USTA FLORIDA IN OUR TENNIS COMMUNITY

LCCTA Takes You to the US Open?

Many of us participate in USTA Leagues, and many of our local teams do quite well (see below). However, at least as important as how well our teams are doing in USTA Florida League competition, are a couple of other opportunities USTA Florida is sending our way. 

First and foremost, courtesy of the Lee County Community Tennis Association (LCCTA), is the HUGE chance to be sitting in the President’s Suite at the US Open on Aug. 29^th! Well that’s not all. Here’s the entire package:

• 2 Tickets to the USTA President’s Suite
• 2 President’s Courtside Box Seat Tickets for Day Session
• Lunch for 2 in the President’s Dining Room
• Behind the scenes tour of Arthur Ashe Stadium
• US Open Bus transportation from Grand Hyatt NY to the US Open site

Only a few of the 100 raffle tickets are available, and the drawing is August 1 at noon, so call the LCCTA at 239-565-5300 for your chance to be wined and dined at the US Open. Tickets are just $20 each, and the experience is valued at $500.

Proceeds will be used to support tennis scholarships for Lee County youth. According to Lyn Bruner, Executive Director of the LCCTA, “in the first 5 months of 2013, LCCTA has awarded almost $4000 in Youth tennis scholarships for local beginning players and Challenger Scholarships to juniors who are engaged in USTA Florida tournament competition.” Thanks for whatever contributions you have made thus far.

USTA Florida Offers Free Training

USTA Florida is also providing opportunities across the State for free training, and as a member of the USTA Florida Community Outreach Committee, I would love to see our area participate in such a training. The training could be about anything that you think would benefit our tennis community, including fundraising, social media, programs for juniors and adults, etc.

I would greatly appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to share your ideas on what types of training sessions might be useful for our community. You can do so by completing this short survey (please click here). I look forward to hearing from you by the weekend if you can get to it, but even if you can’t get to it by the weekend, please get it to me when you can. Thanks in advance!

Local Teams Shine in USTA League Play There has been quite a bit of USTA Florida league team activity this summer, and that follows on the heels of all the success that our local teams had before season ended. Earlier this spring, local teams that represented our area with pizazz include:

A Fort Myers-Cape Coral team out of Park Meadow Tennis Center combined 55 and over, 8.0 mixed doubles team which won the Sectional Championship in Daytona this past April. Members of the team were: Jan Wheeler (captain), Diann Cimring, Keith Stiles, Jane Zito, John Suydam, Barbara Stiles, Mike Stern, Dan Campbell, Karen Orlando, Mike Welter, Rankin McGougan, and Sara Bracamonte.

Also performing well at USTA Sectionals in May was the Men’s 65 and over 7.0 doubles team from Fort Myers Racquet Club. The team lost 1-2 in the finals with Masa Kumamoto and Steve Romaine delivering a double bagel to the competition on Court No.1. Team Members were: Ed Marcelo (captain), E.W. Brockwell, Dave Coppin, Tim McClary, Masa Kumamoto, Jerry Leininger, Richard Fell, Jim Yaeger, Steve Romaine and Wolf Tschaikowsky.
A number of other local teams (see clubs and team captains below) have earned the right to represent our area at Sectionals. The Adult 18 & Over have recently completed play, The Adult 40 & Over will be played in August, and the Adult 18 & Over Mixed Doubles Championships will be played in October. 

Adult 18 & Over Mixed Doubles

6.0 Mixed- Venita Winslett- Cape Coral Yacht Club

7.0 Mixed- Cynthia Dietz- Cape Coral Yacht Club

8.0 Mixed- Bob Foget- Park Meadow

9.0 Mixed- Katrina Ramsey- Kelly Greens

Adult 18 & Over

3.0 Women- Amy Newton-  Paseo

3.5 Women- Joan Lake- Plantation

4.0 Women- Debbie White- Fort Myers Racquet

4.5 Women- Wendy Hechler- Plantation

3.5 Men- Dan Campbell- Fort Myers Racquet

4.0 Men- John Terrell- Cape Coral Racquet Club

Adult 40 & Over

3.0 Women- Terri Brown- Paseo

3.5 Women- Joan Lake- Paseo

4.0 Women- Rena Gezzar- Plantation

3.5 Men- Kevin Gaines- Fort Myers Racquet

4.0 Men- Ken Casola- Cypress Lake

4.5+ Men- Brad Nash- Cypress Lake

Congratulations to all who emerged as leaders of the pack and to those of us who fell short, heck, we'll just keep on trying! Game, set, match...T. A.