Tennis Talk
By Adrien Fournier and Sherry Benz
Why, oh why, did the Tennis Club name the ball machine, “The Gordon”.
Well, to know why would require you to have known our dearly departed tennis guru, Gordon Knapp. As he let everyone know, he was a scientist, and he applied that science to tennis. How to position one’s self, especially for the overhead smash, focusing on mechanics, even the contraptions he used that allowed him to play through injury, Gordon was always engrossed in analysis and problem solving. Whenever there was a tournament, while most of the folks in the stands were stuffing their faces, Gordon could be found at one end or the other of the viewing stands or even in the adjacent parking lot, racket in hand, in some sort of tennis pose, enthusiastically and patiently explaining to the accosted student how the shot needed to be dealt with. When it came to the ball machine, he put in considerable time in acquiring our current ball machine, methodically researching what was the best product to suit our needs. It was another tool in his bag to help players improve their game. In recognition and consideration of this inspiring great man, I ask, how could we not call the ball machine, “The Gordon”.
Hats off to Ken Kline’s 65M 7.0 USTA team. They lost 1-2 in their playoff game against Sunnyvale, but each match went to a 3rd set tiebreaker. It couldn’t have been closer! Every player had at least 2 wins during the season and special kudos to Steve Olsen who had an impressive 7/1 record.
The final tally is in and our Prescott tournament raised $1,700 for the VMA! Thank you for your kind generosity. Phil would have been very pleased. Good job Mary & Gerhart Ringel along with your very capable assistants.
If you missed signing up for Jump Start at the Open House, it isn’t too late. We will be hosting “coaching” sessions on Tuesdays 5:00-6:00 PM. Join us and recharge your game. Racquets are available. No charge to participants. Contact Sherry Benz sabenz@sbcglobal.net