Gulf Harbour Tennis Heats Up

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…..