TENNIS TALK 01/05/23
VTL By Roy Pennington
What is VTL? It is the Villages Tennis League. So what is that?
The Villages Tennis Club Board of Directors has recently decided to form a tennis league that will function within The Villages to include participation of all levels of tennis (except absolute beginners**) with individual teams of 10-12 members. The VTL will provide an avenue for more members to play tennis and be part of a team and where they can mingle with other tennis players they might not otherwise come to know.
Teams will consist of men and women of all skill levels, but matches will be organized so that play will be between players of similar abilities. There will be men’s, women’s, and mixed doubles matches at each bi-weekly session. League activities will be conducted around midday to avoid messing with the popular morning court reservation times and one of the two days of each week’s play will be held on a weekend day to make it easier to participate for those who are not yet retired.
The VTL will provide an alternative for team play other than what the USTA offers. The VTL will also eliminate the extensive travel and expense associated with participating on a USTA team. Following a registration period, teams will be drafted and play will commence by early spring. It is expected that well more than 50 people will participate this spring in the first 10-week session!! Based on its probable success, the VTL will be held again in the fall.
Registration is simple and will remain open through much of January. For information or to register, contact one of the committee members (Peggy Seidel, Jim Murphy, and Roy Pennington).
**Villagers who have not played very much over the years, or not at all, are encouraged to come to the Tennis Club’s Open House on March 28, 2023 and sign up for a ten-week Jumpstart program of tennis lessons provided free, starting right after the Open House, by experienced TC tennis players (and held at 5:30 on Tuesday afternoons). After the ten weeks of Jumpstart, we offer not only a professional (Brett Foreman) to help you improve, but also twice a week drop-in tennis on Monday and Friday afternoons where experienced members offer supervised practice, practice, practice (called Open Play) with a guarantee of improvement to get you into the VTL fast!