Gulf Harbour Wraps-up 2012 Club Championships

Spectators enjoy proceedings

This spectator seems a little bored

I think we could take the Ball Bashers

Those in attendance (and there was some of everything and everyone in attendance including canines, reptiles, and even a GM!) were treated 

to another scintillating spring morning of tennis as Gulf Harbour Tennis wrapped up its Club Championships, with the Mixed Doubles Finals this past Sunday. The final matches in each of the four divisions were competitive affairs cheered on by the standing-room only crowd.

GM Lonnie Eberhard & Director Mike Curran

All Aces Division 

Chip prepares to rip forehand with Ella at net

At the highest level of play, the All Aces Division, Chip Graddy was partnered with Pam “Ella” Waddell in his attempt to capture his second trifecta (winning singles, doubles, and mixed) in three years. He would have been seeking his third consecutive trifecta had he not fallen one championship short last year when Alan Canfield and Deb Naumann wrested the Mixed Doubles title from him and partner Jemin Martinsen.

Ella shows off her own forehand

With Jemin sidelined with an injury, Chip teamed with Ella, a first-time competitor in the Club Championships. They faced Maxwell Thompson and Diane Johannes who had taken out defending Champions Alan Canfield and Deb Naumann in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. Both Maxwell and Diane have been Club Champions themselves, and with Maxwell’s intimidating forehand and lighting forays at net, combined with Diane’s all around skill, it was an anticipated match-up.

Maxwell blasts one while Di waits to poach

After four games, the match was 2-2 and it appeared as though it would be a see-saw battle throughout. When Chip and Ella pulled away to reach 5-2, it seemed as though initial appearances were deceiving. However, like the champions they are, Maxwell and Diane fought back, tying the contest at 5-5. A hold and a break of Maxwell’s serve clinched the first set for Chip and Ella.

When Maxwell and Diane went up 3-0, momentum seemed to be swaying in their direction, but it didn't last. A hold, a break, a hold, and it was even again. The teams traded holds until a final break clinched the title for Chip and Ella.

Ball Bashers Flight A

Lili poaches

In the Ball Bashers Flight A, the second highest level of play, former Champion Lili Canfield teamed with Rich Fox to challenge Frank Kaplan and Monde Breton, both former Club Champions in Singles. Both teams reached the finals by posting, at least, mild upsets en route.

Lili & Rich 

Rich and Lili beat Tom and Bev Auda 6-3, 6-3 in one semifinal, and even if winning wasn’t a big upset, the score and straight-set victory was a mild surprise to some. Likewise, the manner of Frank and Monde’s win over Eddie Dance and Amy Ciarrocchi (6-2, 6-1) was certainly a surprise to most.

Frank & Monde

It should have been no surprise, then, that the final match turned out to be the most competitive, as far as the score anyway, that either team had faced throughout the event. Frank and Monde went up a break and served at 4-3, but Rich and Lili fought back to get a break of their own. Frank and Monde broke right back and held with Monde serving to claim the first set.

Frank & Monde

Rich and Lili started strong in the second set, maintaining the lead throughout and claiming it 6-2. Things tightened considerably in the third set, and Monde and Frank went up 4-3, but Lili’s reputation for toughness is well-earned and there are few more consistent that “The Good Doctor” Fox. Rich and Lili didn’t lose another game, claiming the third set and the championship, 6-4.

Ball Bashers Flight B

David & Ruth congratulate Linda & Tom

In the Ball Bashers Flight B, defending Champions Tom and Linda VanWyk were seeking to repeat against David Martin and Ruth Edelman. The VanWyk’s had had a good semifinal test against David Russ and Lori Frantz, winning a close 7-6, 7-5 battle. But David and Ruth had a bumpy road to the championship match, with perhaps the toughest back-to-back tests of the entire event.  

David & Ruth

In the quarters, David and Ruth pulled out a 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 comeback against Art Ackert and Joan Palermo, then had to come back later that day in the semis to face the cagey and difficult duo of Preston and Carlotta Clark. That semifinal match was a war of attrition, and David and Ruth finally prevailed in a third-set super-tiebreak, 11-9, after winning the first set 6-4 and losing the second 5-7.

Tom & Linda

The VanWyks present a conundrum for any team with Tom and his eagle-like wingspan patrolling the net, and Linda presenting a practically impregnable wall in both back and fore court. Strategically, the VanWyks have figured out how to maximize their on-court partnership almost as well as they have their off- court merger. The riddle was too much for David and Ruth to solve, and the VanWyks repeated with a 6-4, 6-2 victory.

Court Crashers Division  

Ron & Marvel

In the Court Crashers Division, Ron and Marvel Jones had gotten past a good test in Scott Schmidt and Linda Riedl in the semis, winning that match 7-5, 6-3, and would face the talented couple Mark Davis and Jackie Jewel. Mark and Jackie had had little trouble in their semifinal against Sy and Nancy Davis, winning 6-1, 6-1, and felt good about their chances going into the final.

Mark poaches & Jackie crosses

After many years of playing together, the Joneses have figured out how to get the best from their on-court partnership as well, and it tool Mark and Jackie a while to figure out how to combat this tough twosome. Ron and Marvel won the first set 6-3, but Mark and Jackie stiffened, taking the second to a tiebreak before losing the set and the Championship.  

Sergio keeps court in playing shape

The family that works together
stays together: The Currans

All in all, the Mixed Doubles Championship Weekend was a fitting climax to the season’s Club Championships. The participants and the spectators seemed to enjoy the weekend’s activities as much as they appear to every year! Congrats to Mike Curran and his capable staff (Frank Fourgeau, Sergio Rebolledo, Fernando Jimenez, and Laurie Giordano) for another successful Gulf Harbour event, and surely a note of thanks must go out to Marne for her refreshing presence. The event wouldn’t be what it was without her. 

Lauren Bailey, Ballgirl

Gulf Harbour Club Championship Mixed Doubles

Gulf Harbour is wrapping up its Club Championships this weekend with the Mixed Doubles event. There will be no repeat champions this time around, but there are some finals match-ups that should prove to be very entertaining.

In the All Aces Division, Maxwell Thompson and Diane Johannes beat defending Champions Alan Canfield and Deb Naumann in straight sets and will face former Champion Chip Graddy, who is teamed this time around with newcomer Pam Waddell. Graddy and Waddell beat Geoff Negin and Amy Markovic in three sets in the semis. 

In the Ball Bashers Flight A, Frank Kaplan and Monde Breton beat Eddie Dance and Amy Ciarrocchi in straight sets, and will face Rich Fox and former Champion Lili Canfield. Rich and Lili beat Tom and Bev Auda in straight sets to reach the final. Amy is working her back from knee surgery, and we hope her efforts won’t set her back. 

In the Ball Bashers Flight B, David Martin and Ruth Edelman will face Tom & Linda VanWyk. Martin and Edelman won a tough three-setter against Preston and Carlotta Clark, and the VanWyks beat Dave Russ and Lori Frantz in straight sets.

In the Court Crashers Division, Ron and Marvel Jones got past Scott Schmidt and Linda Riedl in the semis, and will take on Mark Davis and Jackie Jewel who defeated Sy and Nancy Davis to reach the final. 

The Court Crashers will be played at 9:30am, Ball Bashers Flight B at 10am, and the other two finals will begin at 12pm. 

Record Crowd Cheers FGCU Men's Tennis to Conference Lead

Record-setting spectators at FGCU
all Photos by JR 

The Fort Myers tennis community came through for the Florida Gulf Coast University’s (FGCU) Men’s Tennis Team on Thursday night, setting the attendance record for the season with 207 spectators. Among the spectators who came to show their support were several local USPTA Tennis Professionals. 

USPTA Pros in attendance:
Jeff Timmer, Alex Hermeto,
T. A. Niles

The team also came through for the fans, bringing its home match record to 3-2 with a win over  Atlantic Sun Conference (ASC)  opponent Kennesaw State in the team’s first ever night match.

The team’s evened its overall 2012 record at 3-3, but the match on Thursday was its inaugural ASC match, so the Eagles are tied for the conference lead at 1-0. I’m not sure if FGCU’s Men’s Tennis has held a conference lead before.

In any event, the FGCU Eagles got off to a very nice start in doubles with all three teams taking at least 6-3 leads in the eight-game pro-set matches. The No.3 team of Junior Collin Brown and sophomore Dean Tsamas closed out their match without much ado (8-4), but things tightened up considerably on Courts 1 & 2.

Jackson Moore & Tianju Bao

On Court 2, Freshman Tianyu Bao and junior Jackson Moore saw their lead evaporate when Moore was broken at 6-5. However, the Eagles broke right back to go up 7-6 and held on with Bao serving out the final game for the 8-6 victory.

Lance Lvovsky & Matt Rock

Things became even more precarious on Court 1, as Senior Matthew Rock and sophomore Lance Lvovsky’s lead morphed into a 6-7 deficit. Showing some fine mettle, the boys in green and blue battled back, holding serve to reach the tiebreak at 7-7, and dominating the breaker 7-2.

The doubles sweep, the second of the season, and only the second in FGCU Men’s Tennis history, gave the Eagles a confidence that they carried into the singles. Tsamas picked up his fifth consecutive singles victory against one loss, posting a straight-set win at No.3, to push the FGCU point-lead to 2-0. Lvovsky then dropped a straight-setter at No.5 to make it 2-1 Eagles.

One of FGCU’s two fabulous freshmen, Michael Beiler at No. 6, made the tally 3-1 Eagles, by taking the first set 6-2, then fighting back from a 5-6 deficit in the second to reach, and then take the tiebreak 7-5. The other freshmen on the roster, Tianyu Bao, playing at No.1, won two hard-fought sets (7-6, 7-5) to clinch the match for the Eagles.

Jackson Moore

In the other two matches, Moore lost a three-setter (6-2, 2-6, 6-4) at No. 2 singles, and Rock gutted out a third-set super-tiebreak 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (12-10). According to the report on the Eagles website, “Rock was trailing 10-9 in the super tiebreaker before saving match point and winning the next two points to close the victory 12-10.”

Coach Weber leading the way

The Eagles take on Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville at the FGCU Tennis Complex on Wednesday, March 7^th at 1pm and University of Pennsylvania on Friday, March 9^th at 9am. Coach C. J. Weber is looking forward to more record crowds this season, and to seeing you this weekend at the Inaugural "FGCU-nion" (see "coming soon..." blog for more info).


If you would like to know more about the Men's Tennis program, there's a wealth of info, including schedule, roster, and results on the team’s website. I'm looking forward to seeing you at some home matches this season. Game, set, match...T A

Lots Coming up in Fort Myers Tennis

USPTA Pro League at Colonial

Fort Myers Ritzman Tennis 
USPTA Pro League 

Colonial Country Club will host the final regular season match of the 2011 - 2012 Fort Myers Ritzman Tennis USPTA Pro League this Friday, March 9th at 4pm. Boston Retirement Advisors (BRA), led by League Commissioner Jim Katterfield, has first place all locked up, but the other three teams are battling to see who will face BRA in the Playoffs at Legends on Friday, March 30th.
 

Jim Katterfield & Fred Hindle of BRA

My team, Harborside Dental (HD), captained by Mike Curran, trails the pack for the first time this season, and will play BRA, while second-place AutoDrive (AD) will take on third-place Johnny Malloy's (JM). The point totals are really close among the three chasers, so this match is (do I dare say it?) HUGE Caroline! Check out the Lexington recap for points and other details.

Florida Gulf Coast Tennis

Spectators at FGCU's 1st Night Match

If you had a chance to check out my posts on FGCU Men’s Tennis, then you know that FGCU’s Men’s Tennis Team is mounting a major outreach to our tennis community, and that outreach has had a successful beginning. This past Thursday, the team had its largest crowd to date, as over 200 spectators cheered the team to victory over Kennesaw State (click here for recap).

Coach Weber spurs on troops

Coach C. J. Weber, recently hired away from University of Miami, is seeking to build on the recent success, and is inviting tennis players of levels to come out for their Inaugural "FGCU-nion- bringing people together." In efforts to introduce the local tennis community to the FGCU Men’s Team, and the recently upgraded tennis facility, and the campus in general, the team will host a Clinic, "Player-Am," and exhibition on their newly resurfaced courts Saturday, March 10th, from 9am – 12pm.

Community members who choose to get in the game will take part in a clinic taught by team members, play in a Player-Am (team with a player), and will be treated to a catered lunch and an exhibition by the players. The program is seeking a donation of $50 from participants and Coach Weber is requesting an RSVP by Wednesday, March 7^th. He can be reached at 239-590-7009 or cjweber@fgcu.edu.   Hope to see you out there!

Gulf Harbour Mixed Championships

Gulf Harbour’s climax to their Club Championship season will be happening this weekend, beginning Friday the 9^th. The Mixed draw is usually the most populous of the Club Championships draws at Gulf Harbour and the action is usually pretty hotly contested. If you are near the courts this weekend you might want to drop by.


USTA Leagues Deadlines Approaching

If you’re interested in participating in USTA Spring Leagues, the time to register is NOW! Commitment Deadline is Sunday, March 11^th, Captains’ Meeting is Monday March 19^th, and play begins the week of March 24^th.


Just for clarification purposes, there are Senior Leagues for those at or past the half-century mark, and Adult Leagues, for anyone old enough to drink legally (uh, that’s 18 and older if you just crawled out from under a rock…or a foreign country).

Jon McVety handles the Senior Leagues and can be reached at tennisjon@comcast.net. Kevin Gaines manages the Adult Leagues and can be reached at gainesusta@gmail.com.  Both of these gentlemen have a wealth of information which they will gladly send you, and will guide you through the steps of starting or getting on a team. 


Park Meadow Tennis Hot in March!

Players at Kelly Greens Masters Pro League

The Masters Pro League, the league for players who are just about 40-ish and beyond, and who may or may not be involved in the Fort Myers Ritzman Tennis USPTA Pro League, is heading to Park Meadow Tennis Center on Friday, March 16^th. This will be the final Masters event of the season, and it promises to be one of the best.

There’s a rumor that the very talented but seldom seen Steve Hedrick will be making an on-court appearance on the First Doubles court, but we’ll just have to see how true that rumor is. I’ll be sure to post the lineup a few days before the event.

Beth Shears & Regina Stenger share a 
moment at Park Meadow

Anna sets up Karaoke at Park Meadow

In addition to the Masters Pro League, Park Meadow will hold it's season ending celebration the same night, honoring and thanking the team captains for the hard work they do. With Dan Campbell on his "famous smoker,"  wine, beer, and the most down to earth fun you will ever have at a tennis gathering, how can you miss this! The festivities begin at 4pm. 

Park Meadow Club Championships

Chris & Elaine Capps at Park Meadow

Speaking of Park Meadow, if tennis is in your blood, you love to compete, and you play at Park Meadow, then you will be looking forward to the last two weekends in March. Park Meadow will be holding its Club Championships on the weekends of March 24^th (Mixed Doubles) and March 31^st (Men’s & Women’s Doubles).

Anna & Michelle play dubs
at Park Meadow

Unlike most clubs in the area, you don’t absolutely have to be a member of Park Meadow to play. As with all things Park Meadow, it’s up to Oliver to decide who can play. If you are “Park Meadow friendly,” I’ll bet you’d be welcome.

In any event, the competition will be round robin, 8-game- pro-set format, with divisions from 6.0 through 9.0 and higher. The entry fee is a modest $20 per player, per event and the fee includes breakfast and BBQ. I’m sure you know how much fun those BBQs at Park Meadow can be. For more info, call or text Oliver Stenger at 239-222-1164.

Fort Myers Racquet Club

Spectators at 2012 Edison Classic at  FMRC

Carly and friends at Fort Myers Racquet Club are inviting you to their St. Patrick’s Day Tennis Social on Saturday, March 17^th. If you want to play a little fun tennis, eat a little, drink a little and just have a good time on St. Patty’s Day, the festivities will begin at 9:00 and go until 12:00 pm. 

Cost to participate is $5 per person, and Carly would be really happy if you sign up at the Racquet Club beforehand so she knows how many people to expect!  Oh, and you can go have fun eating and drinking even if you don’t feel like playing. 

Madisen’s Match 2012

Photo courtesy of Madisen's
Match Website

It is time again for Madisen’s Match, an event that is quickly growing into one of the premier tennis occasions of the year in the Fort Myers-Naples area. The Landings Yacht, Golf & Tennis Club will host the charity tennis event for the second consecutive year, on Saturday March 31^st.

Uncle Duane & Madisen

Initiated by Duane Chaney in response to his niece Madisen Abramson’s brain tumor diagnosis, Madisen’s Match is Duane’s way of merging his love for tennis with his desire to help Madisen and others in similar circumstances. The event has raised upwards of $30k over the past three events, and according to Duane, “The goal going forward is for Madisen’s Match to raise to raise $75k for the “Madisen’s Match at the Landings” playroom at the new Lee Memorial Children’s Hospital at Health Park.

Madisen's Match long-term goal
Photo courtesy of Madisen's
Match Website

Funds raised at the 2012 edition of Madisen’s Match will go to some very worthy local pediatric and adult causes. The causes include the Lee Memorial Health System Regional Cancer Center (adult care), and Barbara’s Friends, The Children’s Hospital Cancer Fund of The Lee Memorial Health System Foundation.

This Year’s Event

Ryan Harrison at 2010 US Open
Photo by Ben Solomon 
for The New York Times

Ryan Sweeting
Photo courtesy of 
newshopper.sulekha.com

Two of America’s rising stars in Ryan Harrison and Ryan Sweeting, both in the top 100 on the ATP Tour, are on tap for the exhibition, and will be on court for the clinics and Pro-Am. Former tennis greats Tom Gullikson, Murphy Jensen, Mikael Pernfors, and Don Johnson will also be on hand for the jam-packed day of tennis. In addition to the tennis, food and beverages provided by World of Beer and Tony Sacco’s Pizza will be included in the price of admission. 

Chad Oliver

In addition to the tennis activities, NBC-2’s Chad Oliver will serve as Master of Ceremonies and auctioneer for an evening Post Party and Auction of Travel Packages and Sports Memorabilia. If you’re interested in getting involved, do it quickly because seating is limited to about 350 spectators, and clinic and Pro-Am participation is limited to 50 participants. There is a wealth of information on the Madisen’s Match website, so click the link or call Robin Grande at 239-482-3211 for all the info. 


OK folks, I'm sure there's much more going on, but wanted to give you a heads up as soon as I could on some of the immediate and upcoming happenings. Stay posted. Game, set, match...T A