Things are Happening in Gulf Harbour Tennis!

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...