The “Labor of Love” event held this past Labor Day proved to be as entertaining as anticipated. A full complement of 32 players took to the courts (or workstations as they were labeled for the event) for four rounds of loving tennis labor. Master event planner George “Big Daddy Kane” put his personal touch on the proceedings, and once we got past the preamble, even Rich Fox and Arnie Wohl had a good time.
After four rounds of play, labor related trivia, and raffles, a number of participants refreshed themselves at the pool party hosted by the Club’s Food & Beverage department. Given the two hours spent in soupy air of late summer in Southwest Florida, it was no surprise that the players got “worked up” at poolside with some “labor-less” liquid refreshment and “overtime” munching.
Big prize winners include Marilyn Meyers who won a $50 raffle gift certificate and Lili Canfield took home the $100 gift certificate grand prize. According to the feedback we have received from those who were kind enough to share their opinions with us, although it was a good event, and enjoyed by most, it wasn’t the “knock your socks off” fun time that we had hoped for. That just increases our incentive to make the next event extra special, so don’t miss the next Gulf Harbour tennis happening.
Other important items on the horizon include preseason court maintenance, where all courts will be resurfaced, with three of them (3, 4, & 6) also being relined, and the Tennis Team Boot Camp. Court maintenance will begin on Thursday, September 23rd and should be completed by the 30th. As always, we appreciate your patience and understanding as we try to create the best possible playing environment for you.
With over a month to go before Boot Camp, almost half of the available slots are filled. If you are playing on a team this year, or even if you aren’t and just want to get your game in shape for season, the Boot camp is an event you don’t want to miss. For the first time in the Mike Curran era, a woman professional, Kerry Kendrick, (sister of touring pro Robbie Kendrick) will be on board. Four of the five visiting professionals are directors of tennis at their respective facilities, and bring a wealth of experience and enthusiasm to the Boot Camp courts. This is one event you probably don’t want to miss.
Playing Opportunities
A few individuals have asked me about doing another singles ladder, and it would be my pleasure if there were enough interest. The number of matches played last season suggests to me that we don’t have enough interest to run a ladder, but there may be enough interest to create and post online a singles list of men and women. The list would include the players’ names, phone numbers, email addresses, approximate or determined ratings, and availability for play. If you are interested on being on such a list, please email me with the above info at taniles@gulfharbour.com.
If singles isn’t your thing and you are not on one of our ladies or men’s teams, it is not too late to get involved. There are openings on a number of Lee County Women’s Tennis League (LCWTL) teams, and there are roster spots open on the teams playing in the Lee County Men’s Fifty-Plus and Seventy-Plus teams as well. If you aren’t interested playing on a team, but want to make yourself available for doubles play, send me your information as suggested above, and I will include you on the list of players available for doubles play.
If mixed doubles is your preference, there is a new
Lee County Couples Mixed League that fields teams at the 3.0, 3.5, and 4.0 levels. According to the League Coordinator, the league is one that focuses on fun competition, and includes parties and awards.
Click here to review the League website and to register. There are also opportunities right here at Gulf Harbour if you are looking for some fun hitting with less organization and competition, so don’t hesitate to email me with the kind of playing that you are interested in experiencing.
Team Tennis
Speaking of team play, Gulf Harbour’s teams are getting ready for the new 2010 – 2011 season. We will field 15 LCWTL teams (a two-team increase over last year’s total), two 70-Plus Lee county men’s teams, and five 50-Plus Lee County men’s teams (a one-team increase over last year). USTA teams have not yet been formed, but we are likely to have at least one mixed doubles USTA team. Team Schedules, complete with team rosters, will be posted on the courtside bulletin board and online on the Club’s Tennis Teams & Leagues page.
Members Corner
I can’t possibly touch on everything that’s going on with our tennis family, because I just don’t know everything. But here are a couple of tidbits that have come my way.
Norma Schuyler, our Gold Team Captain and an integral part of the Captains Council’s success this past year has informed us that her struggle with breast cancer is going well. Results of a recent test (Oncotype DX) indicated that her cancer has a very low “Recurrence Score,” and it appears as though she will be able to bypass the dreaded chemo. Keep an eye out for Norma and wish her good luck with her reconstruction process.
On a similar front, April Burkholder, a vital member of our 3.5 Minus Sure Shots team, had a cancer recurrence recently and had to have a tumor removed. Although she has been pronounced “cancer free” April anticipates up to four months of chemo in her immediate future. April is a trooper, however, and she still plans to contribute to the team despite her challenges. Don’t hesitate to send her your thoughts and words of encouragement.
Unfortunately, not all of us have good news to report in our struggles with Mother Nature and Father Time. I am sad to report that
Rick Zeoli, who played on our Champion Men’s White-A team last season, has passed away as a result of a heart attack. Most of us didn’t know much about Rick, but he attended Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA, and at the age of 19, he became co-founder of The Shield System car washes where he worked until the time of his passing.
As written by his wife Joan, “Rick was a long time summer resident of Yarmouth and was a member of the Hyannis Yacht Club, the Bass River Yacht Club, and the South Yarmouth Tennis Club. Rick was a lifelong soccer player and played in the New England Over-the-Hill Soccer League for the Lexington Bald Eagles. Rick was an enthusiast of all things mechanical including cars and boats. Rick was admired and loved by his family and all who knew him. He will be missed.”
Yes we will miss Rick, but to end positively, we are fortunate to be welcoming Rich Meyers and Arnie Harris back to the courts after very long injury layoffs. Both are valued members of Gulf Harbour’s men’s teams, and Rich has been a perennial contender in the Club Championships. Rich has been working out with Mike Curran weekly, and has even joined the Fox morning group a few times. Arnie is returning to the courts this week after having a hip replaced just a few short weeks ago. Keep up the good work guys, and it’s great to have you back!
I would also like to welcome the newest member of the staff. Fernando Jimenez, has stepped into the shoes of Jerry Jimenez who had done such a great job of maintaining our courts over the past two years. Given his initial efforts, I feel confident in saying that there will be no drop off in the quality of service the members will receive from Fernando. Stay tuned for Fernando’s bio appearing in the near future. Until next, game, set, match….
I'm sad to say that it looks as though our planed two sessions of scary tennis will be whittled down to one. As of this writing, we only have seven (7) brave souls willing to display their wares that early on a Saturday morning, and that’s frightfully inadequate to hold the 8:00 a.m. round robin. If we can’t get that number up to 16, I’m afraid we will have to go with just one costumed session from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. That session is now filled, but you might want to get on the wait list in case we have the usual few who fall by the wayside just prior to the event.
