Author: Adrien Fournier

Tennis Talk
by Wendy Ferguson

To all you “New to the Tennis Club” members and to the older members like me who sometimes forget, I’d like to share a bit about the Tennis Club Scholarship that was started way back in 2004, before today’s winners were born. The recipients are graduating seniors from Silver Creek High School—just down the road from The Villages. They are tennis players, just like us, and must enroll in a post-secondary school.

I wanted a way to give back to our community, and the tennis club agreed scholarships were a great way to do just that. The first scholarships were $500 each and in the last few years they’ve increased to $4,000 each. We were able to increase the amount because of fundraising events (like the upcoming tournament) and donations from folks like you. 

So register now for the Scholarship Tournament on Saturday on May 10! You can scan the QR posted at the Viewing Stand, or click the link below. We hope you’ll add a donation and be sure to click “Submit.” 

Scholarship Signup May10th

Jim Ferguson promises that you’ll have a blast playing in this tournament where you’ll meet and play with new folks in each round. Questions? Call Jim at (408) 693-5431. An added bonus: you’ll enjoy delicious food (as usual) for both breakfast and lunch. And, participants will have a chance to win gift certificates to the Clubhouse.

Meeting new folks can also be about the “Jump Start” lessons held on Tuesdays from 5-6 PM where new and rusty players can learn and hone their tennis skills. And it can also be about playing at Rossmoor (more about that next week). 

Now for some USTA news: Our women’s 65+ team is proudly in second place and are going to play-offs next week at BayClub/Courtside, Friday, April 25 at 11:00am Winners of this match go on to regionals in the east Bay. Another proud bit of information: our men’s 55+ team is currently 5-1, and instead of hunting for Easter eggs, they’ll play a match that day.here at 4:30pm. What a way to ham it up!

Speaking of winners, the Villages Tennis League notes that the “season” has reached mid-point, and that folks have played friendly but competitive matches. Many of the matches have been decided by third set tiebreakers.

 We hope you’ll add a donation and be sure to click “Submit.” 

Jim Ferguson promises that you’ll have a blast playing in this tournament where you’ll meet and play with new folks in each round. Questions? Call Jim at (408) 693-5431. An added bonus: you’ll enjoy delicious food (as usual) for both breakfast and lunch. And, participants will have a chance to win gift certificates to the Clubhouse.

Meeting new folks can also be about the “Jump Start” lessons held on Tuesdays from 5-6 PM where new and rusty players can learn and hone their tennis skills. And it can also be about playing at Rossmoor (more about that next week). 

Now for some USTA news: Our women’s 65+ team is proudly in second place and are going to play-offs next week at BayClub/Courtside, Friday, April 25 at 11:00am Winners of this match go on to regionals in the east Bay. Another proud bit of information: our men’s 55+ team is currently 5-1, and instead of hunting for Easter eggs, they’ll play a match that day.here at 4:30pm. What a way to ham it up!

Speaking of winners, the Villages Tennis League notes that the “season” has reached mid-point, and that folks have played friendly but competitive matches. Many of the matches have been decided by third set tiebreakers.

The Villager April 18, 2025 publication
By Betty Olsen
 

Tennis Talk
By Betty Olsen

Tennis Talk

By Betty Olsen

On Saturday, March 15, the Tennis Club had its first tournament of the year.   We dodged a rainout with folks squeezing the courts to start on time. The Prescott Tournament is our yearly charity tournament in honor of Phil Prescott, our benefactor for courts 5 & 6.  The charity is our own VMA, and Randy reports we raised $1,470.00, a combinations of tournament fees and donations.

Past President, Randy Shaw did a bang up job of organizing the tournament by filling the courts with 48 participants so that everyone played with 6 different partners and keeping a grand total of games won.  Wendy Ferguson came in first with 20 and Brett Foreman came in second with 19.

The chairman (Randy Shaw) likes what he sees.

Enjoying the Prescott tournament.

 Nancy Domingo outdid herself again providing the food: bacon, sausage, egg bites, coffee, orange juice, cheese quesadias, spaghetti, etc.  The viewing stand was full most of the time with people eating and watching.

We have 2 USTA village  teams in full swing:  Women’s 65+ 7.0 team and Men’s 55+ 7.0 team.  Come down to the courts and cheer on your fellow villagers.

Women’s 65+ 7.0:   March 21 and March 28 at 11:00am

Men’s 55+ 7.0:  March 23, March 30, April 6, April 20 and May 4 all at 4:30pm

And be sure to bring a neighbor to the tennis club Open House on Tuesday, March 25.

Tennis Talk
By Sherry Benz

The Tennis Club’s Open House is right around the corner, open to all Villagers, and you won’t want to miss it! Join us on the courts Tuesday, March 25th at 1:00-3:30PM for an afternoon of exciting activity planned by our Villages Tennis Professional, Brett Foreman. He describes it as “Tennis Olympics with a Carnival Theme.” Not sure if there will be medals or stuffed animals, but you’ll have fun trying! Come shod in tennis shoes. Racquets are available. There will be games, prizes, and the traditional strawberry shortcake. No reservations needed. No cost. Questions: Betty Olsen (betty_olsen@yahoo.com or 801-361-5591) or Michael Castle (mcastle152@sbcglobal.net or 516-554-4796).

Jump Start kicks off at the Open House. It’s the perfect program for anyone from a beginner to a “rustie”. Thanks to our Villager “experts”, Mike & Gail Tuft, Roy Pennington, and Peggy Seidel, who are returning to help you improve your skills. They are some of the best players in our club and have a wealth of information to share. Jump Start will meet on successive Tuesday afternoons beginning April 1st, 5:00-6:00PM. Don’t have a racquet? No worry, we have racquets donated by our members and we would love to give you one. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn, meet others at your playing level and … all at no charge. Questions: Sherry Benz (sabenz@sbcglobal.net or 408-887-5497)

The VTL (Villagers Tennis League) will kick off on March 19th. Thanks to Jim Murphy, Roy Pennington and Peggy Seidel for organizing this mixed doubles program. It is such fun to be on the court with lots of different players. If you are interested, it’s not too late. Call Roy Pennington (505-410-3449 or rpenn1700@aol.com).

Betty Olsen’s 65/7.0 team is underway. Our next home match on Friday, March 21st at 10:45 AM is a make-up due to rain against Imperial Tennis Club from Aptos. Come cheer us on!

Tennis Talk
By Sherry Benz

They say there is no “free lunch”. But here is something fun and free for all Villagers. The Tennis Club presents our annual Open House on Tuesday, March 25th from 1:00-3:30PM at the courts. Our Villagers Tennis Professional, Brett Foreman, is planning an exciting afternoon. He describes it as “Tennis Olympics with a Carnival Theme.” Intriguing? Join in to meet the challenges he has created for us, namely, “drills, skills and thrills.” Tennis Anywhere in Los Gatos is providing demos of some of the newest racquets for you to try and are offering discount on equipment. Put on your tennis shoes for “on the court fun.” There will be prizes, games and strawberry shortcake!!! No reservations are needed. Questions: Betty Olsen (betty_olsen@yahoo.com or 801-361-5591) or Michael Castle (mcastle152@sbcglobal.net or 516-554-4796).

Jump Start kicks off at the Open House. Whether you are a beginner or just “rusty”, our Villager experts are ready to help you learn and improved your strokes. Jump Start will meet on successive Tuesday afternoons beginning April 1st for 10 weeks. Don’t have a racquet? No worry, we have racquets donated by our members and would love to give you one. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn, meet others at your playing level and … all free of cost! Questions: Sherry Benz (sabenz@sbcglobal.net or 408-887-5497).

Don’t forget … the Prescott tournament is March 16th 9:00-1:00 PM and the courts will be busy with this fun, round robin event. All registrations and donations benefit the VMA which provides much needed services to our residents. Questions: Cheryl Diltz (capecod0415@yahoo.com) or Joy Rem (jkr1787@gmail.com). Cheerleaders are welcome in the stands!

The VTL (Villagers Tennis League) will kick off on March 19th. Thanks to Jim Murphy, Roy Pennington and Peggy Seidel for organizing this mixed doubles program. It is such fun to be on the court with lots of different players. If you are interested, it’s not too late. Call Roy Pennington (505-410-3449 or rpenn1700@aol.com).

Betty Olsen’s 65/7.0 team is underway. Our next home match is Monday, March 28th at 10:45 AM. Come cheer us on!

Tennis Talk

By Betty Olsen

It’s not too late to sign up for the annual Prescott Tournament on Saturday, March 15. This is a way of having fun playing tennis and hanging with friends while donating to a great organization, The Villages Medical Auxiliary (VMA.) Your registration fee is a tax-deductible donation as the VMA is recognized as a 501©3 organization.

We would love you to play, but if you can’t, please feel free to donate through our tournament. We would love to raise a hugh donation from the Tennis Club. Also, spectators are welcome to come and join in the fun.

The Prescott Tournament was founded in honor of Phil Prescott who helped raise funds to build courts 5 & 6. In addition, Phil was also a big supporter of VMA. So now is the time to register. Several emails have been sent to all members with a link to the registration page. Just a click of your mouse or a tap to your phone will do the job. Play time is 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.

Nancy Domingo and her wonderful food committee have planned a yummy menu for the occasion. I was privy to her committee notes, so start drooling. Menu: Belgian waffles, pancakes, sausages, bacon, eggs, fruit, spaghetti, veggie quiche, orange juice and coffee.

And it is not too late either to sign-up for the Villages Tennis League (VTL) which begins middle to late March. Contact Roy Pennington, rpenn1700@aol.com.

Meet our Tennis Club President for 2025, Gene Mariani.  Gene and Shirley moved to Verano Village December, 2021 from Los Altos Hills.  Gene has had a multi-layered career and with several hobbies.

Gene was born in San Francisco, but grew up in Burlingame in an Italian family and speaks Italian.  He entered Berkeley at 18 and spent two years majoring in architecture.  He interrupted his Berkeley education and moved to Florence, Italy for 2 years and studied sculpture at their Academy of Fine Arts.  When he came back home, he worked for his father in his company and eventually took it over and grew it to be Western Art Stone, Inc. a manufacturer of Architectural Precast Panels. You can see some of his work in San Francisco at the Moscone Center and the Transamerica building. And in Burbank, California you can see his work on top of the Disney headquarters.  He did the 7 Dwarfs on their roof!

In his early years, Gene was a race car driver driving his own formula car at Laguna Seca and other tracks in the state for 6 years.  He then slowed down and owned horses to ride when he lived in Woodside.  And then he had to take up tennis when he met Shirley who was a serious tennis player.  He told me Shirley and her high school daughter Kelly won the national Mother/Daughter tournament at the US Open in New York.  For many years Gene and Shirley traveled a great deal, especially to Italy, but prefers to stay home these days enjoying life at the Villages.

Editor’s Note on Gene: WOW!!! Who Knew

Be sure to sign-up for the Prescott tournament for Saturday, March 15.  Watch your email for Prescott information and a button to the registration form.

Villages Tennis Prescott Tournament

March 15, 2025