Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Mike Curran's Proteges, Josh & Mike Wardell, Advance at Florida Open

Although less celebrated than older brother Mike Wardell, Josh Wardell is using this year’s Florida Open to stake his own claim to fame in Southwest Florida tennis. Josh was unseeded coming into the event, but has upset the No.8 seed and the 17th seed on his way to the round of 16s where he will face yet another seed.

Josh has yet to drop a set in the tournament, but if he gets past his next match (Tuesday 10am at Heritage Palms), he will likely face a match-up with the No.1 seed.

Brother Mike, seeded 16, has had to battle his way through the early rounds, including a tough three-setter in the third round against Alexander Buzzi of Key Biscayne. Mike won a hard-fought battle 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 in a match that was played over two days due to rain. Mike will play later today (Tuesday 12pm) at Lexington Country Club against Justin Crenshaw of Boynton Beach, who upset No.4 seed in his previous match.

Monday, June 8, 2009

The Latest in Gulf Harbour Tennis

Junior Team Tennis Takes Center Stage
As many of our adult members sail away from “The Harbour” to homes in climes less sunny, our junior players fill the void created by their absence. Just this past Saturday, Gulf Harbour’s first USTA Junior Team Tennis team (click link for pictures) traveled to Paseo in Fort Myers to compete against two of the other three teams in its division.

Although Gulf Harbour’s team is comprised of 10-thru-12-year olds, our kids are playing in a 14-and-under division. Against Gateway and Punta Gorda this weekend, you would have been proud of our youngsters as they battled players with more experience, and in some cases, a few years their senior.

In the first match against gateway, 11-year-old Isabel Leigh faced 14-year-old Tihara Ezzo and emerged with a 6-4 victory. In the second match versus Punta Gorda, 10-year-old Danny Glasser played singles against 14-year-old Andrea Lansdale and battled to a 4-4 tie, while 10-year-old Simon Negin and 11-year-old TJ Meyers defeated Andrea and her partner 6-2 in a doubles contest.

Gulf Harbour’s players were not intimidated by the older, more experienced players, and it showed in their performances. At the end of the day, Gulf Harbour had a 2-0 match record, but is in second place behind Club Tennis, also 2-0. Club Tennis won seven individual matches and lost four, to Gulf Harbour’s five wins and four losses.

Despite the above information, the score and who is leading is far from the priority of the Junior Team Tennis program. Our objective is to provide our kids another avenue to explore and enhance their skills in a competitive environment. It is far more about learning the game, learning how to conduct oneself in competitive team situations, than about winning. Of course, winning is usually more fun.

In addition to seeing the kids enjoy themselves on the tennis court, seeing the support they received from their families, as parents, grandparents, and even uncles came out to cheer them on. We hope the support continues next Saturday when Gulf Harbour plays Club Tennis at 2pm, and Gateway at 5pm, both at Paseo.

10-Year-Old Logan Glock
Look in the next Soundings for a piece on another of our talented juniors, Logan Glock (see photos here), who recently won the Boys 10s Division at the Head Penn Super Series at Palencia, in St. Augustine. This is Logan's fourth Super Series win, and if he continues to progress under the tutelage of our own Mike Curran (and others), it certainly won't be his last.

Memorial Day
Before the juniors took over, however, the adults had a fun time at the Memorial Day Tennis Event (click here for pix). A full 32-member complement attended the event and were treated to the best goodie bags we have seen in some time. Jayme and Todd lewis provided each participant and pro a bag chock full of products to keep the active player well. From sunblock to replenishing drink powders in a variety of flavors, the package had it all. Thanks Jayme, Todd!

Florida Open
Just a heads up to our avid court mongers: The Florida Open, one of the most prestgious national events held in the State of Florida, is coming to Gulf Habour on June 27. Only two courts will be open for member reservations from Saturday the 27th through Wednesday July 1st.

Look at it as an terrific opportunity to watch some of the best tennis you're going to see outside of the pro tour on TV, and a great time to rest those sore elbows, knees, hips, etc. That's how I'm going to look at it despite the lost lesson revenue. It's all a matter of perspective. In't it?

Facility Enhancement
Also in the very near future, we will be conducting repairs to the fencing around all the courts, and to the drainage around court two. The work is scheduled to begin next Monday the 15th and to be completed by July 1. We appreciate your patience while this work is done, as we will have to block off some of the courts during the enhancement process.

Firecracker Tennis Mixer

On July 4th, things will be popping at the courts again. Last year we had a phenomenal turnout with 64 members participating. There will be two sessions to accommodate the demand, and you can register online beginning June 13th. Hop on over to the Club website this Saturday to sign up for the event. Remember first come, first served so don't wait or you might be too late.


Boot Camp 2009
We know it is quite a ways off, but before you know it the first week in October will be here, and people are already getting their dibs in for a spot in Gulf Harbour's Tennis Boot Camp 2009. Boot Camp will run from Monday, October 5, through Thursday, October 8, from 11am - 1pm. You can register for the full week for $140 or day-by-day for $40 per day.

You can easily register right now for Boot Camp by going to the
club website, logging in, clicking on the Club Calendar, going to the date(s) that you would like to participate, clicking on the event, and completing the registration process. If you are playing on a team this fall, you don't want to miss it.

LCWTL Teams
Since we are looking into the future, we might as well report on the state of our teams. We currently have 11 Lee County Women's Tennis League teams and should have at least one more (3.0-) when the season opens. There is a 4.0, 4.0-, 3.5, 3.5-, and two 3.0 teams in the rated divisions, and a gold, two silvers, a bronze, and a 60+ team in the senior divisions. We will be seeking to improve on the two first place finishes we achieved this past season.

Well, that's about it for now from the tennis front. There will be more to share before too long because there is a lot going on behind the scenes. Stay tuned to the Club Website and your Gulf Harbour Tennis Blog for more tennis happenings. Until next, game, set, match...