Gulf Harbour USTA Junior Team Tennis Concludes 1st Season

If the success of Wimbledon Champions Roger Federer and Serena Williams as athletes had been measured by their first attempts to walk, we can be assured that they would have been considered miserable failures. However, after the many steps they have taken we can accurately perceive them as the greats that they are.

Much the same, we cannot determine the success of Gulf Harbour's first USTA Florida Junior Team Tennis season by its initial finish in the league. If we measure the success by the expressions of the players and parents, I believe we had an unqualified success. Wins and losses may become a measure of success after many more steps have been taken to build our team.

Despite finishing fourth of the four teams in the League, all of the participants and their parents expressed interest in participating again this coming fall. We look forward to a stronger performance, and perhaps a trip to the State Championships, when we have most of our team members present.

Reflecting upon first JTT season for Gulf Harbour, although the tennis was certainly an important element of the JTT experience, perhaps even more important was the family time shared. For example, although Joey Ghuman

didn’t play on our team this year, while sister Allison was playing, Joey was having his first fishing experience courtesy of Denny Rager, Director of Tennis at Lely in Naples, and a boyhood friend and doubles partner of Mike Curran.

Information about the upcoming JTT season will be disseminated as soon as it becomes available. Thanks to all of those terrific kids who came together for the first time to form a team and to the parents who offered them such terrific support!

Team Members

Eve Bailey

Jared Fleishman

Danny Glasser

Jacob Glasser

Isabel Leigh

TJ Meyers

Simon Negin

Cameron Sadighi

Hot, Hot, Hot Firecracker Tennis on Fourth of July

It might be the slightest of exaggerations to say that it was hotter than a firecracker during the July 4th Firecracker Tennis event. It isn’t a common sight to see our hearty, diehard tennis members seeking shady shelter before a round is completed during a round robin event, but that was certainly the case this past Saturday.

The humidity hung heavily over the courts and all who dared to exert the effort to make racquet and ball inhabit the same space at the same time…uh, that means hit the ball. [Obviously, I’m still foggy from last Saturday]. Yet, exert effort we did on the 4th, and we had a good time doing so.

Our 8am session pit 14 Bombers against 13 Torpedoes and a Pro. Of course having a pro on their team did not affect the outcome whatsoever, but somehow the Torpedoes came out on top despite trailing going into the third and final round. Trailing 4-3 after the first round, the Torpedoes tied the contest at 7-7 going into the third, before emerging with the 11-10 victory.

I only feel a tiny bit guilty that I unleashed my ferocious lefty game against Club Champions (Court Crasher Division) Liz Byck and Jan Carlson, and had Judy Jones as a partner carrying me to victory. I’ll give my share of the prize money to the vanquished Bombers.

In the 10am session, the playing field, or “playing court” as it were (don’t you just hate that “as it were” phrase?) was leveled considerably, since there were no pros involved, lefty or otherwise, to intimidate our members. A full complement of players with 16 Bombers and 16 Torpedoes took to the courts to determine air or sea supremacy.

The Bombers may have had a chance, but May-Jo Hynden came off the injured reserve list specifically for this challenge, and her presence was just too much for the Bombers. Or, perhaps it was the indomitable spirit of Meg Jacobs, whose bounce may be as dangerous as a Bouncy Betty.

In any event, the Bombers, once again, got off to a great start, leading 5-3 after Round 1. The Torpedoes started their comeback in Round 2, but still trailed 9-7 going into the final round. By the time the final whistle had been blown, the Bombers’ two-point lead had evaporated amidst the steam rising from the tops of the competitors’ visors and caps.

The final tally was Torpedoes 14, Bombers 11, after the Torpedoes tattooed the Bombers 7-1 in the final round. Ok, to be fair, the competition was really much closer than the final score indicates. According to “Event Commissioner,” George “Big Daddy” Kane, almost every match came down to tiebreak situation.

After a comprehensive and very scientific survey of participants (it really was more like eavesdropping), it appears that the serve variation the “Commissioner” threw in to liven things up in the first round, met with mixed reviews. However, based upon the self-same survey, we can conclude that at least 57 of the 59 participants (97%) had a terrific time…and that was before the eating and drinking even began.

For next year’s event, we will be looking for a volunteer to sing the National Anthem before play begins. Yes, we are moving into the big time at Gulf Harbour. Start practicing your rendition now so that you will be ready by July 3, 2010!

Wardell Warrants Kudos for Florida Open Performance

With a few exceptions (Lauren Embree and Reid Carleton come to mind) Southwest Florida, and certainly Fort Myers, has not been a hotbed for junior players with top national rankings. Josh Wardell did his best to reverse that trend during the 20th Forida Open Championships, a Level 3 national event featuring players from around the country.

Josh played in the boys 16s, and eliminated three seeded players in his first four matches without a hint of dropping a set before meeting the No.1 seed, Anton Kovrigin from Rockville, Maryland. Midway and late into the first set it appeared as though Josh was going to pull off yet another upset.

After being down an early break, Josh rallied with a break of his own in the eighth game to get back on serve at 4-4. He then held his next two service games and had the top seed serving to stay in the first set. Unfortunately for Josh, Kovrigin served well at 5-6 and Josh appeared to succumb to the moment in the tiebreak.

Josh fell behind early again in the second set before getting back on serve at 3-4, but failed to hold serve in the eighth game. Kovrigin had little trouble serving out the match for a 7-6, 6-3 victory.

"The match was a terrific learning experience for Josh," former coach Mike Curran remarked. "He knows that his game is on a level that can compete successfully on the national level in the 16s, and he just turned 14. That really bodes well for his future in the game," Curran continued.

I absolutely agree. With a little more experience at handling the big moment, I believe Josh wins that match. With the focus usually on big brother Michael, TV cameras present, large group of supporters vocalizing, and a good chance to go up a set on the No.1 seed in a national event, I think the young man handled himself quite well for a 14-year-old.

Next time I believe the top seed falls...but then again, Josh may be the top seed next time around. Game, set, match, I'm out!