Important Reminders

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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….