupaiuolo, was the Court 4 victory posted by Bill Merriam and Jim Price, who went three sets in beating two wily court veterans Terry Brady and Bill Otey. Terry admitted that his was nowhere close in the alphabet to his “A” game, but credit Bill and Jim for taking advantage of that fact.

Court 3 was shaping up to be another stimulating struggle before Don Mattcheck had to retire after he and Tony had barely lost a squeaker first set in a tiebreak to Ron Graham and Tom Van Wyk. Don, you have permission to slap anyone who talks about getting better with age (wink).

Despite the injuries, upsets and trash-talk (or maybe in addition to) Cap’n Tony reports that there were laughs, lots of fun, and great camaraderie. Hopefully the same will be present when the teams face off again later this season, and when our two 3.5-Minus ladies teams take the court against each other. It was certainly there when our 3.0 Double Trouble faced our 3.0 Raquettes earlier this season. I’ll be sure to give you a heads up when the time comes for the 3.5-Minus matchup. Chances are, a division title will be in the balance.

Well, that’s about it for this installment of your Gulf Harbour Blog. Before closing, I must say that there was a Norma Schuyler sighting a couple days ago, and although I haven’t seen her up close and personal, she looks great! I can’t wait for the real welcome back Norma. Glad you’re back! Oh, almost forgot. New Years Day pictures are now available on the Club website in the Photo Gallery, and the Memorial Foundation Tennis Event has been moved to Sunday, February 20th. More on that later. Until next, game, set, match…..

Happy New Year to Gulf Harbour Tennis!

2011-01-02T20:44:00.004-05:00

While many were ringing in the New Year, Gulf Harbour’s tennis members brought in 2011 with a bang…and if you were at our New Year Tennis Celebration, you know I mean a BANG! The 64 tennis members who came together to start another terrific year of Gulf Harbour tennis were treated to fun tennis, terrific camaraderie, a magnificent smorgasbord, refreshing mimosas and the unparalleled Meg Jacobs Bloody Mary. It was especially good to see April Burkholder (who is now cancer-free) and Bob Ostrom (also well ahead in his battle with cancer) swinging racquets with their tennis friends.

Despite the usual last minute cancellations, eight teams of eight players each competed against each other for the right to hold the distinction of “First Champions of 2011.” After the cannon booms had faded, lingering slightly longer than the noise of Bill Wright’s failed attempts to blow Alan Canfield Jr. off the court, the team consisting of Arnie Wohl, Lili Canfield, Tony Cupaiuolo, Ann Wright, Tom Van Wyk, Sheri Krzak, Chuck Tebbetts, and Karen Ort took home the honors.

Big Match on Tuesday the 4th
Tony is hoping that the New Years Day win carries over to the big match his men’s Blue-A team has coming up this Tuesday, 2:00 P.M. at home against our other Blue-A team led by Jim Masiello. Our condolences to Jim who had to leave to attend services for his deceased cousin, and we hope his absence put too much of a damper on a match that we have all been looking forward to for some time. I hear the wagering is quite intense and the competition is likely to be as well, as the teams are tied for second place in the division. I hope someone records it, because I’ll be on court. You, however, should not miss the happening if at all possible.

April Burkholder

Maxwell Thompson

Club Championship Singles
While the men of Blue will be flexing their intensely competitive tennis muscles this week, next week in competition that we hope we will less intense the bravest of our tennis members will be taking to the courts to compete in our Club Championship Singles event. As of last look, only 30 members had made the commitment to get our Club Championships off to the kind of start representative of the awesome participation we have had at Gulf Harbour.

In case you are on the fence about whether or not to play, we’re hoping you’ll remember that you’d be playing against players of similar ability and are likely to have a maximum of four matches over the course of a week. You’ll also be able to play at your convenience through the semifinal round, and, gosh darn it, I bet you’d have a good time doing it! You can sign up for the division you would like to play online or on the bulletin board adjacent to Court 1.

More Home Matches
In addition to the second place standings of our two Blue-A teams, our men’s Red-C and White-B teams are in first place in their divisions. John Hess’ division-leading White-B team will be at home Monday (tomorrow), playing against Pelican Landing at 2:00 P.M. and I know they would love your support.

We also have another division-leading team playing a home match this week, but this team is one of our Lee County Women’s Tennis League (LCWTL) teams. The 3.5-Minus Sure Shots will be taking on the Lexington Love Bugs at 11:00 A.M., Wednesday the 5th, as they try to maintain their division lead. Their sister team, the Power Shots, will also be in action at home on Wednesday. Our final division-leading team, our men’s Red-C, will take to our home courts on Thursday the 6th against Beachview.

Gratitude
Before 2010 fades into the recesses of my deteriorating memory, I’d like to thank the terrific members of Gulf Harbour’s tennis community for another outstanding year, and for being so generous in spirit and deed! You really make this a delightful place to come each and every day. Happy New Year and let’s continue to make Gulf Harbour one of the best places to play tennis in Southwest Florida! Game, set, match….

Out With The Old, In With The New...Year

2010-12-12T17:59:00.006-05:00

Hello Boys and Girls. Are you being naughty or nice? Do I sound like Santa? Sorry, just having a little holiday season fun…

Speaking of holiday season, New Year’s Day is the next tennis event on the calendar and you can register for that by clicking here and logging onto the Club website. As usual the dynamic celebrity couple of Arnie and Randy Wohl will host the event. I can’t think of a better way to kick off the new tennis year than with the fun and food fest the Wohls host on New Year’s Day.

Inaugural Open Forum Tennis Meeting

Obviously the New Year’s event is on the first, and just recently we had another first in Gulf Harbour Tennis. The Tennis Advisory Committee and your Director of Tennis, Mike Curran hosted the first Open Forum Tennis Meeting on Wednesday, December 8th, at Johnny Brown’s. From all accounts it was a good meeting, and if you weren’t there you can find out what took place by checking out Harbour Views.

Club Championships

A sure sign that we are moving into the heart of our season is the Club Championships, and the singles component of the Club Championships is just about here, running from Monday, January 10th through Sunday, January 16th. Online and bulletin board registration for the event will begin on Monday, December 20th. I’m hoping that some of you will lose the “singles fear” and come on out for some fun competition. I’m running a special on singles lessons if you’re interested in getting ready for the event (wink).

League Teams

Still in the competition vein, most of Gulf Harbour’s Women’s and Men’s league teams are doing quite well in the early going. Leading the way on the ladies side of things is our 3.0 Double Trouble team, led by Sally Mellendorf and Meg Jacobs. Despite losing some ground to the 2nd place team since the last report, Double Trouble still leads the Division by two points. On the upward swing is our Defending Champion 3.0-Minus Dream Team, with new captain Karen Brady and repeat co-captain Darlene Mattcheck at the helm. In third place after three weeks of play, the Dream Team has moved up into 2nd place after week five.

Three additional rated teams are holding top-five positions. Liz Byck and Judy Manzella’s 3.5-Minus Sure Shots have climbed the Division ladder to claim the 4th spot, while the Power Shots, led by Laurie Watson and Linda Van Wyk, have slipped three positions since the last report to 5th in the same division. Showing tremendous heart in some very tough matches, Connie Hess and Pam Lemon’s 4.0-Minus ladies have scrapped their way into 4th place, an improvement of two spots since the last report.

In the senior divisions, Val Steigerwald and Joan Palermo’s 50-Plus Silver Strings are carrying our banner, still holding onto 4th place after eight weeks of play. Also in the senior divisions, Marilyn Meyers and Mary Jean Wampler have led their Bronze Stringers team to 5th place in the very competitive Bronze Division. They are a single point ahead of Gulf Harbour’s Bronze Swingers led by Effie Parker and Paula Tebbetts.

As good as the ladies are doing, the men may be off to an even better start, with two of the six teams in 1st place and another two in 3rd. Our highest division team, Rich Fox and Tim Baldwin’s Red-C, is tied for 1st place the despite moving up a division and playing one less match than the Division Co-Leader. Also sitting atop its division is John Hess’ White B team, posting a 10-2 individual match record in the three team matches played thus far.

Both of Gulf Harbour’s Blue-A teams, one led by Jim Masiello the other by Tony Cupaiuolo, have climbed the ranks after less than stellar beginnings in division play. In 6th place when last reported, Jim’s team has risen to 3rd. That represents a tie with Tony’s team, which has moved up from 4th and is playing in a higher division this season than last. The two teams have a big showdown at home on Tuesday, January 4th at 2:00 P.M. You don’t want to miss that one!

USPTA Pro League
Although my last match hardly looked like a USPTA Pro League match, the dance continues in the Pro League on Friday, December 17th at Lexington Country Club. If you made it to the last match at Fiddlesticks, hopefully you watched Mike and Joel, as opposed to the “skunk tennis” I played. I felt pretty bad for our members in attendance and my partner Patrick during that match, which we lost in two very-easy-for-the-opposition sets. Mike and Scotty pulled off a third-set, super-tiebreak win, while Joel and Chad fell in a super-tiebreak.

Mike’s and my team lost ground last time out, and now trail Joel’s first-place team by three points. Fortunately we have an opportunity to catch the leaders this Friday, as we play Joel’s team…Unfortunately (for me) it is another 5:30 P.M. start. I won’t be too disappointed if you didn’t make this one, but Mike and Joel might, so we’ll look for you at Lexington this Friday at 5:30 P.M.

Member Update
It is my great pleasure to announce that Tom Van Wyk seems to be recovering very well after his short stint at Health Park for a blood clot. Also, Bob Ostrom’s game is as strong as ever (his forehand was actually compared to Mike Curran’s on Friday!), and Bonnie Graham is healthy and playing well enough to pull out a tough three-setter for her team this past week. April Burkholder is hanging tough and so is Norma Schuyler through their battles with cancer. Let’s keep the good vibes coming for those determined members of our tennis family.

Well, I hope you are still getting some tennis in even as you are enjoying the holiday season, and struggling to stay warm. Until next, game, set, match…..

Holiday Season Tennis

2010-11-28T22:35:00.004-05:00

I hope everyone had a terrific day of thanks, while eating and drinking far too much. You can bet I did!

Anyway, the next big happening on the list of events in Gulf Harbour Tennis is the Tennis Town Hall Meeting on the Wednesday, December 8, at 2:00 p.m. at Johnny Brown’s. You should be receiving and official invite to that meeting soon, so please keep your eyes peeled and that time on your calendar free.

Prior to that, however, you have another opportunity to witness your pros as they once again put their games on display in the Ritzman Tennis USPTA Pro League. This coming Friday, November 3, at Fiddlesticks Country Club, Joel will be playing at 4:00 p.m., and Mike and I will be doing the same at 5:30 p.m.

Joel’s team seized first place after the last match, while Mike’s and my team fell into second by one point. As always we love seeing you in the audience, so if you would like some pre-dinner entertainment, come on out and show that Gulf Harbour spirit.

On the league team front, we have a great slate of matches at home for you this week. The last Gulf Harbour team to start its season, Terry Brady’s defending champions 69-ers open their title defense campaign at home this coming Wednesday, December 1, at 2:00 p.m.

Prior to the 69-ers taking the court on Wednesday, Sally Mellendorf and Meg Jacob’s Double Trouble, which is one point out of first despite playing one match fewer than the first-place team, will try to take the division lead in a match at home tomorrow (Monday the 29th) at 11:00 a.m.

On Tuesday the 30th, two of our men’s teams take on their opponents at home. Tony Cupaiuolo’s Blue A team (only 2 points behind the division leaders) and Fran Kelly’s Blue D team will play at 2:00 p.m.

On Wednesday, Liz Byck and Becky Marshall’s Sure Shots (who sit in fifth in the 3.5-Minus Division), and Effie Parker and Paula Tebbetts’ 50-Plus Bronze Swingers swing into action at 11:00 a.m.

Thursday’s lineup at 11:00 a.m. includes Karen Brady and Darlene Mattcheck’s 3.0-Minus Division Dream Team, which will be working on their title defense, and Teressa Crocker’s 60-Plus team. On Friday, Norma Schuyler and Carlotta Clark’s 50-Plus Gold team, and the 50-Plus Silver Belles, led by Monnie Kane and Sue Weiss, will take to Gulf Harbour’s courts at 11:00 a.m.

In addition to the tennis, I sure hope you are planning on taking advantage of some of the other terrific offerings the Club has in store for us during the holidays. First up is the Tree Lighting event on Wednesday the 1st, but there is a waiting list for that, so I hope you registered in time.

There is still room for the Festival of Lights on Thursday the 2nd, so you can still partake of that de-light. Remember that you can go to the Club Calendar (accessible from the main members’ page of the Club website) to review all events and to register for events.

Finally, here’s something that you won’t want to miss! As a gift to you for this holiday season, you can receive 50% off the cost of all spa services from December 1st through the 12th. Getting fully pampered for half the price sounds like a sweet deal to me. Hope you enjoy it!
Well, that’s it for now, so until next, game, set, match…

Happy Thanksgiving to Gulf Harbour Tennis

2010-11-22T12:57:00.032-05:00

Although I am not the biggest fan of creating a specific day for something we should do every day, I must admit that Thanksgiving is my favorite of all of the holidays. Perhaps that’s because I have so much to be thankful for…or maybe it’s cuz I love to eat! In any event, this is the Thanksgiving version of your Gulf Harbour Tennis Blog, and I/we have much for which to be thankful.

Tough to know where to start…Ah, how about when I drive through the front gates in the morning, greeted by gently swaying palm trees and the beloved sight of the well-groomed 18th? Gazing upon that scene, I know that I have so much for which to be grateful…

As I walk to the tennis center and am greeted by Eddie Dance, Bill Cole, Arnie Wohl, and Rich Fox who occupy Court 3 every morning at 8:00 a.m., I know that I have much for which to give thanks…
Passing by the tennis pro shop on the way to the office, observing Laurie’s creative efforts to bring our members the best in attire and accessories, thinking of all she does that few ever see, I am thankful for the view behind the scenes…

When I sit at my desk, look at my calendar and court sheet, struggling to find an opening for someone wanting to work on her/his game, it is a struggle I know I am fortunate to have…

Approaching the tennis courts for the first time each morning, before the pristine façade that Fernando has created is disturbed, my spirit soars with the sunshine, and my heart is gladdened with gratitude…

The first smiling face of the glistening morning, the ladies filtering in for their morning clinics, chatting, extending their cheery greetings, giving their all as many a ball is flung at them, and expressing their gratitude when it’s all over…How could I not be grateful?

Looking one court over at Mike or Joel flinging the felt with his own special flair, I know that gratitude is definitely in order…

When I walk through the Fitness Center, across the pool deck, into the clubhouse, up to the kitchen, passing familiar, smiling faces all the way, I know what it means to be thankful…

On those days when I get upstairs in time to partake of the fruits of the kitchen staff’s labor, or even when Shirla, Bill, or Steve at the Tiki is the only option, I am grateful for their talents and the Club’s generosity…

And then the kids, who, after a long day of trying at school are asked to perform, to give yet more effort on the court, do just that, I’m grateful for the small role I may play in their developments…not simply as tennis players, but as people…

Sitting on the sidelines of team matches, observing how much our players care, watching them struggle with the emotions of competition, seeing their elation at a shot well hit, the deflation at one that fails to find the mark, I am thankful to be a small part of it…

I think of the team captains who do the hard work: the phone calls, the emails, the ego management, the lineup struggles…and I am truly grateful for their willingness to face the challenges…

And like the captains, where would our program be without the Bob Ostroms, the Tim Baldwins, the George Kanes, the Meg Jacobses, the Lili Canfields, the Connie Hesses, Sally Mellendorfs and Linda Van Wyks and so many more? Yes, we have so much for which to be thankful…

When I look over to the sidelines during Pro League and see the familiar faces of folks, with whom I spend so many hours, and hear their cheers when I manage to summon up the rare winner, it affirms why I proudly and gratefully wear my Gulf Harbour name tag despite the hazing I receive from fellow pros...

When I think of the courage and strength that so many of our tennis family exhibit in the face of ill health and injury, fighting back to take the court again, coming out to support teammates when unable to play, I am so very grateful for their spirits and examples…

And at the end of the day, I know that without the support of the Rick Newman and his capable staff (Mike, Georgine, Dave, Holly, Amy, Maria, and Tom), without Gary Lewis and his hard working bunch (Volney, Dave, Kevin and others), without Alan Schwartzman and his capable crew (Debbie, Bridgette, and Ajla), and without the support of the Board of Governors, none of it would be possible. Our gratitude must encompass them all!

And since I am expressing gratitude for my Gulf Harbour good fortune, I can't help but thank Mark Doss, Martin Weirengo and the entire Golf staff for making my summers bearable. Many thanks for tolerating this wannabe golfer.

Finally, I am truly grateful for the leadership, friendship and trust of our Director Mike Curran, because without those, I would not be a part of the Gulf Harbour experience that I treasure. To all of you, including those not mentioned by name above, who contribute so much to my experience (and you know who you are), please know that the words “gratitude” and “thankful” are inadequate to express the sentiment I hold for you and the moments we share. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Fun with Fernando

2010-11-21T11:09:00.001-05:00

Looking for something different to do with the kids over the holidays? Are the grandkids coming for vacation and you are thinking of things to do with them? I’ve got an idea for you. After you have had the kids out to the tennis courts a few times to chase tennis balls around, Fernando Jimenez, our relatively new and very capable Maintenance Technician, and his family have a few real thrills for you and the kids.

In addition to keeping our courts beautiful, Fernando is also the Events & Reservations Manager at the Corner Creek Ranch and Paso Fino Club in North Fort Myers. Jerry (Remember Jerry?) told me about it long ago, and I decided to visit Fernando at the ranch yesterday afternoon. I enjoyed myself immensely and would have stayed for the midnight, moonlight ride had I not been summoned home.

Shortly after I arrived at the ranch, Laurie (our creative Pro Shop Manager) showed up with her four kids, a friend and her young son. I already had tremendous respect for Laurie, but now I’ve added a healthy dose of admiration. I will let Laurie tell you the story if she chooses, but let’s just say that she and the boys had an adventure. Me? I just had a terrific time, and plan to spend as much time at the ranch as Fernando will let me and I can spare.

Corner Creek Ranch is 96 acres of “Old Florida” landscape, with trails for riding or walking. The wooded areas are great for off trail walking or riding as well, and Fernando informs me that camping is also allowed. Given my limited riding experience and questionable sense of direction, I’m all about sticking to the well-beaten paths.

But the horses and trails aren’t the only attractions at Corner Creek. The Cub Scout troop and other kids that were there yesterday seemed to have a blast at this no frills gem. When they weren’t riding the little pony or horses, they were running around, playing in the bounce house, or talking to the birds.

When the adults weren’t riding or walking trails, they were sitting in the shade, sipping on cold refreshments (most weren’t drinking lemonade), and listening to the Latin rhythms emanating from the thatch roof “clubhouse.” I’ve never been to Columbia, but I suspect that the Corner Creek Ranch/Paso Fino Club is a retreat reminiscent of the hinterlands of Fernando’s birthplace.

I can’t fully express what the experience meant to me, but if natural habitats, low cost entertainment, and unique experiences appeal to you, then Corner Creek may be a place to visit over the holidays. Talk to Fernando and I’m sure he’ll be happy to give you all the details.

Sizzling Tennis Weekend in November!

2010-11-03T05:20:00.006-04:00

Just lil ole me again folks. Don'tcha know I just love chatting informally with my favorite folks :). If you thought Boot Camp got the season off to a good start, wait until you get a gander at this weekend's activities!

USPTA Ritzman Tennis Pro League
The big “Battle of the Ages” is in the leadoff position, as Joel and I will square off for our respective teams this Friday, November 5, at 4pm right here at Gulf Harbour. If you didn’t already know, Mike and I are on the same team again this year, and Mike will be in action at the same time as we try to maintain the slim lead we took after the first match at the Landings.

Gulf Harbour has been a terrific venue for the Pro League, not just because we have one of the loveliest tennis venues in the southwest, but because we have some of the most enthusiastic tennis members on the planet! Let’s keep the tradition alive and come out in force this Friday.

If Gulf Harbour spirit and exciting tennis don’t motivate you, how about food and drink? There will be plenty available for your responsible (or otherwise- and I'll never tell) consumption at the event. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Homecoming Tennis Festival
Whether or not you make it for Friday's fun, I hope you are among the 32 enthusiasts who have already taken all of round robin slots in the Homecoming Tennis Festival, starting at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 6th. There are 10 people on the waiting list, so if you haven't already registered for that, you are relegated to eating, drinking and making merry at the pool after the tennis (so sad :().

Thus far, in addition to the 32 players, there are 16 partiers on the list for the social gathering afterward at the pool (6:00 p.m. start), and that list is growing. We would love to see every tennis member at, what we hope will be, a standing room only event this Saturday afternoon. Set your DVRs and TIVOs for college football and come meet some new tennis members and reconnect with some familiar ones.

For a $10 donation, you reap two hours of fun tennis, refreshments provided by Food & Beverage, entertainment by Tribal Love, and most importantly, a good time shared with friends old and new. Even if you don’t play tennis, the festivities at the pool will begin after the round robin at 6:00 p.m. and everyone is welcome, so register online or on the bulletin board, and call 444-3644 if you have questions.

Team Report

We are sure you will not be surprised to know that several Gulf Harbour LCWTL teams are among the leaders in their divisions after the first few weeks of the season. Our Defending Champion 3.0-Minus team led by Karen Brady has yet to lose a single match (8-0 in individual match play), and is tied for first place. In the 3.5-Minus Division, Laurie Watson and Linda Van Wyk’s Power Shots hold their division lead after posting an 11-1 individual match record thus far, and Liz Byck and Becky Marshall’s Sure Shots are only a few points back in third position.

In senior division play, Val Steigerwald and Joan Palermo’s Silver Strings lead the way in the Silver Division with a 15-1 individual match record, sweeping three of their first four opponents. Hanging tough in fifth position in the Silver Division is our Silver Belles team, with Monnie Kane and Sue Weiss at the helm.

As far as I can tell from the intel coming in, our Men’s teams begin play Monday, November 15th at 2:00 p.m. at Gulf Harbour when John Hess’ White-B team takes on Lehigh. I believe John’s team took home the second place prize last season, and despite moving up a level this year, it should still be at or near the top of its division.

We have two Blue-A teams this year, with Jim Masiello and Tony Cupaiuolo (two rival factions from Sicily :)) vying for dominance in that division. Having been near the top of the division last season, Jim believes he should handle Tony’s boys with little problem, seeing that Tony’s team has moved up a division. Tony’s response? “Fugitaboudit!”

Ok, ok, I’m making it up. Neither Jim nor Tony was consulted prior to publication, but it should be fun with both teams beginning play at home on Tuesday, November 16th at 2:00 p.m. I’m still awaiting schedule information from our other men’s teams.

Please remember that you will be able to find out when all of our teams play at home and away, and how they are doing by consulting the Tennis Teams & Leagues link on the Tennis page of the Club website. Of course there is much more to tell, but I am out of time, so until next: game, set, match Gulf Harbour!!!

Gulf Harbour Tennis Still Hot in Fall

2010-10-27T10:23:00.002-04:00

The calendar may indicate "fall," but the weather and the tennis on Gulf Harbour tennis courts remain hot! Here's what's happening:

Halloween Round Robin

I'm sad to say that it looks as though our planed two sessions of scary tennis will be whittled down to one. As of this writing, we only have seven (7) brave souls willing to display their wares that early on a Saturday morning, and that’s frightfully inadequate to hold the 8:00 a.m. round robin. If we can’t get that number up to 16, I’m afraid we will have to go with just one costumed session from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. That session is now filled, but you might want to get on the wait list in case we have the usual few who fall by the wayside just prior to the event.

Homecoming Tennis Festival

Speaking of events, one you don’t want to miss would be the Homecoming Tennis Festival the following weekend. As you know, there are a number of folks returning to the tennis roost whom you haven’t seen in months, and whom you won’t realize how much you’ve missed until you see them again. Saturday, November 6th at 4:00 p.m. would be a great time to catch up. There won’t be a regular round robin that morning, so sleep in and come join us for some afternoon delight. We are more than halfway to a full event, so register for the event online or on the bulletin board as soon as possible.

If you aren’t interesting in playing Saturday afternoon but would like to welcome back old friends or meet new ones, you can register for the food, drinks and dialogue component (6:00 p.m. start) of the event only. Whether you play tennis or not the event will require a $10 donation to participate. If you haven’t had Chef Norbert’s wings, or the terrific wraps they throw together at Johnny Browns, then you won’t want to miss the fun, food, and friends at the Homecoming Tennis Festival. Don't forget that you can sign up for any tennis event by logging onto the Club website and going to the Tennis page, or by going directly to the Club Calendar.

USPTA Pro League

How hot is Gulf Harbour tennis right now? Well on Friday, November 5th at 4pm, just a day before the Homecoming, Gulf Harbour tennis members will be treated to a battle of the ages…literally. Joel’s team and mine will be squaring off in the Fort Myers USPTA Pro League sponsored by Ritzman Tennis. Patrick Kangwa and I (combined ages in the 90s) will face Joel and Chad Hedrick (combined ages in the 50s). It will be a classic “experience-versus-youthful-reflexes” match-up that should be fun to watch. I can't promise pretty, but definitely fun.

Joel was away at USTA Florid Mixed Doubles Sectional competition during the first Pro League event at the Landings last Friday, but Mike and I were in action. Our members who attended may tell you that I was wearing galoshes and the Landings had quicksand on its stadium court, but in fact it was the old man’s very poor footwork that made it appear that way.

Fortunately, I know the No.1 rule in doubles, and I utilized it: Pick a really good partner! Patrick (director of tennis at the landings) carried me through much of the match, but I gave him a little help here and there to help us emerge with a straight set victory in the No.2 position. Mike, playing with his previous USPTA doubles partner, Scott Harrington (director at Legends) took the first set from Denny Rager (director of tennis at Lely) and Chris Fletcher, but went down in three sets.

Mike and I now hold the dubious distinction of being the only players on record to have served three consecutive double faults in a Pro League match. Sorry boss. Mike and Scott will face Shawn Hedrick and Manuel Encalada (rumored to be the best player in the league) that day, and it should be a doozy! We all need you there for inspiration.

Early Team Report

The LCWTL is only two weeks old, but the ladies of Gulf Harbour are off to a great start! In a division of 20 teams, our 3.0 Double Trouble team captained by Sally Mellendorf and Meg Jacobs is tied for first, with our 3.0 Raquettes led by Karen Ort and Teressa Crocker holding second alone.

In the 3.5-Minus division, our Sure Shots with Liz Byck and Becky Marshall at the helm are holding the top spot, while our Power Shots, captained by Laurie Watson and Linda Van Wyk are in third, only three points out of first. Keeping the pace amongst the rated teams, our 4.0-Minus team with Connie Hess and Pam Lemon in charge (and I mean “in charge”) are currently in third place.

Looking at our senior teams, Val Steigerwald and Joan Palermo’s Silver Strings lead the large field of 24 teams, while Monnie Kane and Sue Weiss’ Silver Belles are sitting in fifth. Consistent with last season, all but one of the teams that have begun play are in the top five in their divisions. Way to go ladies!

New Members

In closing, I’d like to send out a warm Gulf Harbour tennis welcome to our newest members, John and Debbie Naumann. I’m told that both are at least 4.0 players, so they will make excellent additions to our tennis family.

Gulf Harbour 2010 Tennis Season Underway!

2010-10-13T13:43:00.036-04:00

Well Folks, the time is now. Events are happening, team clinics are rolling, matches are being played, and our friends are returning. Yes, "Season" is here. Ok, there's a lot to this blog, so grab yourself a drink and sit a while, or just read it in installments.

Tennis Team Boot Camp

Boot Camp Grunts

As usual, the Tennis Team Boot Camp marked the dawning of our favorite time of year. I could tell you how great our Boot Camp was this year, but I’ll let some of the attendees do it for me. They are, after all, unbiased critics. For example, Chris Barnes, while discussing Tuesday’s Boot Camp session exclaimed, “It was probably the best clinic I’ve ever been to.” Carolyn Finn, one of our new additions to the GH Tennis family, wrote in an email the day after Boot Camp wrapped up, “Hello T.A, Loved boot camp. Wish it was still going. Got so many great tips.”

The Most Senior & Most Dedicated

The numbers were slightly down from last year (our biggest day this year being 43, while 48 was the high last season), but there was no shortage of fun or hitting of tennis balls. John Kupferer bit the dust in his enthusiasm, but that didn’t stop him from coming back for more. Thankfully the weather cooperated relegated the misery we experienced during last season’s scorching Boot Camp to a lukewarm memory. Thanks to all who participated and we look forward to having you again next season.

What’s Next?

Meg Jacobs Won; Didn't She?

Next on the tennis agenda are our Halloween Round Robin Mixer on Saturday, October 30, Gulf Harbour’s hosting of the USPTA Pro League (Friday, November 5), and the Welcome Back event on Saturday, November 6. Yep, we hit the ground running round these parts once season starts.

Gabe Gebara in Spirit of Halloween

Our Halloween event is usually a ghost...uh.. I mean gas. We’ve had some terrific costumes the past two years and would love to keep the tradition going this year. Linda V, Tom? Care to defend your titles? Or was that the year before? Nancy you can’t wear that Uncle Sam hat again. I think it gave you a permanent crick in the neck (lol). And PLEASE, no more Bill Wright impersonations. One Bill Wright is plenty; right Bill? Oh, by the way, you cannot win with the same costume you wore last year, and the year before (LOL).

Oh, almost forgot…If the kids or grandkids are around, they would probably enjoy the Children’s Halloween Party, complete with scavenger hunt and “tricky treats,” beginning at 11:00 a.m. that Saturday morning at the clubhouse. Click here (you'll have to login to Club website)for more info on the kids’ party and/or to sign up.

Welcome Back Mixer

Wennie & Joan Celebrate Victory for 60-Plus

As soon as the costumes come off, it will be time for the Homecoming Tennis Festival (as named by George “Big Daddy” Kane), which will serve the same function as the Welcome Back Mixer. Many of our tennis friends will have just returned, and it is a great time to meet and greet the new and old, the meek and bold on and off the court.

Post Tennis Relaxation

This year’s event consists of tennis in the late afternoon, followed by a poolside gathering catered by our outstanding Food & Beverage department. You know how sweet it is, after a good session of tennis, to sit and chat with friends, cuddling a glass of vino, a cold brewski, and/or a smorgasbord of culinary delights to make your tummy smile. That’s what we have in store for you on Saturday November 6. Just a heads up: This one will be a first-come-first-served affair for the 32 slots available for the tennis component of the evening. More details will soon be available online and on the bulletin board. Please check the tennis page of the Club Website for details.

League Play Preview

Jenny's Ladies Took the Title

At least 23 teams (one more than last season) will represent Gulf Harbour in League play this season. Currently we have eight (8) rated teams and seven (7) senior teams in the Lee County Women’s Tennis League (LCWTL), seven (7) teams in Lee County Men’s Leagues, and one (1) USTA League team.

Terry Brady’s 70-plus 69-ers and Rich Fox and Tim Baldwin’s White-A team will be defending champions on the men’s side. Our 3.0-Minus Dream Team, formerly captained by Jenny King and Darlene Mattcheck, now led by Karen Brady and Darlene Mattcheck, is the only defending champion amongst our ladies teams.

Diehard Spectators Enjoying the Action

We had a number of close finishes last season and are likely to have a few more this season. However, Val Steigerwald’s Silver Strings got us off to a great start last week with a sweep of the historically strong Landings team in the first match of the season on Friday, October 8. The Strings have their home opener this coming Friday, October 15 at 11:00 a.m. so come on out and cheer them on.

Speaking of cheering for our teams, you can find out when and where your favorite players and teams are playing during the season by clicking on the following links for rated teams match schedules and senior teams schedules. And don’t forget to check the Tennis Teams & Leagues page for the latest on your teams throughout the season.

Before the real madness of season descends, I’d like to thank last season’s team captains for doing such a terrific job of coordinating and managing our teams, and I’d also like to thank this season’s captains for taking on that difficult task.

USPTA Fort Myers Pro League

Phew! Can you believe you're still reading? Anyway...The USPTA Pro League opens play on Friday October 22, 4:00 p.m. at the Landings, and this season promises to be a really stimulating campaign. Two seasons ago Mike and I were on the same team and our team won. Well, we are back together again (although Mike’s on Court 1 and I’m on Court 2), and we will be looking to reclaim the title that neither of us held a piece of last season for the first time in several years (Mike had a nice streak going for a while there).

Enjoying Pro League at Gulf Harbour

Mike will be playing with Scott Harrington, whom he partnered in 2007 to claim the USPTA’s No.1 national ranking in Men’s Open Doubles, and I will be sharing courts with Patrick Kangwa of the Landings at the No.2 position. Unfortunately Joel will be playing with Shawn Hedrick for another team, also on the No.2 court. Don’t worry; I won’t feel too bad if you cheer for Joel when we play each other. Be sure to pat him on the back and say, “good match” after Patrick and I put a spanking on 'em (LOL).

Stay tuned for a complete schedule of pro league matches which will be posted on our website and on the bulletin board adjacent to Court 1. Be sure to put Friday, November 5th on your calendar, because that is the day that Pro League comes to Gulf Harbour.

Members on Recovery Trail

Bob Ostrom: Mild Mannered He Ain't

You probably couldn’t tell from his game or his demeanor, but Bob Ostrom had to visit the surgeon again on Monday (10/11) to have a cancerous lymph node and tissue around it removed. Apparently the surgery went well, and believe it or not, Bob was in our office today for a meeting. If it weren't for the staples in his neck, you would never know that the man underwent life-threatening surgery two days ago. Incredible!

Norma Schuyler continues her battle with breast cancer, and although she has escaped the crippling chemo, she will undergo radiation treatments for the next several weeks. Of course her friends, teammates, and our staff miss her and can’t wait for her to get back into her tennis shoes.

We’re sending out as much positive energy as we can to Bonnie Graham who is also in a fight with breast cancer. According to husband Ron, it was caught early and the prognosis is good. Bonnie we’re with you all the way!

While those above are in the midst of their toughest challenges, a few others have emerged victorious from theirs. Melanie Jackman made her debut on the courts after having a pacemaker installed just a few weeks ago. Melanie was either well-tanned or covered in Rustoleum, because during last Saturday’s round robin, you could hardly tell that she had been out for several weeks. Welcome back Melanie!

Peerless Leader Jenny King

Jenny King, captain of our only LCWTL team that won its division (3.0-Minus) last season, made a cameo appearance during Boot Camp and you wouldn’t know that she had been on the mend from a gall bladder removal. Sturdy stuff is what Gulf Harbour tennis players are made of.

Always about the Smile

As we show support for our fellow tennis family members who are having tough times, I would also like to note that although you seldom see Tim Baldwin do anything but smile and create situations for others to smile, he has major trials which include caring for a mom who’s struggling through the ebb and flow of senior survival, and a son who is recovering from horrific wounds suffered while serving his country. I’m sure Tim would welcome any show of support and fellowship.

Welcoming New Members

If you have been around the courts over the past several months then I’m sure you have noticed some new strokes amongst our tennis folks. According to our distribution list, we are up to 319 tennis playing members, and I suspect we may not have them all in the database. I’m working on pictures and short bios of our new folk, but here are a few names to go with the new faces. Your task is just to match them up (wink). They include:

Zoe Bradley
Paula Brown
Carol Cooper
Debra Hobbs
Jack Lee
Dick Schneider
Angela Mitrisin & Scott Turner
Jerry & Sonin Fleming
Tom & Bev Auda
Carolyn Finn & Tim Neill
Tom and Sheri Nester

Bruno Glavich & Gina LaMana

Sheri & Robert Krzak

Rulx & Debra Ganthier (Solange & Isabella)

Tom & Kimberly Ghuman (Daughter Allison & son Joey)

Labor Day Recap and Much More

2010-09-13T14:26:00.007-04:00

The “Labor of Love” event held this past Labor Day proved to be as entertaining as anticipated. A full complement of 32 players took to the courts (or workstations as they were labeled for the event) for four rounds of loving tennis labor. Master event planner George “Big Daddy Kane” put his personal touch on the proceedings, and once we got past the preamble, even Rich Fox and Arnie Wohl had a good time.

After four rounds of play, labor related trivia, and raffles, a number of participants refreshed themselves at the pool party hosted by the Club’s Food & Beverage department. Given the two hours spent in soupy air of late summer in Southwest Florida, it was no surprise that the players got “worked up” at poolside with some “labor-less” liquid refreshment and “overtime” munching.

Big prize winners include Marilyn Meyers who won a $50 raffle gift certificate and Lili Canfield took home the $100 gift certificate grand prize. According to the feedback we have received from those who were kind enough to share their opinions with us, although it was a good event, and enjoyed by most, it wasn’t the “knock your socks off” fun time that we had hoped for. That just increases our incentive to make the next event extra special, so don’t miss the next Gulf Harbour tennis happening.

Upcoming Events

Other important items on the horizon include preseason court maintenance, where all courts will be resurfaced, with three of them (3, 4, & 6) also being relined, and the Tennis Team Boot Camp. Court maintenance will begin on Thursday, September 23rd and should be completed by the 30th. As always, we appreciate your patience and understanding as we try to create the best possible playing environment for you.

With over a month to go before Boot Camp, almost half of the available slots are filled. If you are playing on a team this year, or even if you aren’t and just want to get your game in shape for season, the Boot camp is an event you don’t want to miss. For the first time in the Mike Curran era, a woman professional, Kerry Kendrick, (sister of touring pro Robbie Kendrick) will be on board. Four of the five visiting professionals are directors of tennis at their respective facilities, and bring a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the Boot Camp courts. This is one event you probably don’t want to miss.

Playing Opportunities

A few individuals have asked me about doing another singles ladder, and it would be my pleasure if there were enough interest. The number of matches played last season suggests to me that we don’t have enough interest to run a ladder, but there may be enough interest to create and post online a singles list of men and women. The list would include the players’ names, phone numbers, email addresses, approximate or determined ratings, and availability for play. If you are interested on being on such a list, please email me with the above info at taniles@gulfharbour.com.

If singles isn’t your thing and you are not on one of our ladies or men’s teams, it is not too late to get involved. There are openings on a number of Lee County Women’s Tennis League (LCWTL) teams, and there are roster spots open on the teams playing in the Lee County Men’s Fifty-Plus and Seventy-Plus teams as well. If you aren’t interested playing on a team, but want to make yourself available for doubles play, send me your information as suggested above, and I will include you on the list of players available for doubles play.

If mixed doubles is your preference, there is a new Lee County Couples Mixed League that fields teams at the 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0 levels. According to the League Coordinator, the league is one that focuses on fun competition, and includes parties and awards. Click here to review the League website and to register. There are also opportunities right here at Gulf Harbour if you are looking for some fun hitting with less organization and competition, so don’t hesitate to email me with the kind of playing that you are interested in experiencing.

Team Tennis

Speaking of team play, Gulf Harbour’s teams are getting ready for the new 2010 – 2011 season. We will field 15 LCWTL teams (a two-team increase over last year’s total), two 70-Plus Lee county men’s teams, and five 50-Plus Lee County men’s teams (a one-team increase over last year). USTA teams have not yet been formed, but we are likely to have at least one mixed doubles USTA team. Team Schedules, complete with team rosters, will be posted on the courtside bulletin board and online on the Club’s Tennis Teams & Leagues page.

Members Corner

I can’t possibly touch on everything that’s going on with our tennis family, because I just don’t know everything. But here are a couple of tidbits that have come my way.

Norma Schuyler, our Gold Team Captain and an integral part of the Captains Council’s success this past year has informed us that her struggle with breast cancer is going well. Results of a recent test (Oncotype DX) indicated that her cancer has a very low “Recurrence Score,” and it appears as though she will be able to bypass the dreaded chemo. Keep an eye out for Norma and wish her good luck with her reconstruction process.

On a similar front, April Burkholder, a vital member of our 3.5 Minus Sure Shots team, had a cancer recurrence recently and had to have a tumor removed. Although she has been pronounced “cancer free” April anticipates up to four months of chemo in her immediate future. April is a trooper, however, and she still plans to contribute to the team despite her challenges. Don’t hesitate to send her your thoughts and words of encouragement.

Unfortunately, not all of us have good news to report in our struggles with Mother Nature and Father Time. I am sad to report that Rick Zeoli, who played on our Champion Men’s White-A team last season, has passed away as a result of a heart attack. Most of us didn’t know much about Rick, but he attended Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA, and at the age of 19, he became co-founder of The Shield System car washes where he worked until the time of his passing.

As written by his wife Joan, “Rick was a long time summer resident of Yarmouth and was a member of the Hyannis Yacht Club, the Bass River Yacht Club, and the South Yarmouth Tennis Club. Rick was a lifelong soccer player and played in the New England Over-the-Hill Soccer League for the Lexington Bald Eagles. Rick was an enthusiast of all things mechanical including cars and boats. Rick was admired and loved by his family and all who knew him. He will be missed.”

Yes we will miss Rick, but to end positively, we are fortunate to be welcoming Rich Meyers and Arnie Harris back to the courts after very long injury layoffs. Both are valued members of Gulf Harbour’s men’s teams, and Rich has been a perennial contender in the Club Championships. Rich has been working out with Mike Curran weekly, and has even joined the Fox morning group a few times. Arnie is returning to the courts this week after having a hip replaced just a few short weeks ago. Keep up the good work guys, and it’s great to have you back!

I would also like to welcome the newest member of the staff. Fernando Jimenez, has stepped into the shoes of Jerry Jimenez who had done such a great job of maintaining our courts over the past two years. Given his initial efforts, I feel confident in saying that there will be no drop off in the quality of service the members will receive from Fernando. Stay tuned for Fernando’s bio appearing in the near future. Until next, game, set, match….

Summer Tennis at Gulf Harbour

2010-08-18T11:00:00.001-04:00

Labor Day Tennis

The season is almost upon us, but before we jump right into it, we do have one more summer event in which you may want to participate. It is time for your tennis “labor of love” as the Labor Day event is right around the corner. On Monday, September 6th from 9am – 11am we will have some fun on the courts, and then move the party over to the pool for some refreshments and cooling off. If you have your login information for the club website, click here to register for the event. We look forward to seeing you there.

Tennis Boot Camp 2010

A few members have mentioned that they are planning to attend a Boot Camp at West Bay, and that they didn’t know the dates of Gulf Harbour’s Tennis Boot Camp. That was surprising since we previously emailed information about our Boot Camp, and posted it on the main Tennis page of the Club website. Just to remind everyone, all tennis events are listed on the Club Calendar, as well as on the Tennis Calendar on the main Tennis Page of the Club website.

Member Update

Norma Schuyler has won the first set against one of the most formidable opponents in the women’s game: Breast Cancer. Using a positive mental game and strong sense of humor, along with much cheering from friends and family, Norma made it through initial surgery, emerging with an excellent prognosis. With a few good bounces here and there, it appears as though Norma might triumph in straight sets (no chemo!!!). Keep your fingers crossed and continue to send the positive energy her way. Hopefully we will see Norma in October before she returns home to continue her “match” with her treacherous foe.

In the toughest “match” of his life (a fight against Acinic Cell Carcinoma), Bob Ostrom has claimed a hard fought victory in the first set tiebreak. Engaged in the most strenuous of Grand Slam battles, Bob persevered through cramps, multiple bouts of heat exhaustion (as in radiation treatments) numerous injury timeouts, and the like, before claiming victory in the first set (pronounced cancer free on July 7th).

After the set, Bob acknowledged that he wouldn’t have won the first without his fans. In an email to his supporters, Bob wrote, “The PET scan confirmed that my February surgery, and 33 gruesome radiation treatments have been effective to date.…please accept this email as my thanks for all your kind words, moral and spiritual support, and for just checking in to see how I'm doing.” After a brief rejuvenating rest, Bob is gearing up for what we hope is a much easier second set. Bob is awaiting results of a biopsy taken on another lump he recently discovered.

We have no doubt that Norma and Bob will continue to fight the good fight with all of our energy behind them. We look forward to the time when they can rejoin us at full strength.

Staff Update (click link for staff info)

Mike Curran, your director of tennis, is back from a rejuvenating vacation experience in the Blue Ridge Mountains, during which he exploded out of bed at 3am in the morning to rescue his two children from a marauding bear…only to find that the bear was only after the trash can.

Joel would probably rather that I not mention this, but after returning from his two-week vacation of nothing but leisure, he believed that hitting twice with an old goat like me (for about fifteen minutes each time) would prepare him for his sectional competition in Daytona. Not! Let’s just say that Joel’s team did not advance to Nationals, but should be commended on making it to Sectionals anyway.

As for me, I’m still trying to find a golf game somewhere, but the golf game finding tool that Mike gave me for my birthday just is not working. Anyone have an idea as to where I could find a golf game relatively inexpensively? I’ve pretty much given up hope on a tennis game.

Laurie has brought in some new gear that will have our members looking as good as any club members anywhere. If you are still around, I would suggest paying her a visit before everyone gets back and snatches up all the goodies.

And if you remember what these courts looked like in the summer time before Jerry got here, you will know that Jerry continues to fight the good fight with the elements to keep the courts in pretty good shape all things considered.

That’s about it for this installment. If you haven’t taken a look yet at “T. A.’s Gulf Harbour Tennis Hall of Game,” check out the blog from August 5th. From time to time I will be doing profiles on some of the members who have made Gulf Harbour Tennis what it is today. Until the next time, game, set, match….

T. A.'s Gulf Harbour Hall of Game

2010-08-05T14:43:00.000-04:00

The great thing about writing a blog is that you have a great deal of freedom to do just about anything you want...within reason of course. In addition to thanking the very thoughful members who have been so supportive during a difficult moment, I'd like to recognize the first inductees into T.A.'s Gulf Harbour Hall of Game.

What is the Gulf Harbour Hall of Game? The Hall of Game is intended to showcase tennis playing members who have made extraordinary contributions, past and/or present, to Gulf Harbour tennis...and....who have made signficant deposits into my checking and/or savings account. See me for the minimum donation. Seriously though, the off season is a great time to recognize some of those who make our program what it is.

Just so you know, neither the Tennis Advisory Committee, nor the Board of Governors, nor the US Senate, nor the Judiciary, nor President Obama has anything at all to do with the selection process for the Hall of Game. This is purely my invention, and even people who use steroids are eligible for inclusion...as long as they use those streoids for the enhancement of Gulf Harbour Tennis. Also, although many members may qualify for the Hall of Game based upon their contributions, induction is limited by my ability to find time and energy to do these. That said, on to our first inductees.

It seems appropriate to initiate the Hall of Game with the leader of Gulf Harbour's inaugural Captains Council, Linda Van Wyk. Linda was born and raised in Menasha, Wisconsin with her five brothers. She graduated from University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh with a BS in Accounting, and received her Certified Public Accounting license in 1981.

Prior to her marriage to Tom Van Wyk in 1987, Linda worked for multiple financial institutions and Jack's Pizza (now owned by Kraft). Shortly after marrying, the couple purchased a union sub-contracting firm that performed work throughout Wisconsin. Linda's role included handling all of the administrative, insurance and accounting functions for the company.

Linda has been a founding board member of a regional chapter of the trade group Construction Management Association, board member of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters local chapter, Board member of the University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley Foundation, and a member of Women in Construction.

A proud step-mom to two great sons and grandma to two wonderful grandkids, Linda retired with Tom in 2001 and moved to the paradise that is Gulf Harbour. It has been the great fortune of Gulf Harbour’s tennis program that the Van Wyks chose to retire here, because they have been extremely generous in their contributions to charitable causes, and Linda has given most generously of her time (much to Tom’s dismay).

In addition to serving as Co-Captain of the Lee County Women’s Tennis League Double Trouble 3.0 team during the 2009 – 2010 Season, Linda took on the daunting task of chairing the inaugural Captains Council. Linda’s previous administrative and leadership experiences were evident as she navigated the choppy waters quite well in establishing a new institution at Gulf Harbour that should enhance our team formation process for years to come.

At least as difficult as getting an institution started is moving it forward to the next level. Taking the helm to lead us in that process is another brave and hearty soul, Sally Mellendorf. Nicknamed “No Mercy Mellendorf,” for good reason, Sally has led the Double Trouble 3.0 team (the one Linda Co-Captained) for the past three years, finishing in second position in the division each of the past two, and has been our Club Champion in her division multiple times, most recently in the 2009 - 2010 season.

This determined native of Clio, Michigan, the middle child of three, also brings a business background to the table that should assist her with the difficult task ahead. A graduate of Baker Business College in Saginaw, Michigan, Sally began her business career in the insurance industry, with an emphasis in accounting. The parallels with her Co-Captain are uncanny, as she also migrated to the construction industry in the early 80s.

Sally eventually returned to the insurance industry, and is licensed to meet consumers’ insurance needs in all 50 states. She and husband and partner George Mellendorf, also an insurance business owner at the time, married their businesses and personal lives in 1998. Despite holding licenses in every state, the Mellendorfs made Florida and Gulf Harbour their home base in 2001, and again, we are better off for it.

Sally and George’s clan are a modern day Brady Bunch plus. In Sally’s own words, “I brought to the marriage two handsome boys and he brought three beautiful girls. We now have nine fantastic grandchildren!“ Given all of the above and ailing family members to boot, Sally will need all of the help she can get from the other captains on the Captains Council this coming season. Kudos to Sally for taking on this incredible responsibility.

Ok tennis friends, that's it for the first edition of T. A.'s Gulf Harbour Hall of Game. Keep your eyes peeled, because if you're bringing your "A-game" to the program, chances are you'll find your picture in the Hall of Game. Until next...game, set, match....

Mary Jo Hynden Memorial Blog

2010-07-16T11:43:00.004-04:00

When we depart this dimension of time and space, if we have bequeathed to those for whom we’ve cared and have cared for us stirring sentiments and fond memories, then we have had a life well lived. Saddened we may be by the loss of a dear one, some of us feeling the ache of the empty space she once occupied, but Mary Jo will live on in hearts and minds. Below are some sentiments of those who chose to share with us a small portion of their experiences of and with Mary Jo Hynden.

I considered Mary Jo a trusting friend. I knew her first through tennis, but unfortunately gave tennis a rest because of back issues. Mary Jo often called to ask me to play Wednesday mornings, a casual game, but I was always booked with volunteering. I feel like those were missed opportunities to be with her. I looked forward to seeing her at book club, her views always enlightening. We were also in a "girls game night" group. She added depth to any group and social setting. I wish I could honor her by attending the service, but unfortunately I am up north. I grieve for the family, there loss and also the loss to the Gulf Harbour community. (Jean Kin)

Bill & I have been so fortunate to meet such nice people in Gulf Harbour and Mary Jo & Jim are certainly a couple that we include being proud to know. Mary Jo was a friendly and gracious lady on & off the court. I am lucky & proud to have been one of her teammates on a Silver team for a couple of years. Mary Jo set a fine example for all of us to follow both as a player & lady. While it is sad to say goodbye to her, my memory of her is still alive & quite vivid of her smiling on the court and driving her VW convertible down Westport Drive. Today at the service, her children gave a stirring remembrance of her which made us all want to cry & laugh. What a fine family Mary Jo & Jim have but then I wouldn't have expected anything less. Bill & I wish to express our sympathy to all of Mary Jo & Jim's family & friends. She will forever be part of our Gulf Harbour family. As the gentle Gulf breezes through Gulf Harbour so will her memory. (Marianne & Bill Crouch)

To Jim & Mary Jo's family,
The memorial service dedicated to Mary Jo was expressed so beautifully by her children, the music provided and the church. Thank you for sharing your memories. You exhibited the humor, grace and style that befit our friend. I know she is full of love and pride for all of you. She will hold a place in our hearts too (Roy & Valerie Steigerwald)

Mary Jo was a dear friend and neighbor, whom we will miss very much (Rich and Marilyn Meyers)

Mary Jo was a lovely, lovely person who always had a smile for you. I am glad I had the opportunity to know Mary Jo and play tennis with her. She will be sadly missed by all the people whose lives she touched (Judy Manzella)

She walked in with a smile and a hello every time I saw her. She was so encouraging to myself and others who were getting started a little late in the tennis world. Not only was she a great inspiration at tennis she was a wonderful neighbor. She will be missed as a friend, neighbor and tennis pal. I hope they have clay courts in heaven because I know I will join her on those courts at a later date! Mary Jo will be missed by so many and especially me! (Sally Mellendorf)

I was extremely shocked to hear of Mary Jo's death. Mary Jo introduced me in 2005 into the tennis social around the pool....we became friends fast, she was such a delightful person--- so full of life, and so kind. I shall miss her terribly, as someone whom no one can quite replace. In aufrichtigem Mitgefuehl, (Mika)

Mary Jo was my friend and always so nice to play tennis with. She was nice and complimentary to me on the tennis court--encouraged me to do better. When she was my partner, she never got upset if I missed a ball or lost the point. She was just such a lovely person; I will really miss her. (Melanie Jackman)

Mary Jo was an inspiration to us all! Her warm smile and easy going personality will certainly be missed. She was a very special lady! (Joan Palermo)

We knew Jim and Mary Jo when they lived in Sanibel. They were members of the Sanibel-Captiva Sail and Power Squadron when Bob was commander. Whenever asked, they would always help out. They even volunteered to be "bar tenders" one season -- talk about troopers!!! (Marilyn McCormick)

We were new to the club this year and Mary Jo and Jim were individuals who graciously welcomed us. Mary Jo took the time to talk after the round robin offering to get together at a later time. She was so kind and thoughtful making us feel part of the Gulf Harbour Tennis community! It's hard to believe we will not be seeing her at the courts this year, a real loss to our community. (Beth & Bud Haidet)

We attended a most beautiful Memorial Service today for our fellow tennis mate Mary Jo Hynden. The Rev John Danner presided over the service at Sanibel Congregational Church and led the prayers & readings. One in particular stood out as one of Mary Jo's favorite from Ecclesiastes 3, "To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven." Mary Jo had many a purpose in her 78 years here on this earth. Mary Jo was a very well educated woman, passionate about reading, the arts and travel. She was a dedicated tennis player, a patient and giving person, a caring mother and a loving wife to Jim for 55 years.

Many stories and anecdotes were told to the congregation by Mary Jo and Jim's children, Doug, Eric and Amy. Our Gulf Harbour resident Lynn Malkani performed a moving piece on the violin, "Meditation" from "Thais" and soprano Ann Marie Babos sang "Come Unto Me" and "The Lord's Prayer" which sent chills throughout the congregation. Mary Jo certainly would have approved of the Celebration and Thanksgiving which took place today and surely she was looking down on Jim, their children and their spouses, 8 grandchildren and many, many friends with a sweet smile. Mary Jo will be missed on the courts of Gulf Harbour (Rick & Meg Jacobs)

She had an easy grace, a gentle manner that put one at ease. She spoke her mind, but in a fashion free of offense. She listened in her quiet way and brought people together on court and off. As I think of Mary Jo, I think of an understated a joy of life, I think of her at my side on court 8 on a Saturday morning, doing what she loved. I think of the women she brought together on Wednesday morning to enjoy the game they loved. I can only be glad that I had a few moments to share with a special being who refused to let the ravages of age destroy her quiet yet youthful exuberance. Mary Jo you will be missed! (T. A.)

Thanks to all who took a moment to remember and honor Mary Jo in this memorial. I am sure she would be pleased.

Summer Tennis Heating up at Gulf Harbour

2010-06-23T13:13:00.000-04:00

I usually refer to Fort Myers as a little slice of Heaven, but right now it’s feeling a lot like that other place; you know…the place that never freezes over. Well, the action on Gulf Harbour’s tennis courts is about to get just as hot.

Bush Florida Open Returns to Gulf Harbour
This coming Saturday (June 26) Gulf Harbour will welcome the thunderous ball striking of some of the nation’s top junior tennis players as the Bush Florida Open gets underway. Gulf Harbour is one of eight premier country clubs or tennis communities in Fort Myers hosting the prestigious national event. Former Mike Curran protégé Josh Wardell will be in the field. Click the above link for tournament details.

Our members make a noteworthy sacrifice during this annual event, because court reservation opportunities are limited to two courts for the five days the event is hosted at Gulf Harbour (Wed., June 30 is last day). Our Saturday Round Robin is also on hiatus while the event is being played. Given the premium on court time, members who are not able to play at their reserved time should cancel as soon as possible so other members can use the reserved court.

However, for those who love the game, the event is also a highlight of the tennis year, because some fantastic tennis will be played at Gulf Harbour, providing our members with the opportunity to watch potential hall-of-famers on our very own courts. Everyone is welcome to come on out to watch the highest quality tennis we are likely to see on our courts until next year.

Tennis Court Maintenance
The timing of the tennis court maintenance and upgrade has been moving along quite nicely. As of this writing the final two courts are receiving their new fences and surface dressing. The project won’t be completed until the pavers are installed beneath the canopies, new nets are up, painting of light fixtures and net posts is complete, and the new landscaping has been installed. As always, we appreciate your patience as the project continues.

Firecracker Tennis
The weekend following the Bush Florida Open will also feature tennis action, and while the weather is likely to be just as hot or hotter, then tennis may be a tad cooler than that produced by those limber teenagers. Yes, Gulf Harbour’s members will reclaim their courts on Saturday, July 3rd for our round robin tennis celebration of Independence Day. As of this writing, only three spots remain for the fun event which will feature members dressed in their red, white and blue splendor. Click here to register for one of the three remaining spots.

Guest Policy
In addition to all the fun stuff happening, we have to address some not so fun stuff. As a result of some recent situations, we are implementing a new guest policy. Effective immediately, members who plan to play with guests must sign in at the pro shop or fitness desk (if pro shop is closed) prior to taking the court or courts. An official announcement to this effect will be forthcoming, but we hope that you will adhere to this policy prior to the announcement.

Ladies Round Robin
Ladies, have you reached the point where you are a bit beyond the thrill and grind of team tennis? Well, Mary Jo Hynden and a few other women who have reached that stage enjoy a friendly game every Wednesday morning and would love to have you join them. If you are interested, please contact Mary Jo at jrmjhynden@yahoo.com or 239-466-5720.

Pro Schedule
Now that things have slowed down just a tad, your pros will be taking some much needed time off. Mike will take his vacation in August, Joel will be on vacation from July 16 through August 1, and T. A. will be on vacation from July 1 through July 7. Please see your individual pro if you have questions about lesson schedules.

I hope you are enjoying the summer, whether you are in the cooler climes or the sweltering southwest of Florida.

Summer at Gulf Harbour

2010-05-13T13:01:00.011-04:00

Well, the Wimble-Scramble never happened, and the Memorial Day event won't be happening either, but there are other things of note happening at Gulf Harbour. Two of the more important happenings pertain to major upgrades.

Your Facility
The first of those upgrades is the tennis enhancement project (one component of the overall project to improve our entire club façade), which will include new fencing, new pavers under the court cabanas, new drains, as well as foliage more conducive to court maintenance and aesthetic appeal, will begin on May 17.

The project, scheduled to run through July 9, may result in some minor inconveniences in court and event scheduling, but we believe the outcome will be well worth it. We are optimistically hoping for the project to be completed in time for our July 4th event.

Kudos to Captain’s Council
The second upgrade is the successful implementation of Gulf Harbour’s Ladies Captains Council. The Council navigated the choppy waters of the new process, and has selected the LCWTL teams for the 2010 – 2011 season. Gulf Harbour will field a total of 15 teams (10 rated & 5 Senior) next season, and should have every bit as much success, if not more, as we have had in previous seasons.

The Captains Council did a phenomenal job in creating and managing a new process of team formation and selection. Among the most noteworthy are Linda Van Wyk, who set an incredible standard as Council Chairperson, Norma Schuyler, whose database development and management were critical to the process, and Jenny Clark-King, who was caught between a rock and the hardest of places, and managed it as well as could be expected of anyone.

A new Captains Council will be in place after a meeting of the Council scheduled for Monday, May 17. A list of the new captains and the team rosters will be posted on the Teams & Leagues page of the Club website in the not too distant future.

Member Corner
Mondé Breton, a member of Gulf Harbour’s LCWTL 4.0- team this past season, has shown that in addition to being an excellent tennis player and golfer, she is one heck of a horse trainer. Mondé was honored with the designation of Canada’s Trainer of the Year for 2009. She is retiring as a trainer, so she has the distinction of going out on top of her game, something that is so difficult for most to do.

Speaking of distinction, Gulf Harbour's State Champion Men's Super Senior team traveled to Surprise, Arizona recently and played for a National USTA Championship. Captain, Ron Graham, lead our team of Bob Ostrom, Tim Jones, Tom Beckman, Tim Baldwin, Pet McElroy, Joe Schwartzel, Ted Watrous, to a 3rd place finish in their division. This is Gulf Harbour's second appearance on the national championship level in four years, and it's clearly a positive testament to the competitive spirit of our Club's tennis program.

Some of you who know Bob Ostrom realize he is undergoing some gruesome radiation treatments after recent cancer surgery. He traveled to Surprise with the team, and with his partner, Pete McElroy, they won their match against Hawaii. As usual, if you didn’t have inside info, you’d never know the man is successfully battling such a deadly opponent. Of course, he owes most of that tenacity to his ever faithful wife Pat, who could probably bring a marshmallow through Hades unscathed. Congratulations go out to everyone on this team!

In other competitive endeavors, two of our more talented tennis players, Alan Canfield and Maxwell Thompson, made the Ultimate Tennis (K-Swiss) League playoffs this past season. Although neither of them won their division title, it is an accomplishment just making it to the playoffs. And, if I’m not mistaken, Alan won his regional division for the second consecutive season.

Your Pros
Joel continues to sharpen his game playing USTA League tennis. Both Joel and his 4.5 League team finished with identical 4-1 records, clinching their regional competition. Apparently, as Joel goes, so goes his team.

Not too long after you read this, M.J. I will be on our way to Myrtle Beach. We’ll say “Hello” to the lovely fairways and greens for all of our talented two-sport members. For those who don’t already know, don’t play Pam Lemon and Robin Correnti in a best ball competition. Talk to Mike if you want the full scoop.

Mike will be holding down the Fort until we head for the USPTA Conference the first week of June.

Stay cool this summer and keep an eye out for the next installment of your Gulf Harbour Tennis Blog. Game, set, match...

The Latest in Gulf Harbour Tennis

2010-04-20T17:59:00.009-04:00

Wimble-Ryder 2010
As you might already know, we have some phenomenal multi-sport athletes in our tennis program, and the next big Gulf Harbour event is tailor made for them…of course that doesn’t mean that those of us who aren’t quite as phenomenal won’t have a chance to capture the Wimble-Ryder MVP award. I wish I were eligible, but alas, I’ll only be able to laud the victor.

How about some details? Per Event Coordinator, Tim Baldwin, the event will be held on Saturday and Sunday (May 1 and 2), 12:00p.m.-start on Saturday for tennis and a 1:00p.m.-start for golf on Sunday. The winner will be the individual who garners the most overall points (click here for full details).

Tennis Program Strategic Planning Team
You may have heard that the Board of Governors has begun the Strategic Planning for the direction the Club will be taking, now that it is your club. Of course such planning will encompass the tennis program, and as such, input from tennis players is vital to the process.

Bob Ostrom and Mike Curran will spearhead a group of active Tennis Members who will represent the tennis program, and present our ideas to the Board. The members of the team include Monica Robb, Meg Jacobs, Terry Brady, and Judy Jones.

Your ideas about our facility, our programs, and the direction you would like the tennis program to take will be important contributions in determining what tennis at Gulf Harbour will be like for years to come. Please share them with members of the Tennis Strategic Planning Team. For a more comprehensive outline of the process, please click here.

2010 – 2011 LCWTL Teams Almost Here
The wait to see how our new process works and what our teams will look like is almost over! The Captains Council will meet next Monday (26th) and Thursday (29th) to conduct the first ever “draft” for LCWTL team play. I hope you met the deadline to register your intent to play. Check the list of registered players to ensure that your name is on the rated and/or senior lists, and if it isn't please send and email to leaguetennis@gulfharbour.net. And, (I know you've been waiting for this!) the ratings are in and you can see them by clicking here. Important note: If you are planning to appeal your rating, please do so ASAP and notify the Captains Council of your intent to appeal, by forwarding an email to leaguetennis@gulfharbour.net.

Fun Stuff
I just want to express my gratitude to our ladies teams who invite us to their LCWTL League luncheons. Although I’m sure some pros pretend that they don’t like (surely it can only be pretense), it is truly a pleasure to sit and chat over a pleasant meal with the ladies with whom we spend so much time on court.

I have had at least one or two of our men walk by as I’ve given a lesson to one of our lovely players, and asked with comic facetiousness, “And you get paid to do that?” Well, I can only imagine what they might say if they saw us enjoying the company of several gorgeous women, with the bonus of complimentary food and drink! It’s one heck of a job, and somebody’s gotta do it…I’m just glad I’m one of those “somebodies.” Thanks ladies!

Gulf Harbour Tennis Davis Cup Runneth Over

2010-04-13T13:38:00.003-04:00

Sixty-one registered and 61 played in Gulf Harbour’s most recent tennis event this past Saturday and Sunday (April 10th & 11th). That’s an exceptional registration-to-appearance ratio for a Club tennis event in any part of the world. Those were the numbers for the Annual Davis Cup competition that featured six teams with 10 players each (one had 11), who battled each other for the right to be called, “Davis Cup Champions of the 2009 - 2010 Season.”

On paper the teams were well-matched, but as in all sports, you have to play the game. The first round started with Bill Cole’s Team Canada sweeping all four positions, although Jim King and Sandy Gebara of Ed Bonkowski’s Team Germany (13 points) gave Bill Donegan and Janie Heck a scare, coming back from 6-2 down before losing 6-8. Canada took the early Cup lead with 32 points after the first round.

Right on their heels, however, was Marianne Crouch’s Team Germany with 29 points, after they lost just one match to Alan Canfield’s Team USA (17 points). Alan and wife Lili Canfield pulled out a tough win against Pete and Marianne McElroy (8-5) to give Team USA its only win.

Team USA came roaring back in its second match of the day, taking 26 points against Tim Baldwin’s Team England (16 points), who were playing their first match of the event. Team Germany (18 points) had a better showing in their second match as well, splitting matches and points with Amy Ciarrocchi’s Team Italy (18 points).

In perfect symmetry, the teams won and lost all four matches by the identical scores of 8-1. Scoring symmetry was definitely the theme of the day as two of the matches in the Team England versus Team USA were 8-2 and two ended 8-3.

Team Canada continued their strong performance in their second match, eliminating Team Italy from championship contention by a score of 24 – 15. Team Ireland faltered a bit in their second match, however, dropping two matches and losing the contest 27-21. The highlight of the affair between Ireland and England was Penny Lownes (partnered with Bill Crouch) hitting a volley winner on match-point to seal the 8-6 victory on Court 4 for Ireland.

Getting out to a sizeable lead early in the event proved to be the winning formula for Canada. At the end of the first day, the tally was Canada- 56, Ireland-50, USA-43, England-43, Italy-33, and Germany-31. The event format scheduled the top finishers in the two flights to face each other for the Davis Cup Championship, the two teams with fewest points would contest the 5th and 6th positions, and the middle level point-getters would battle for 3rd and 4th places.

Although it threatened from the outset, the rain held off long enough on Sunday for third-through-sixth places to be decided on the court. England avenged a first-round loss to Team USA in winning the playoff for third, winning three of the four matches (28 – 16). Team Germany came close to sweeping Italy, winning three of four matches, and losing the other 6-8 in a tough duel won by Rich Fox and Joan Palermo over Mark Davis and Wennie Johannes.

Unfortunately, the Championship match was submerged beneath the torrent from the sky, and Team Canada was awarded the Davis Cup based upon their dominant Day-1 performance. Team Ireland took second place with the point total amassed in Saturday’s skirmishes.

Despite the terrific responses we have received over the course of the season, as I reflect on this particular event and all of the other events and activities we have had, I don’t remember as many participants commenting on what a great time they had with any other event. Hopefully next season we will be able to see the Davis Cup played through fruition, and we look forward to even more participants joining the fray. Special thanks to the captains, and to all who made the event what it was!

Things are Happening in Gulf Harbour Tennis!

2010-04-06T16:25:00.008-04:00

What’s Hot?
If you haven’t already signed up for Davis Cup, you are almost out of time. The deadline is in two days, Thursday, April 8 by noon. We have 53 of the 64 slots already filled and would love to have the kind of record participation for the Davis Cup as we have had for other events this season.

With doubles and mixed doubles on tap, this is probably your last chance to play with some of your tennis friends until the fall, so come on out and enjoy the snowbird swan song. Remember, there will be awards for the best patriotic outfits, so come in garb appropriate to your team country.

The deadline (Thursday, April 15th) to submit your “Intent to Play Form” if you would like to play on one of Gulf Harbour’s Lee County Women’s Tennis League (LCWTL) Teams is quickly approaching. Complete the form online or stop by the Pro Shop for hard copy if you don’t have access to the internet.

If you are about to leave Gulf Harbour, you can’t possibly leave without checking out Laurie’s “End of Season Sale” in the Pro Shop! Is there another time when you could pick up an item in our Pro Shop for less than $10? No, I don’t mean lip balm. But I think that’s only $9.99 as well. Seriously though; stop in, make your final purchases and say your good byes to Laurie before you leave.

Your Teams
Gulf Harbour fielded 22 teams for league play during the 2009 – 2010 season, including 12 Lee County Women’s Tennis League, seven Lee County Men’s Tennis Leagues, and three in United States Tennis Association Leagues. From those 22 teams, Gulf Harbour produced five Division Champions (2 men, 2 women, 1 mixed); seven of our eight men's teams finished among the top five teams in their divisions; and from all indications, 50% of our women's teams will finish among the top five teams in their divisions.

Gulf Harbour’s LCWTL 3.0-Minus team led by Jenny King and Darlene Mattcheck dominated their division, leading all but one of the 18 weeks of league play, and finished the season 14 points ahead of the second place team. The 3.0-Minus team was the only LCWTL Division Champion for Gulf Harbour this season.

Also finishing among the leaders in their respective LCWTL divisions were the 50-Plus Gold team captained by Norma Schuyler and Carlotta Clark (2nd); the 3.0 Double Trouble team led by Sally Mellendorf and Linda Van Wyk (3rd); the 50-Plus Bronze team captained by Effie parker and Marianne McElroy (4th); Teressa Crocker and Wennie Johannes’ 60-plus team (4th); and the 4.0 team led by Marcia DeVries and Mary Harrington.

Gulf Harbour’s Men’s teams represented the Club extremely well in Lee County men’s competition, all finishing sixth or higher, and two claiming Division Championships. In the Men's 50-Plus Tennis League of Lee County, Tim Baldwin and Rich Fox’s White-A team led their division from wire-to-wire over the 15-week season, and clinched the title by 14 points.

In the Men's 70-Plus Tennis League of Lee County, Terry Brady’s 69-ers managed to hold off the second place team by two points. After beginning the season in third place, the 69-ers marched inexorably toward the lead, and taking the top spot for keeps in Week 13. It was only the second season of existence for the 69-ers, whose seven sweeps surpassed any other team in the entire League.

Other men’s teams that finished among the top-five in their divisions include John Hess’ White-C (2nd); George Kane’s Red-A (3rd); Tony Cupaiuolo’s Blue-B (3rd); and Fran Kelly’s Blue-C (5th). Just missing the top-five by one point, after a season of defaults, was Jim Masiello’s Blue-A team, which finished a respectable 6th.

Men’s Intramurals
Also team related, though not as serious, but every bit as much fun, as the Lee County and USTA team competition, is the Men’s Intramural competition which is in week No.3. After the first two weeks of play, Tim Baldwin’s Dirty Dozen is dismantling the competition, holding a 27-point lead over Jim Masiello’s Court Jammers, and are too far ahead of Terry Brady’s Swingers and Don Pitts’ Zazus to list the point spread. This is the final week of play, with the last matches this Thursday (4/8) afternoon.

Member Corner
We do have some talent amongst our tennis players, don’t we? A prime example is Carol Carr, who is a Club Champion in golf and also a finalist in the Ball Bashers B-Division in the tennis Mixed Doubles Championships as well.

Alan Canfield is leading his division in the Ultimate Tennis Spring League which features highly competitive, fun singles play. As a former Ultimate Tennis champion myself, I know how much fun it is to play the league, and how difficult it can be to go undefeated through the regular season and playoffs. Go Alan! Bring home the trophy.

Fun Night for Lee County Tennis
What are you doing on the evening of Friday, April 23rd? Well, in case you are looking for something to do, you can join MJ and I and Mike and Tara as we dine for a good cause (Lee County Community Tennis Association) at Nirvana. If you like Indian food and haven’t tried Nirvana, $25 will get you access to a full buffet, a glass of wine and a good time with very congenial staff. Click here for more details.

Your Pros
We want to thank those of you who cheered us on during Pro League this season. Mike and I didn’t have stellar seasons (and I won’t even bore you with our myriad excuses), but Joel played splendidly for almost the entire year, losing only 1 match, for his team, which finished 2nd.

Despite being unable to compete much once our season started in 2009, I managed to finish with a No.3 USPTA Men’s 50 Singles National Ranking and No.11 in Men’s 50 Doubles. I know it doesn’t look like it out there these days, but early last year I wasn’t too bad. Maybe in 2011 Mike and I will rebound and Joel will continue his rise. Joel is shooting to play on the No.1 court in Pro League next season.

We'll see you this weekend! Game, set, match...

Tennis Celebration Banquet a Fitting Climax

2010-03-21T17:42:00.013-04:00

Wow! Awesome! Expressions such as these would be apt responses to the terrific turnout and fantastic festivities at last night’s Annual Tennis Celebration Banquet. If any of the 135 attendees didn’t have a good time, it was because he or she didn’t feel well, or holds a natural (or unnatural as the case may be) antipathy for lots of people having a great time.

From the delightful décor courtesy of Anna “The Diva” Dance and Pat Ostrom, the fabulous fare from Chef Norbert and his staff, the splendid service provided by Georgine Davidson and her crew, the dancing display by Joel and his numerous “Joelettes” (who will remain anonymous to protect their marriages), and the sagely short presentation by our dynamic Director, Mike Curran, the event was a smash, a winner, an ace…ok, I got a little carried away there!

Unfortunately, keeping it short meant that we didn’t get to welcome some of the new members who were in attendance for the first time, such as Tom and Bev Auda, Angela Mitrisin and Scott Turner, Judy Wilson, Chip and Nannette Graddy to name a few. And, we didn’t get to mention how good it was to see individuals like Linda Gardiner, Preston Clark, Bob Ostrom, Todd Lewis and others bounce back from serious health challenges to join the celebration.

Also in the name of brevity, we didn’t take the time to express our gratitude to:

• Bob Ostrom for continuing to champion the tennis program despite immense personal challenges

• Lili Canfield, Connie Hess, Terry Brady, Bill Wright, John Hess, Jim Rollero and others who contributed to the record-breaking Memorial Foundation tennis effort

• George Kane and Linda VanWyk for the major role they played in making our Club Championship events so successful

• Amy and Len Ciarrocchi for providing outstanding banners and sign work for our events

• Linda VanWyk for so adeptly taking the helm of the LCWTL Captains Council

• Tim Baldwin for all the organizing he does

• Laurie Giordano for keeping our ladies in the latest tennis styles and keeping the pros on track…as much as that is possible

• Jerry Jimenez for keeping our courts as well-groomed as any in Southwest Florida

• Georgine Davidson, Mike Snyder and their staffs, who stepped up to help make our events the successes that they were

• Meg Jacobs for bringing her champagne personality to the courts for every single event

• To each and every one of you for making the tennis program what it is.

Despite the omissions for brevity’s sake, the event was nothing short of spectacular. So successful was the event that the following mega-hit spinoffs are now in production:

• How to present over 60 awards in 30 minutes or less by Mike Curran

• How to have potentially disabling surgery, endure debilitating radiation treatments while appearing as though you have not a care in the world by Bob Ostrom

• How to show up Michael Jackson and John Travolta in three steps, while sandwiched between 13 women by Joel Hampton

• How to maintain a humble, yet pleased, smile on your face during repeated trips to the podium to collect your hardware while everyone looks on enviously by Jemin Martinsen, Chip Graddy, and Maxwell Thompson

• Presenting fine fashion for the beautifully mature by Anna Dance and Bev Adams

• How to dance, jump, and run rings around people decades younger than you by Peter Karofsky, Judy Schafft, Meg Jacobs

• How to energize a tennis party by the women of the 4.0 team and 3.0 Double Trouble

• How to look properly shocked (as in totally flabbergasted) when your name is called for an award by Sandy Gebara

• How to take 1000 photos while ensuring your smile is featured in 999 of them by John Hess and Jim Rollero

• How to imbibe massive amounts of alcoholic beverages and appear perfectly lucid by _________ (fill in the blank cuz I like my job)

• How to become, and remain, a member of the best tennis program within a 100-mile radius of your home or summer home by all of Gulf Harbour’s tennis members.

In case you missed the bottom line woven through the tangled strands of thought above, last night was truly a fitting climax to a tremendous tennis season during which so many of you contributed so much. As always, we will continue working to enhance your tennis experience, so gear up for an even better season next year! Game, set, match….
and Bev Adams

2009 - 2010 Season Winding Down

2010-03-15T19:06:00.002-04:00

An Apology
Ok, before I get rolling here, I'm going to apologize to one of the nicest guys you will ever meet at Gulf Harbour: Maxwell Thompson. Apparently some of the humor in my previous blog was not appreciated for what it was, so I have edited that blog and have asked that the same edit be done on the front page of Harbour Views. The humor was meant for our tennis community, all of whom know that Maxwell is hardly one to go around bragging, and not for direct distribution to the Gulf Harbour community at large. Sorry for any problems Maxwell. Moving onward...

Annual Tennis Celebration
We have 124 members registered for the Annual Tennis Celebration Banquet on the Saturday, the 20th and the maximum number of registrants is 150. It is shaping up to be a shindig of major proportions! It sounds as though anyone who cares about the tennis program and won’t be away has already signed up, but if you haven’t, just click here, login to the Club website, and you too can join the revelry.

Men’s & Women’s Team Competition
Some of our men’s teams have wrapped up their seasons, and it has truly been a successful one for Gulf Harbour’s tennis men, with two teams likely to be champions and all but one amongst the top-five in their divisions. Guys, if you think you will miss the competition, or didn’t get the chance to compete on a men’s team this season, Men’s Intramurals are almost here. See Laurie in the Pro Shop to sign up, and talk to John Hess for more info.

Our women are coming down the stretch also, and we are anticipating at least two champions from ladies teams. Jenny King’s 3.0-Minus team looks good for the top position and Norma Schuyler’s Gold team is closing in on a repeat of last year’s triumph. Stay current by checking out the Team Report on the Team & Leagues page of the Club website.

LCWTL Captains Council
Speaking of teams and leagues, the Notice of Intention to Play, which all members of the female persuasion who wish to play on a Gulf Harbour LCWTL need to complete, will soon be available for online completion thanks to the collaborative efforts of Norma Schuyler and Captains Council Chairperson Linda VanWyk. An updated version of the form is being developed.

If you haven’t yet read the LCWTL Guidelines, a link to the document is available on the Tennis & League page as well. There will be a meeting of the Captains Council this Tuesday, the 16th, and another iteration of the document is likely to emerge. We’ll keep you posted.

Your Pros
Mike’s shoulders are doing better after some “needle therapy” administered by a physician highly recommended by a number of our members. A few MRIs and co-pays later, and our Director is ready for Pro League next week.

That’s right! The final two Pro League events are coming up. The next two Fridays (the 19th and 26th) we are playing at Grandezza and Shadow Wood. As always, we enjoy having you there to represent Gulf Harbour. Apropos to this season spent underwater, we are ready to finish with a splash! Mike’s and T.A.’s teams are trying to avoid the cellar, and Joel’s team seems to be a lock to finish atop the standings. Whichever way it goes, the final two weeks ought to be entertaining.

I’m not sure how Joel’s USTA team is faring, but given the exceptional year he’s having, I imagine they are leading their league. Have you seen Joel’s new two-wheeler? It makes me nervous. Joel has a need for speed, and not just in his tennis game. He’ll also be demonstrating some quick steps at the Celebration too, so get your high-speed cameras ready John, JR.

If you haven’t checked out my USPTA site lately, I’ve made some minor revisions, and added some tidbits of interest on the News page. We will make Gulf Harbour known across the country! You can review the Tips page if you need a little assistance with your game, but don’t have the time or inclination to see me on the court in person (shame on you! Just kidding).

Ok folks, it has been a long day and I'm out of steam. We'll do a season wrap up in a few weeks. Until then, game, set, match...

Club Championships: It's a Wrap!

2010-03-08T21:56:00.007-05:00

A shortage of men left more than a handful of eager women waiting (that never happens, right?) and wanting when it came to the Mixed Doubles Club Championship. Despite that, we still fielded 90 men and women for the event.

Triple Crown Winners
Four members were seeking to win championships in all three Club Championship events. Chip Graddy, Jemin Martinsen (All Aces Division), Maxwell Thompson, and Judy Wilson (Ball Bashers A Division) had won the Singles and Doubles events, and were aiming for Mixed Doubles titles as well. Of the four, Chip, Jemin, and Maxwell accomplished the feat. Judy’s try for three came up a couple matches short as she and Greg Pilant fell in the quarters.

Morning Matches
On Finals Day yesterday, the Court Crashers and Ball Bashers B Divisions took to the courts first on a brilliantly crisp morning for the two early finals. Of the first two finals, the Court Crashers produced the high drama.

Court Crashers Final
Towering Tom VanWyk and fleet-footed Ann Wright, the No.1 Seeds, faced the always smiling Bill Otey and Wennie “The Wise One” Johannes, the No.3 Seeds, for the title. It was a tug-of-war affair most of the way through, with seven of the nine games in the first set reaching at least 40-30. Tom and Ann broke serve in the eighth game and held in the ninth to wrest the first-set away from Bill and Wennie.

The teams battled evenly throughout the second set, and Bill and Wennie edged Ann and Tom 7-4 in a second-set tiebreak. As the third set began, Bill and Wennie seemed on the verge of cruising to the title in their first event playing together when they went up 2-0. But Tom stood tall (as if he could stand any other way), and Ann darted around the court retrieving the gazillion lobs Bill threw up. After the slow third-set start, Tom and Ann ran off six consecutive games to claim the title.

Ball Bashers A Final
In the other early final, featuring the more skilled level of the Ball Bashers group, Maxwell bolstered his candidacy for the “Most Improved Player” award, by teaming with newcomer Angela Mitrisin to dethrone last year’s Champions, Bill Wright and Lili Canfield, and capturing his third event of the Club Championships.

The straight-set victory was a close match until the new Champions took control midway through the second set. Bill and Lili did not make it easy for Maxwell to complete the hat trick though. The first set (6-4) was nip and tuck all the way through, and Bill and Lili saved three set points before succumbing to Maxwell’s flaming forehand and Angela’s quick hands at net.

The match remained close in the early going of the second set, but Maxwell and Angela broke and held serve in the fifth and sixth games, respectively, to win the set 6-2, and capture the Ball Bashers A Division crown.

Afternoon Matches
An awesome afternoon of Florida sunshine with temps to match was the setting for the afternoon finals involving the Ball Bashers B and the All Aces Divisions.

Ball Bashers B Final
The former pitted the husband-wife team of Tim and Carol Carr versus last minute entries Bill Donegan and Sharon Bock. After a terrific run to the final, including a third-set super-tiebreak-win in the semifinals, the Carrs couldn’t find the same rhythm and intensity they had brought to the courts for their two matches the previous day.

Bill and Sharon (Have you noticed how many Bill’s played in finals?), who didn’t even know each other, much less played together before, seemed to get stronger with each match played, and peaked in the final. They lost just one game, although eight of the thirteen games reached at least 40-30.

It was Sharon’s second event win of the Club Championships, having claimed the Women’s Court Crashers Doubles title with Sally “No Mercy” Mellendorf. Shall we sing, “Movin’ on up?"

All Aces Final
In the All Aces Division, which features the Club’s best players, Chip Graddy and Jemin Martinsen faced perennial Club Championship Mixed Doubles Champions, Gary Delanois and Diane Johannes in the final, and it was a final to remember (I know cuz I was in the chair). I’m betting the spectators will agree with me, too, as they were treated to a momentum-shifting, three-set battle, the outcome of which remained in doubt until the final serve hit the net.

The first set was even-steven through the seventh game, when Gary and Diane seemed on the verge of the first break of serve, going up 0-30 and 15-40 on Jemin’s serve. With Chip offering support and assurances, Jemin held on to win that game. Diane was broken in the subsequent game, and Chip served out the set (6-3).

The Defending Champs cruised to a 5-0 lead in the second set, before “Big Mo” (momentum that is) turned on them, and Chip and Jemin stormed back, winning three consecutive games. But the second-set comeback would fall short, as Gary delivered a momentous (that’s Big Mo’s cousin) second serve at 5-3, 40-30, to close out the set 6-3.

Despite the stalled second-set comeback, Jemin and Chip coaxed “Big Mo” to stay on their side for the third set, and they jumped out to 4-1 and 5-2 leads. But Gary and Diane would not go gently into that good night. As befitting Defending Champions, they clawed back to 4-5, but couldn’t hold serve in that final game, giving both Jemin and Chip their coveted Triple Crowns.

The Event Epitomized
Despite the loss, Gary remarked, “It was the best match I’ve been involved in with this event.” Tim Carr also epitomized what this event was all about. If you know Carol and/or Tim, you know that they are excellent athletes who hate losing. Yet, after their losing effort and the accompanying disappointment derived from not playing their best, both said that they were glad they played. When I ran into Tim on the driving range later in the afternoon, he said, “That’s the most fun I’ve had in competition around here in a long time! I’m really glad we played.”

Despite the fact that the three Club Championship events were held in weather foreign to Southwest Florida at this time of year, and we had a singles draw significantly smaller than last year’s, the events included over 200 participants. During the semis on Saturday, Spectators huddled together for warmth well after the sun had set, still cheering on their friends and neighbors.

It is participating in such experiences and hearing comments such as those above that make giving up weekends with family worth it to your tennis staff. Next year we anticipate better weather and even higher levels of participation, as Gulf Harbour’s tennis experience is proving to be one of the best tennis experiences offered in the area.

Tennis Grill Night
After the hot competition on the courts, players and spectators cooled down by congregating at Johnny Brown’s for Tennis Grill Night. The event included 38 diehard members who gathered on the terrace to relive the Club Championships culminating weekend. But it wasn’t long before the evening chill chased participants inside. Although many who were present during the weekend’s competition were absent at the aftermath, those who did attend could attest to the quality of the experience.

Annual Tennis Celebration Banquet
Speaking of quality experiences, one you really won’t want to miss, and which should be able to accommodate everyone, is the Annual Tennis Celebration Banquet. If you haven’t yet seen Joel dance, or one of his “party” outfits, it’s worth the price of admission. He tells me he’s got something special lined up for the occasion.

If you don’t like to dance, that’s perfectly all right, because after a few wet ones, some of our tennis members forget that they don’t like to dance either, and that, too, is worth the price of admission. If good food, good music, great company, and Jim Rollero’s slideshow doesn’t whet your appetite for the smorgasbord of fun we have lined up, well I’ve got a nice 12’ X 6’ plot that might interest you. Oh, and by the way, we’ll be presenting competition awards as well.

Men's Intramural Teams
Also “coming in hot,” as Joel likes to say, is the annual Men’s Intramural team competition which kicks off March 23rd and runs through April 8th. You can sign up for the fun in the tennis pro shop. John Hess is the man behind the wheel of this one, so talk to John if you would like more information.

NetCaddy Numbers
Just a little FYI: Club Essentials, the folks that created NetCaddy, our court reservation system, reports that 70% of our online court bookings are being done by members as opposed to staff. Given that this percentage incorporated Courts 1 and 2, which are booked exclusively by staff, the actual percentage of member-initiated online reservations would be considerably higher. Gulf Harbour’s tennis members are showing, once again, that we are quite capable of adapting to change.

Team Home Matches
Before I close up shop, I’d like to remind you that it is crunch time for all of our teams, and we have some REALLY, REALLY BIG home matches coming up this week. First and foremost is Captain Tony Cupaiuolo’s Blue B team, which is right in the hunt for the Blue B Division lead. They play tomorrow at home against Division-leading Colonial, and must win big to have any hope of taking the top spot. Come on out and cheer them on, and check the Home Match Schedule on the Club's Tennis page for other upcoming matches. Game, set, match...

Mixed Doubles Club Championships: Day 2

2010-03-06T18:01:00.004-05:00

The Morning of Day 2
Though still cooler than we like in these parts, a brilliant and relatively calm morning greeted competitors and fans as they arrived at the courts this morning.

The big guns were out in force as the All Aces Division cruised into high gear. Top seeds Gary Delanois and Diane Johannes ended the dramatic run of Arnie and Randy Wohl in straight sets, and the second-seeded team of Chip Graddy and Jemin Martinsen overcame Pete McElroy and judy Schafft, also in straight sets.

In early Ball Bashers A action, Bill Wright and Lili Canfield continued their quest to be repeat champions by downing Rich Fox and Norma Schuyler in straight sets. The team of Bob and Tania Pleischl eliminated Bruno Glavich and Gina LaManna in another straight-set match that was a lot closer than the score.

Judy Wilson kept alive her hope for a triple crown, when she and partner Greg Pilant ousted Tim Baldwin and Bonnie Graham. Maxwell Thompson almost saw his hopes dashed, as he and partner Angela Mitrisin barely slipped by Jake Keltner and Monica Robb in a third-set super-tiebreak. It was the second consecutive year that Jake and Monica were ousted in a third-set super-tiebreak.

The Morning’s Ball Bashers B competition provided the most dramatic matches for the spectators. Three of the four quarterfinal matches ended in third-set super-tiebreaks, with one going beyond the 10 points necessary to win.

In the first of those drama-filled affairs, Tim and Carol Carr edged No.1 Seeds Bill Cole and Sandi Hill 3-6, 7-5, 10-8. Next to finish was Gabe Gebara and Bev Adams, who lost the first set 2-6, and came back to win 6-3, 10-3. In the longest match of the day, lasting well over two hours, Bryan Schwartz and Linda Gardiner squeaked out the super-tiebreak against Jim Hynden and Joan Palermo11-9 after trailing 4-9 in the breaker. The first two sets were 7-5, and 2-6.

Even the lone match that didn’t go to the third-set breaker produced some thrills. After dominating the first set, Bill Donegan and Sharon Bock cruised to a 5-0, 40-0 lead against Jim Rollero and Sally Mellendorf. One spectator notified me that he match was all but done. Someone forget to tell Jim and Sally.

Despite the huge deficit, Jim found himself serving at 4-5, 30-0 and the crowd was anticipating yet another super-tiebreak. They were disappointed as Bill and Sharon broke serve to claim the victory on their second match point.

The Court Crashers played their semifinal matches this morning as well, and No.1 Seeds Tom VanWyk and Ann Wright posted an easy victory to ease their way into the final. Tom and Ann will face Bill Otey and Wennie Johannes, who won a close first set against Chuck Beagan and April Burkholder before cruising through the second and final set.

Overcoming Tom’s imposing net presence and Ann’s agility will be no easy task for Bill and Wennie, but they have experience on their side. The match should be an interesting one to watch.

Afternoon Delight
In the afternoon matches, another Johannes made her way into a final, as Diane Johannes and Gary Delanois took another step forward in their All Aces title-defense. They eked out a close two-set battle with Tim Jones and Kathy Lanzalotta, and will meet Singles and Doubles winners Chip Graddy and Jemin Martinsen in one of the most anticipated finals of the event. Chip and Jemin ended the championship hopes of Alan Canfield and Amy Ciarrocchi in straight sets.

The climax of the Day 2 afternoon matches was the Ball Bashers A Division semifinal that pitted Defending Champions Bill Wright and Lili Canfield against Greg Pilant and Judy Wilson. It appeared as though we would have a new Champion in the early going, but despite winning the first set with relative ease, Greg and Judy lost a close second and didn’t contend in the third-set super-tiebreak.

Maxwell Thompson kept his hat-trick hopes going when he and Angela Mitrisin held off a game Bob and Tania Pleischl in a tight second set, after dominating the first set. The stakes will be high for both parties in tomorrow’s Ball Bashers A Final, as we have the triple and the title defense on the line.

The Ball Bashers B Division brought the day to a close with Tim and Carol Carr posting a straight-set win over Bryan Schwartz and Linda Gardiner, and Bill Donegan and Sharon Bock doing the same over Gabe Gebara and Bev Adams. Sharon will be trying for her second event win of the championships, having won the Court Crashers Women’s Doubles with Sally Mellendorf.

Once again Gulf Harbour members were out en masse to support the players, and tomorrow’s finals at 10am and 12pm ought to be worthy of record attendance. In addition to the opportunity for three of the competitors to win triple crowns, the Wright family can have husband and wife champions in two divisions, and the Johannes family can have mother and daughter champions in two divisions.

I’m sure there are some other sub plots that I am neglecting to mention, but the bottom line is that the third and final day of our Club Championships is likely to be a special one, especially with the Tennis Grill Night to follow. We look forward to seeing you once again, and good luck to all the participants. game, set, match...

Mixed Doubles Club Championships: Day 1

2010-03-05T22:09:00.003-05:00

In a reprise of the Men's and Women's Doubles Championships, the first day of the Mixed Doubles Championship featured multiple layers of clothing, and spectators ducking around corners to escape "The Hawk." In Southwest Florida? Yep, and it's getting to be old hat...really old hat.

In any event, the event got underway today, featuring a number of new members who entered the fray, and actually challenging for bragging rights as Club Champion. In fact, if this were a teenie-bopper movie, we’d have to call it “New Blood.”

In the Ball Bashers A Division, newcomer Angela Mitrisin joined with Maxwell Thompson to defeat Richard and Ruth Edelman, the 2008-2009 Champions of the Ball Bashers B Division who had moved up to challenge for the Ball Bashers A Division crown. As noted elsewhere, Maxwell is working on the triple-crown this year.

Also still in the hunt for the triple in the Ball Bashers A group is Judy Wilson, another recent addition to the Gulf Harbour tennis fold, who teamed with Greg Pilant to oust Jim King and former Ball Basher Singles Champ, Martha DeLeeuw. Fresh faces also upended last year’s Finalists, as Bruno Glavich and Gina LaManna took out Eddie Dance and Pam Lemon.

Among the matches that could be considered candidates for “Match of the Day,” honors, Bob and Tania Pleischl came back from a first-set loss to pick up the win in a third-set super-tiebreak against their good friends Bill and Marsha Cavinder. Jake Keltner and Monica Robb bounced one of the newcomer teams, getting by T.A. and Bev Auda in straight sets.

Rounding out the Ball Bashers action was Rich Fox and Norma Schuyler's win over Len Ciarrocchi and Sandy Gebara, and Tim Baldwin and Bonnie Graham's victory over John and Connie Hess. Rich and Norma are up against the Defending Champions and No.1 Seeds, Bill Wright and Lili Canfield, in one of tomorrow’s quarterfinal matches.

In the Court Crashers Division, tourney neophytes Chuck Beagan and Bill Otey both got wins in their first tournament matches at Gulf Harbour. Chuck partnered with April Burkholder to beat Rick and Meg Jacobs (Rick’s first tourney ever), and Bill teamed with veteran Wennie Johannes to defeat Bernie and Penny Klotz. The two newcomers play each other tomorrow in one semifinal, so one will have wrapped up his first foray into the Club Championships.

In other Court Crashers action, top seeds Tom VanWyk and Ann Wright advanced against Roy and Val Steigerwald, and will meet Jim Masiello and Teressa Crocker in the other semifinal. Jim and Teressa outlasted Peter Malen and Liz Byck in the first of two third-set super-tiebreaks. Teressa’s recovery from recent heart surgery makes the win against quality players like Peter and Liz that much more remarkable.

In the Ball Bashers B Division, the team of Tim and Carol Carr eased past Don and Anna Pitts and will face No.1 Seeds Bill Cole and Sandi Hill, who will be seeing their first action of the event. Sandi is physically questionable for tomorrow’s match, but will give it a go. In her return to tournament action after a victorious bout with cancer, Linda Gardiner teamed with Bryan Schwartz to down Mark Davis and Jackie Jewel, and will face Jim Hynden and Joan Palermo.

Erstwhile event photographer and Club DJ, Jim Rollero, partnered with Court Crashers Doubles Champ Sally Mellendorf to defeat Preston Clark and Nancy Davis. Preston came out of semi-retirement at the last minute, despite a shoulder in need of surgical attention, to replace Sy Davis, Nancy’s intended partner, who came up lame for the competition. Jim and Sally will take on Bill Donegan and Sharon Bock tomorrow morning. Wrapping up the Court Crasher matches, Ron and Marvel Jones eliminated Bob and Laurie Watson in straight sets, and will meet the No.2 Seeds, Gabe Gebara and Bev Adams in their next match.

The opening day opened and closed with matches in the All Aces Division, the top division of the Club Championships. Earlier in the day, Pete McElroy and Judy Schafft eclipsed another pair of talented first-timers in Brian and Sunni Hammermeister. Pete and Judy have the task of getting past No.2 Seeds, Chip Graddy and Jemin Martinsen, both of whom are trying to accomplish the Club Championship trifecta in the top division.

In the final match of the day, ending well after darkness and the temperature had fallen, Arnie and Randy Wohl escaped a third-set, super-tiebreak thriller against former Singles Champion Geoff Negin, who was partnered with Amy Markovich. As the diehard Gulf Harbour tennis members huddled together to forestall the night’s chill, the foursome exchanged rousing rallies that prompted both cheers and groans from the chilled crowd. Arnie and Randy will battle Defending Champions and No.1 Seeds, Gary Delanois and Diane Johannes in the early morn.

Other matches on tap in the top division tomorrow morning include Ed Bonkowski and Marcia DeVries against Tim Jones and Kathy Lanzalotta, Kathy being one half of last year’s Mixed Doubles Finalist team and current Doubles Champion; and Alan Canfield and Amy Ciarrocchi versus Joe Schwartzel and Carole Shapiro. All of the action promises to be worth braving the morning chill, and Club Manager Mike Snyder has even agreed to come in early to provide hot coffee for our hardy tennis fans. What-a-guy!

In closing, after the incredible display of support tonight with the wind-chill factor making a mockery of the actual temperature, I must say that I know of no more supportive tennis members anywhere in the land! Thanks for making the event what it is folks! Game, set, match…

Club Championship Doubles Finals

2010-02-07T20:10:00.003-05:00

A breezy and chilly Finals Day of the Club Championship Men’s & Women’s Doubles began at 9am with the Men’s and Women’s Court Crashers taking to the courts with approximately 50 spectators in attendance. Last year’s Finalists, No.1 seeds Sally Mellendorf and Sharon Bock were facing a very successful LCWTL League team in Jayme Lewis and Meg Jacobs. Knowing the competitive spirits of all of the participants, I was settling in for a long hard one in the umpire’s chair.

Sally and Sharon jumped out to an early 3-1 lead, but true to form Jayme and Meg climbed right back in it, and took the lead at 4-3. Sally and Sharon then kicked it into high gear, winning 12 of the next 13 points to claim the first set 6-4. They jumped out to an early lead again in the second set, and although they fought valiantly, taking a number of games to multiple deuces, Jayme and Meg just couldn’t overcome Sally’s aggressive net play and Sharon’s consistency in the back court. The final set was 6-1.

In the Men’s Court Crashers, Tom VanWyk and Manny Lima took advantage of a slow start by Peter Malen and Tony Cupaiuolo to seize the opening set 6-1. Tom and Manny appeared to be on their way to a quick second set as well when they went up a break for 4-2. However, Peter and Tony didn’t get to the finals by giving up. They went on a three-game run to go up 5-4, but Tom and Manny would not be denied. They held serve twice to reach the tiebreak, and didn’t look back, winning the tiebreak 7-1.

The Men’s and Women’s Ball Bashers finals were not the competitive affairs that we expected. In the men’s final, Maxwell Thompson and John Hess put on a dominant display winning 6-2, 6-1 over Bill Wright and Tim Jones. Maxwell’s net patrol and ferocious forehand more than complemented John’s penetrating groundstrokes, and they both covered the court extremely well.

Bill and Tim had been dominant in their previous matches, playing aggressively and taking the match to their opponents. In the final, they appeared less aggressive, but it looked as though Maxwell and John got the aggressive jump on Bill and Tim and it was a bit much to overcome.

In the women’s final, the story was much the same. Lili Canfield and Judy Wilson came out as though their opponents, Lee Tice and Mary Harrington, had done them a disservice. Effective aggression would be an apt characterization of Lili and Judy’s play throughout the match, and it was punctuated by the ace Judy served up on match point. It was hard to determine whether it was the Champions’ play, the breezy weather and/or the big moment that influenced Mary and Lee’s play, but they never seemed to get their games going well enough to throw Lili and Judy off stride.

By the time the Men’s and Women’s All Aces rolled around at 1pm, a crowd of approximately 100 family members, friends, and other interested parties had gathered…and they were not disappointed. In the men’s event, All Aces Singles Club Champion Chip Graddy and Finalist Geoff Negin battled Alan Canfield and Arnie Wohl for bragging rights. In the women’s event, All Aces Club Champion Jemin Martinsen and Kathy Lanzalotta faced Carole Shapiro and Jane Heck for the honors.

The Champions and Finalists all gave the crowd something to cheer about. Case in point: At set point in the first set of the Men’s match, an up-and-back, side-to-side, to-and-fro affair that ended with a spectacular shot from Alan. The spectators erupted in delight. The women provided similar high-level entertainment, with players running down balls that appeared to be winners to keep points alive.

Early in the men’s final, there were murmurs in the crowd as Alan and Arnie brought their AA-games to the court and took the first set 6-2. It appeared as though Alan and Arnie would pull off their second upset in a row. It was not to be. As in their semifinal match, Chip and Geoff stormed back from the first set loss to take the next two 6-3, 6-1.

There was a similar buzz at the beginning of the women’s final as Carole and Jane jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first set. Jemin and Kathy were unfazed by the deficit and ripped off the next five games. Carole and Jane made a momentary stand, breaking Kathy and Jemin as they served for the set at 5-3, but couldn’t hold serve to even the set, losing it 4-6.

Jemin and Kathy held the lead throughout the first half of the second set, but Carole and Jane came back from 1-3 to go ahead 4-3. Jemin and Kathy were resolute despite losing the lead and fought back from 4-5 and 5-6 to force and win the final set tiebreak.

It was a fitting end to a terrific weekend of tennis. The result of the final matches of the weekend means that there are four players with an opportunity to win all three phases of the Tennis Club Championships: Singles, Doubles, and Mixed Doubles. Maxwell and Judy have won both the singles and doubles in the Ball Bashers division, and Chip and Jemin claimed both events in the All Aces division. All four plan to play mixed doubles, so the mixed ought to be a true climax of the Club Championship season.

As for this weekend, there were winners and losers according to the score, but although the matches were competitive, the event was characterized by great sportsmanship and even camaraderie amongst many of the opponents. It truly was as close as a club could come to the true spirit of a club championship.

Although special congratulations must go out to those who prevailed and are now Champions, kudos must also go out to all of the competitors who braved the conditions and gave it their all regardless of their statuses as favorites or underdogs. We truly are lucky to work with as great a group of members as any tennis pro is likely to encounter anywhere.

By the way, before we get to the Mixed Doubles event, let's not forget that the David and Goliath showdown is next Saturday and the Memorial Foundation event is the following Saturday. If you're looking for tennis, you don't have far to go. Until soon, game, set, match...

Club Championships Doubles Day 2

2010-02-06T20:53:00.003-05:00

Day 2 of the Club Championships Doubles began with most matches going according to form, and one unfortunate default. The default of Joy Jones and Mondee Breton, who missed their 10am start time, vaulted the team of Norma Schuyler and Bonnie Graham into the Women’s Ball Bashers semifinals without having struck a ball.

Without the benefit of a match played in the swirling winds, Norma and Bonnie did not have their A-games when they faced No.2 seeds Lee Tice and Mary Harrington in the semis. A-games were absolutely necessary, given the fact that Lee and Mary had soundly defeated a pretty good team in Joan Palermo and Karen Ackert, 6-1, 6-0 in the quarters, after Joan and Karen had defeated Caroline Cunningham and Helen Rogers in the previous round by the score of 6-3, 6-4. Lee and Mary advanced to the final by beating Norma and Bonnie 6-0, 6-1.

The other team in the Women’s Ball Bashers final, Judy Wilson and Lili Canfield had a much more difficult time reaching the final. After a good test in their first match of the day against Ann Tate and Daun Dessak (6-3, 6-4), they eked out a third set tiebreak in the semis against Angela Mitrisin and Anna Pitts.

Angela and Anna did not go quietly after losing the first set 3-6. They rallied to take the second set 6-4, and battled Singles Champion Judy and Lili all the way before dropping the breaker. Considering that Angela and Anna had not played together before this event, and had won a hard-fought 4-6, 7-6, 6-2 three-setter over Randy Thomas-Wohl and Sandi Hill earlier in the day, their effort against tomorrow’s finalists warrant major kudos. As with the other finals to be played, this one should be captivating.

In the Men’s Ball Bashers, Jake Keltner and Eddie Dance squeaked past Richard Edelman and Jim King 6-1, 6-7, 6-3 in the quarters, only to run into No.1 seeds Bill Wright and Tim Jones, who had little trouble dispatching Brian “The Hammer” Hammermeister and Jack “The Doctor” Noble, 6-0, 6-1 in their quarterfinal match. It’s safe to say that The Hammer didn’t do much pounding this time around.

First time partners Maxwell Thompson and John Hess outhustled the veteran team of Bill Cole and Bob Pleischl, 7-5, 6-2 in the quarterfinals to setup a matchup with No.2 seeds Rich Fox and Tim Baldwin in the semis. Rich and Tim faced a strong challenge from Frank Kaplan and Jim Rollero in the quarters, but emerged with the 7-5, 6-3 victory.

Maxwell and John continued their stellar play in the semis, eliminating Rich and Tim in straight sets (7-5, 6-3). They will face Bill Wright and Tim Jones, the No.1 seeds, who continued to outpace the competition. Bill, last year’s Ball Bashers Singles Champion, and Tim beat Jake Keltner and Eddie Dance in straight sets as well, but Jake and Eddie made them sweat a little in the second set. Final score: 6-1, 7-5.

Thompson and Hess have youth on their side, but after observing a few amazing gets by Tim today, I’m not sure how much of a factor that youth will be. If you are a gambler, you can bet that this Ball Bashers Final is going to a third set.

In the Women’s All Aces, Sunni Hammermeister and Judy Schafft tried to pull off their second consecutive come-from-behind win to reach the final, but fell short. After coming back from a first-set deficit in the quarters (6-7, 6-2, 6-1) against Carlotta Clark and Bev Adams, Sunni and Judy fell behind 1-4 to Carole Shapiro and Jane Heck, who eliminated Diane and Wennie Johannes 7-5, 6-1 in their previous match.

From the point of the 1-4 deficit, Sunni and Judy reeled off five consecutive games to win the first set 6-4. However, Carole and Jane found their stride in the second set and never looked back. They advanced to the final winning the final two sets 6-1, 6-1.

In other Women’s All Aces action, Sandy Gebara and Amy Ciarrocchi put the finishing touches on their quarterfinal match against Monica Robb and Pam Lemon (6-2, 6-4), before taking on the No.1 seeds, Jemin Martinsen and Kathy Lanzalotta. Sandy and Amy cruised through the 6-2 first set, but Jemin and Kathy stepped it up in the second, winning it 6-4. The third set stayed close until 3-3, before Kathy and Jemin pulled away to win it 6-3 in the third.

The match was terrific and it offered an illustration of how important it is to keep score in your matches. In the second set, Kathy was serving at 2-3, 30-30, and she and Jemin lost the next two points, which should have resulted in Sandy and Amy winning the game to get back on serve at 3-3.

Apparently no one realized that the game had ended, and Kathy produced a service winner on the next point, and she and Jemin won the game to go up 4-2. Whether accurate keeping of the score in that game would have affected the outcome no one can know. However, most players would rather be at 3-3 as opposed to 2-4. Keep and call your score after every point!

The first upset of the day occurred in the Men’s All Aces. No.2 seeds Pete McElroy and Ed Bonkowski fell to Alan Canfield, Jr. and Arnie Wohl in straight sets (6-3, 6-4). The No.1 seeds in the All Aces, Chip Graddy and Geoff Negin received a scare from Greg and Grey Pilant, but were able to meet the challenge. Greg and Grey got the jump on Chip and Geoff, winning the first set 6-2, but weren’t able to hold off the Singles Champion and Finalist, who took the final two sets, 6-1, 6-3.

The Women’s Court Crashers provided two terrific comebacks, and two serious candidates for “Match of the Day” honors. Jayme Lewis and Meg Jacobs came back after losing the first set at love, to win the final two 6-4, 6-2 over April Burkholder and Ilona Starr.

Jayme and Meg will face Sally Mellendorf and Sharon Bock, who beat Ann Wright and Stephanie Freeman in another three-set war that was over two and a half hours long. Sally and Sharon lost the first set in a tiebreak after a seesaw battle throughout the set, took the second set 6-3, and were neck and neck with Ann and Stephanie through 4-4 in the third before prevailing 6-4.

The Men’s Court Crashers didn’t produce the level of drama experienced in the other divisions, but you will not find a more diverse final as far as games go. On one side of the net you have the gentle giant in Tom VanWyk (not so gentle on the court), who is teamed with Manny Lima, the former professional soccer player who one might call “altitude challenged.” On the other, you have Tony Cupaiuolo, “The Running Professor” with his self-crafted game who partners with the Peter Malen, a former accomplished NCAA swimmer.

Tom and Manny, the No.1 seeds, downed the volatile Jim Masiello and his stoic partner George Olsen 7-5, 6-2 in the semis, while Peter and Tony upset No.2 seeds Bill Crouch and Ron Jones 7-6, 6-3 to make the final.

The finals start at 9am tomorrow (Sunday) and for a full review of the draws and starting times, go to the Tennis page of the Club Website.

Club Championship Doubles off Wet but Good Start

2010-02-05T19:44:00.002-05:00

The Women’s Ball Bashers got the Club Championships Doubles ball rolling with Randy Wohl and Sandi Hill prevailing over the spunky team of Nancy Davis and Marvel Jones. According to Mrs. Jones (with whom I do not have a thing going on), her game wasn’t as “Marvelous” as it was during their league match win yesterday. The only other Women’s Ball Bashers match completed on schedule today was Joy Jones and Mondee Breton’s 6-2, 7-5 win over the always fiesty, former Singles Champion Martha Deleeuw and her partner Linda Gardiner.

One other match in the Women’s Ball Bashers got underway but soon was under water and rescheduled for tomorrow morning (see tennis page of Club website for scheduling details). Newcomers Sadie Forchelli and Sophia Phelps (who is regretting having to give up her tee time tomorrow) had won the first set 6-1 and were up 3-2 before the deluge dropped on them. The winner will face No.1 seeds Judy Wilson and Lili Canfield (Happy Birthday Lili!) next.

The Men Ball Bashers also managed to complete two matches, with one of those matches taking home “Match of the Day” honors. First-time participant Brian "The Hammer" Hammermeister teamed with "The Doctor," Jack Noble, to claim the 1-6, 7-6, 7-5 victory over Chuck Klucka and Len Ciarrocchi, after falling well behind. The Hammer and The Doctor will meet top seeds Bill Wright and Tim Jones next.

Making their debut in the Ball Bashers were Jim Rollero and Frank Kaplan. After cruising to a 6-1 first set, they held on to beat last minute entrants, Bill Otey and Ron Graham, 6-4 in the second. They have their work cut out for them next round as they face the crafty duo of Rich Fox and Tim Baldwin.

An interesting match-up in this division will be Singles Champion Maxwell Thompson and Singles Finalist John Hess, teaming up to face the experienced team of Bill Cole and Bob Pleischl. Both Maxwell and John have improved their games considerably this year, Bill appears to be almost fully recovered from his shoulder injury, and Bob has played more tennis than anyone over the past several months. It ought to be fun!

Still in the Men's Ball Bashers, no match is likely to be any more competitive than the Rich Edelman and Jim King pairing taking on Jake Keltner and Eddie Dance. With Eddie and Rich patrolling the net, Jim bashing groundstrokes and Jake counterpunching, a three-setter would be no surprise here.

The Women’s All Aces had two matches halted by the rain. Carole Shapiro and, yet another newcomer, Jane Heck, led 6-5 in the first set over Diane and Wennie Johannes (our only mother-daughter team) before the stoppage. They are on-serve, however, with Wennie serving to stay in the set. Equally tight was the match between No.2 seeds Sunni Hammermeister and Judy Schafft, who were locked in a fierce skirmish with Carlotta Clark and Bev Adams. The score was 5-5 with Carlotta’s serve on tap.

One other Women’s All Aces match was in progress before suspension of play. The rain may have provided last year’s Ball Bashers Champions who moved up, Monica Robb and Pam Lemon, a much-needed reprieve, as they were trailing Sandi Gebara and Amy Ciarrocchi 2-6, 3-4. However, they were on serve in the second set, so perhaps the stoppage was not welcomed. We shall see tomorrow as Monica and Pam try to push the match into a third set, while Sandi and Amy try to finish strong.

The Court Crashers men and women saw their first action today as well. In a match that was perhaps even closer than it sounds, Jim Masiello and George Olsen edged Charlie Beagan and Rick Jacobs, 6-3, 7-5. Charlie and Rick can feel very good about this loss, because we are certain that Kathy Masiello will have a much nicer evening due to the result. Of course, we suspect Meg might suggest that Rick visit the couch tonight, because she doesn’t want any losing vibes to rub off on her before she plays her first match tomorrow.

In other Men’s Court Crashers action, Peter Malen and Tony Cupaiuolo encountered a stiff first-set challenge from “The Dons,” Don Mattcheck and Don Pitts, before solving the riddle in the second set and finishing off a 6-4, 6-0 victory. Always the gracious in victory and defeat, Tony remarked, “If we could put together Don Mattcheck’s strokes and my legs…” Malen and Cupaiuolo take on No.2 seeds Bill crouch and Ron Jones tomorrow afternoon.

The Women Court Crashers played one match today with Stephanie Freeman and Ann Wright squeaking by Linda Riedl and Jean sanders 6-4, 6-4. Stephanie and Ann were down 0-40 at 4-4 in the second set, with Linda and Jean threatening to push it into a third, before coming back to hold serve, and breaking to wrap up the win. Their match against No.1 seeds Sally “No Mercy” Mellendorf and Sharon Bock ought to be a candidate for "Match of the Day" tomorrow.

Taking to the courts for the first time on the same side of the net will be All Aces Club Champion Chip Graddy and All Aces Finalist and former All Aces Club Champion Geoff Negin. They will trade heavy blows across the net with Greg and Grey Pilant, our only father-son team. There’s a rumor going around that the mother-daughter team of Johannes-Johannes issued a challenge to the Pilant-Pilant duo, but have yet to receive a response.

In any event, the winner of the Graddy/Negin-Pilant/Pilant battle will take on the winner of the match featuring the team of Alan Canfield, Jr. and Arnie Wohl against Pete McElroy and Ed Bonkowski. They say that styles make fights in boxing, and this contest will certainly involve contrasting styles. The attacking game of Pete and Ed versus the counterpunching techniques of Alan and Arnie will be on display tomorrow at noon if the weather holds.

We anticipate some excellent matches tomorrow through the finals on Sunday, so if you are a lover of the game, we look forward to seeing you at Gulf Harbour’s tennis center this weekend. Until next, game, set, match…

Up Next in Tennis

2010-01-26T15:20:00.006-05:00

If you missed the excitement of the Club Championships Singles event or the camaraderie of the Tennis Family Night Dinner, do not fear, some more scintillating tennis entertainment is almost here.

Doubles Championships
Next up on the Club’s tennis scene is the Club Championships Men’s and Women’s Doubles events. To date, we have 20 women's and 14 men’s teams registered for the events, significantly more participants than we saw in the singles.

With several newcomers in the mix this year, it will be a challenge for Defending Champions to hold onto their titles. The February 2nd deadline is approaching fast (8 days), so if you haven’t yet registered, get yourself a partner and get some practice together before the event. You can enter online by clicking here.

Memorial Foundation Event
Shortly after we crown the Club’s Men’s and Women’s Doubles Champions, one of the more important tennis events of the year will come to Gulf Harbour’s courts. On Saturday, February 20, the Gulf Harbour Memorial Foundation’s fundraising effort will be sparked by a tennis funfest, including competitions, auctions, raffles, and more.

Themed “Up, Up and Away,” this year’s fundraising activities could push the Foundation’s historic fundraising efforts over the $1 million mark. Our tennis members have contributed significantly in the past and we are hoping to top last year’s mark.

Thanks to the generosity of several members, with Bill and Ann Wright, Bernie and Penny Klotz, Rick and Meg Jacobs, and Jim & Kathy Masiello among the most generous, we raised several thousand for our neighbors in Harlem Heights. This year’s proceeds will go to Lee Memorial Cardiac Care, United Veterans of Lee County, and CCMI, Inc. which supplies meals to some of the less fortunate populations in Lee County.

Members Corner
There are so many of our tennis members fighting heroic battles, particularly with health issues of their own or their loved ones that I think we could dedicate an entire blog to those in need of our support and positive energy. However, given time and space constraints, I'd just like to mention that our Tennis Committee Chairperson, Bob Ostrom, and Team Captains Connie Hess, and Sally Mellendorf are particularly in need of our support.

On a brighter note, Pam Lemon and Robin Correnti
demonstrated their athletic prowess and versatility by capturing the Member-Member Golf event this past weekend. Congratulations are certainly in order for that accomplishment.

Team Report
Gulf Harbour's teams continue to do more than hold their own in the Lee County women's and men's leagues. Leading the way for our women is our 3.0-Minus team, which has stretched its division lead to 30 points, despite injuries to Captain Jenny King. Also dominating their division are the ladies of our 50-Plus Bronze team, who are tightening their grip on first place. They lead the next best team by 27 points.

Our 3.0 Double Trouble team is now in second place by three points after holding the division lead for much of the first half of the season. They should be in the hunt for first all the way to the end despite the injury to Co-Captain Linda VanWyk.

Other top-five women's teams include the Defending Champion 50-Plus Gold team, which is 14 points behind the division leader, and solidly in third. With about half the season yet to be played, a repeat is still within reach. The 3.5-Minus Sure Shots are clinging to fifth, although they have slipped from the second-place slot they held at last report.

Our final top-five women's team is the 50-plus Silver Belles, which climbed three spots to fourth position since the last update. Although not in the top-five, the 50-Plus Silver Strings desrve mention for having climbed six spots to break into the top ten for the first time this season. They now hold the eighth spot.

Our 50-Plus men's teams continue to represent the Club with distinction as well. Our White-A team is holding tight to the four-point lead it has held for the past five weeks of play, and are playing as though they have no intentions of losing ground. On the strength of a sweep in their last match, the 69-ers of the 70-Plus League have eased into second place, and trail the first place team by only one point.

The Red-A team is tied for second, but slipped further behind the No.1 team, which now leads by five points. After clinging to first place for much of the season, Blue-B has dropped into a second-place tie after losing three of four individual matches to the new division leader last time out. The deficit is only one point so there is no need for alarm.

White-C currently sits in third, but has some major catching up to do if it is to catch the leader; and Blue-B is clinging to the top-five, sitting tied for fifth with Legends. Remember, you can find our teams' home schedule by going to the Tennis Teams & Leagues page of the Club website.

Your Pros
Your pros will be back in Pro League action ths Friday at Bonita Bay. Joel's second-place team will take on Mike's third-place team, and T. A.'s league-trailing squad will face the league leaders. T. A.'s team closed the gap a wee bit last match by beating Mike's team six points to four, and will be seeking to gain some more ground this week.

Tennis on TV
If watching Pro League isn't enough for you, the Australian Open has offered up some awesome play thus far. They are into the quarterfinals with the best players in the world battling for the decade's first Grand Slam. Click here for the Australian Open television schedule.

Until the next time, remember that in doubles, every ball is your ball unless your partner gets there first or is position to hit a better shot! game, set, match...

Tennis Club Championships Update

2010-01-10T21:27:00.007-05:00

Despite temperatures requiring apparel uncommon in southwest Florida, two of the five Club Championship tennis events being contested were completed today. Jemin Martinsen repeated as Women’s All Aces Champion with a win 6-1, 7-5 win over Randy Thomas-Wohl, and Frank Kaplan continued his red hot play by winning the Men’s Court Crashers division in a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Tony Cupaiuolo.

Jemin overcame the wind and cold, a tender groin, and a second set push by Randy, who battled to a 5-4 lead before succumbing to Jemin’s tenacity, the elements and a strained glute. Fresh off his undefeated campaign that led to his claiming the Men’s Singles Ladder Group-B title, Frank remained patient and held it together despite Tony’s three-game run after Frank had taken a 5-0 lead. Chances are that Frank will be challenging for the Ball Basher Championship next season.

For those not familiar with the levels of play in our Club Championships, the highest level of play in the Club Championships is the All Aces division, and includes players who are rated 4.0 minus and above in local leagues and identified as such by the tennis staff. At the second level of play are the Ball Bashers, who are rated 3.0 through 3.5; and the third level are the Court Crashers, who are rated 2.0 through 3.0.

In other Club Championship action, Women’s Ball Bashers Defending Champion, Martha Deleeuw, closed out Ann Wright 6-2, 6-2 in a quarterfinal match that began on Friday. She then went on to topple talented newcomer Angela Mitrisin in a frigid three-set semifinal struggle, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Martha will face another skilled first-year member, Judy Wilson in the final on Tuesday evening at 4pm. Judy eclipsed Joy Jones in her semifinal match, 6-1, 6-1 and should provide Martha with all the competition she could handle.

In today’s Men’s Ball Bashers semifinal, John Hess, who had been undefeated in the Men’s Singles Ladder before a tough loss to Frank Kaplan, took out Defending Champion Bill Wright in three sets to setup an interesting match-up with Maxwell Thompson. After cruising to a 6-0 first set, John came back from a 3-5-deficit to force a tiebreak in the second. Bill’s mental toughness got him through the tiebreak, but he couldn’t get past his lingering injuries and John’s terrific shot-making.

After posting a perfect score against the always-tough Tim Baldwin, Maxwell, along with Frank, has to be a contender for the title of “Most Improved Player” this season. Given John’s superb play since he’s returned from Wisconsin and Maxwell’s enhanced game, we can expect a match worth watching this coming Tuesday at 4pm.

The Men’s All Aces Champion, Geoff Negin, also faced a stiff challenge to his title defense. Geoff and Chuck Klucka took to the courts at 11am before the temperature had climbed to 40 degrees and while the wind chill was still in the low 30s, but it didn’t take very long for the tennis to heat up. After going down 2-6 to the champ, Chuck fought back to post a 6-3 second-set win. However; Geoff’s solid game and championship experience stood him in good stead, and he will have the opportunity to win back-to-back Club Championships when he faces Chip Graddy on Thursday evening at 6pm.

Chip faced Tim Jones in his All Aces semifinal match, and prevailed 6-1, 6-2. Tim must be given a tremendous amount of credit for coming out on a cold, windy morning to face a player with a tremendous height (at least 7 inches), and youth (at least 2.5 decades) advantage. Tim’s inscrutable expression belied the heavy odds against him, and he threw everything he had at Chip. However, Chip’s powerful, attacking game was a bit much for Tim, and it will be interesting to see how it matches up on Thursday against Geoff’s consistent, strategic style.

All in all, despite the diminished number of participants and spectators, and the uncooperative weather, the singles event has been entertaining and it promises to be even more so with the final matches yet to come. We expect better weather and better participation for the Doubles event of the Club Championships beginning February 5^th, so get your partner on the courts to practice, and if you aren’t playing, come on out to watch some fun competition.

Gulf Harbour Tennis in 2010

2010-01-07T22:41:00.002-05:00

As 2010 gets underway, a number of our members who have faced major challenges in 2009 continue to battle difficult circumstances. Your pros are happy to be able to provide a program where, in instances where physical limitation isn't an issue, playing our favorite game offers a temporary distraction. In cases where physical limitation is present, we hope that watching teammates and friends play can be a diversion from some of the more stressful elements of life. With that in mind, let's take a look at the happenings around your tennis courts.

Tennis Events

The 2009- 2010 Tennis Club Championships Men’s and Women’s Singles events are underway, with Maxwell Thompson winning the first match played in the Men’s Ball Basher division yesterday by a score of 6-1, 6-3 over Brian Hammermeister. However, the true ball bashing was done today in the Women’s Ball Bashers division.

Joy Jones squeaked by Sharon Bock in a 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 thriller, and shortly thereafter newcomer Angela Mitrisin closed out a hard fought battle, edging Anna Pitts by a score of 1-6, 6-4, 6-3. The semis (Saturday) and finals (Sunday) are scheduled for this weekend, but the weather is threatening to bagel the entire event. Players may want to get their semifinal matches in tomorrow if possible.

The Men’s and Women’s Doubles component of the Club Championships event will be held on February 5 – 7. Members can register online or on the bulletin board at the Tennis Center. Soon thereafter, on Saturday February 20, the tennis component of the Gulf Harbour Memorial Foundation will be held. Check online and with the tennis pro shop for details.

Before we get to those events, next up on the tennis agenda is the Tennis Family Night Dinner, one of the best opportunities for new and established members to mingle, and to catch up after being away for the holidays. On Wednesday, January 13^th at Johnny Browns, tennis members, spouses, staff, and guests will be gathering at 6pm for cocktails with dinner to follow at 7pm. I certainly enjoyed the most recent tennis Family Night and look forward to the next.

Gulf Harbour Tennis Teams

Gulf Harbour's teams have been very successful to begin the season, but before we delve into the success of our teams, we would like to announce to all LCWTL players and would be players, that a new Captains Council for our LCWTL teams has been formed, and the Council has published some Guidelines that will assist with the formation of LCWTL teams in the future. You can review the Guidelines by clicking here and logging into the Club website.

Now for our stellar team results: Gulf Harbour’s tennis teams continue to excel moving into the 2010. Among the top performers is our 3.0-Minus team, which carried a commanding 17-point lead into the new year. Jenny King and Darlene Mattcheck’s ladies have swept their opponents in three of the seven matches they have played, and have lost only one individual match in the other four matches.

Also serving notice that they intend to reclaim the title they held two seasons ago is Effie Parker and Marianne McElroy’s Bronze team, which has swept its last three matches en route to a 19-point division lead. After a relatively slow start due to some key absences, the Bronze Ladies have reached full strength and will be hard to catch the rest of the way.

Sally Mellendorf and Linda VanWyk’s 3.0 Double Trouble team, which was in the hunt right down to the wire last year for the division title, holds a nine-point lead in its division at the half-way point of the season. To claim the division title Double Trouble will have to overcome some injuries to key players such as Pat Nolan and Linda VanWyk. Yet, having managed to sweep a number of their early matches without Captain “No Mercy” Mellendorf in action, Double Trouble should continue to be a quadruple threat.

Judy Jones and Judy Manzella’s 3.5-Minus Sure Shots have clawed their way into second-place, just one point behind the division leaders. After a bit of heartbreak last season, we can expect the Sure Shots to be in the hunt all the way through the season finale. Due to the team being less than full-strength, Marcia DeVries and Mary Harrington’s 4.0 ladies have slipped from first to second behind a strong Paseo team, and there are five teams within six points of second-place. The team will need to be at full strength if it is to finish among the top teams in one of the LCWTL’s elite divisions.

Also holding on to the No.2 spot in their division are Norma Schuyler and Carlotta Clark’s Golden Girls. A number of factors leading to the unavailability of key players have hurt our Gold team’s effort to repeat as Division Champions. However, despite the 41-point deficit they face (having played one match fewer than the leaders); this team has plenty of talent and grit, so a repeat isn’t out of the question by a long shot.

A determined 4.0-Minus team has worked its way back into the top-five, but is some distance behind the top team, Bonita Bay, which has dropped only three of their 36 individual matches played. However, if our 4.0- ladies can keep everyone healthy and ready to play, they should finish among the top-five teams in this very deep division. Closing out the report of our ladies teams that are lodged among the top-five of their divisions is Teressa Crocker and Wennie Johannes’ 60-Plus team, which sits in fifth-place despite being short-handed through the first five matches of the season.

Gulf Harbour’s men’s teams have also been representing the Club with distinction. Leading the way is Tim Baldwin and Rich Fox’s White-A team, which has opened up a four-point division lead after having been tied for first-place for several weeks.

Tony Cupaiuolo and Bill Crouch’s Blue-B team continues to hang on to the No.1 position by a single point in a very competitive division. Only four points separate the top five teams, but consistent performances by our boys of blue (they’ve won at least three of four individual matches in four of five team matches played) are keeping them one step ahead.

George Kane’s Red-A team is second by two points after four matches, and John Hess’ White-C has usurped the second position after winning three of four individual matches in its most recent team match. Jim Masiello and Dave Russ’ Blue-C squad has dropped from third to fifth position as a result of being swept in its last two matches. They will have to pick up the pace if they are to remain in the top-five, because two teams are breathing down their necks, only one point behind.

Demonstrating that Gulf Harbour is competitive at all levels and ages, Terry Brady’s 69-ers of the 70-Plus league begin 2010, and only their second season of play in third position, just three points out of first. If the team stays healthy, they should be able to improve upon their third-place finish in 2009.

Men’s Singles Ladders

The Inaugural season of the Men’s Singles Ladders will be history on Monday, and a historic match was played today for the No.1 spot in the Group-B Ladder. John Hess, who came into the final battle for supremacy with a 5-0 record, faced off against Frank Kaplan, who carried a 4-0 record himself. When the final shot had been struck, Frank, a decided underdog, had claimed honors in Group-B’s inaugural season of the men’s ladder.

It appears as though Geoff Negin, our defending Club Champion, will claim the same historical position in Group-A as he came back from knee surgery to finish with a 3-0 record. Group A played approximately half the matches played by those in Group-B, and this first season just may be the only season for Group-A.

Your Pros

Your pros will be back in USPTA Pro League action at Heritage Palms on Friday, January 15, at 4pm. Joel’s team, Key Private Bank, leads the League by a slim 1 ½-point margin; Mike’s team, Boston Retirement Advisors, are in third-place, trailing the leaders by 8 points; and T. A.’s team, Johnny Malloy’s (AKA Team Geritol) is bringing up the rear, trailing the leaders by 11 ½ points. Yet, with a little more than half the season yet to be played, the outcome is far from decided.

Key Private Bank may be without Joel’s undefeated racquet next Friday, because Joel is scheduled to play in the USTA’s Men’s 4.5 Team Sectionals in Daytona Beach next weekend. Joel’s travel schedule hasn’t been made, however, so he may be available to terrorize the opposition (Mike’s team).

Facilities

Quarterly maintenance of the tennis courts has been completed by Ritzman Tennis and the courts are playing beautifully. Ritzman also found the problem that has short-circuited our water coolers and ball machine use on courts 1 – 4. We should have that problem fixed in the near future.

Game, Set, Match
Well that's about all for this edition of your Gulf Harbour Tennis Blog. We hope that the new year is off to a great start for you and yours, and please keep an eye out for February's Soundings, where Jim Rollero will recap Admiral Bill Casey's luncheon.