TT 04-20-23
By Wendy Ferguson
The upcoming Scholarship Tournament and Dinner on April 29 promises to be the event of the year. Well with the exception of winning the lottery, or betting a buck on the Kentucky Derby winner. The tournament is a crazy mixed up affair using handicap (horses again) scoring to even out play and an added bonus of a new partner every round. And, there are prizes to boot. Well, you won’t get the winning lottery ticket or win the daily double, whatever that is. Also a Mexican themed dinner, Wine Locker, and Scholarship winners cap off a wonderful day of Scholarship events. Castanets not included.
This year the Scholarship Committee will award four scholarships of $4,000 to deserving seniors at Silver Creek. Now that’s a winning ticket. Also, every year we are honored to award the Annual M. A. Sridhar Scholarship. M. A. loved tennis, was an integral part of our Tennis Club, and used his technical expertise to create our web site. Where does all this money come from if not a race horse you ask? The Scholarship Committee raises funds through donations, either celebratory or honorary, and by hosting the Scholarship Tournament and Dinner. Just think of it, if you can remember, honor your friend who has everything and is lucky enough to be turning 70 years old (or any age for that matter) with a donation to the Scholarship in his or her name. Hopefully they will remember your kindness and generosity and thank you profusely.
Now we’re talking age, eh? The Kentucky Derby is 148 years old and the Scholarship is a mere 19 years, but we’ve had much more fun in sunny San Jose hosting the high school tennis players at The Villages. The young tennis teams travel here to play our women (in the fall, see photo below) and men (spring). Get ready to hold on to your hats as the mighty SC boys will be here on Wednesday, May 3 at 3:00 to battle against our very seasoned, savvy, and cerebral men. Come on down to the courts to cheer for our mighty men and watch the young boys zip all over the courts, and the men? Well they hold their own with finesse, craftiness, and swagger while sucking on a bottle of Vitameatavegamin.
Speaking of traveling, Villages tennis players and cheerleaders drove north to Rossmoor and had a good time, to say the least. We go there in the spring and they come here in the fall. Sadly, we did not bring home the trophy nor a Derby blue ribbon, but the matches were neck and neck (horses again), and fun was had by all. The Villagers who played should stand tall as the score ended up tied 12 sets to 12 sets with Rossmore winning the the most games 108 to 105. Over the 50+ years this rivalry has existed, we have won the trophy 34 times, and Rossmoor has won 24 times, with 6 ties. There’s always a delicious lunch after the tournament—an added bonus to ease any broken hearts and calm the savage soul. Sadly, no Vitameatavegamin, however.
….and previously…
TT 04-13-2023
By Wendy Ferguson
Hopefully, you’ve already signed up for the April 29th Scholarship Tournament and Dinner, as there’s often a wait list. You can do so by going to the TC web site: villagestennis.vgcc.club and scrolling down to the “Scholarship Tournament & Dinner” rectangular button, or emailing our organizers the Fergusons at lgpgat@icloud.com, and they will register you. Also, there is a button at the bottom of this article.
Enjoy a Mexican dinner with Margaritas and Beer, all inclusive for only $25. Quite a bargain, verdad? And the now famous Wine Locker adds a big bonus to the evening’s events. Plus get up close and personal with this year’s Scholarship recipients as they share their hopes and dreams with club members. The dinner is one of the club’s most anticipated events. Last year our very own Adrien Fournier and Jim Ferguson added their expertise as MCs, as shown by the photo of them hamming it up.
Also be sure to sign up for the Tournament, which starts at 8:30 AM with men’s followed by women’s doubles. It’s a crazy, mixed up, handicapped event for players of all levels. Everyone wins in this type of tournament.
And now a bit of Tennis Club history. 2023 marks the 19th year of the Villages Tennis Scholarships. Started way back in 2004, these scholarships have helped 46 Silver Creek High School seniors with tuition and books to further their education. The students are tennis players as well, so we have a lot in common. They must have a GPA of 3.5+, play two years on the tennis team, and apply by writing an essay about how their tennis experiences have helped them. More often their GPAs are near or above a 4.0. An added bonus is that the girls’ and boys’ teams visit The Villages and play against and with our women and men.
Speaking of raising funds for worthy causes, the Prescott Tournament held in March raised $1,180 for the VMA. Good going, Tennis Club members.
And finally, another TC club yearly activity is Jump Start where Newbies and Rusties can hone their skills. For 10 Tuesdays in April and May from 5:00 to 6:00 PM, Jump Start is manned by our top-level tennis players who help and teach players wanting to get back on the courts or improve their game. Now that’s above and beyond.
