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….