Adrien Fournier – Page 10 – Villages Tennis Club

Scholarship Tourney and Dinner Info

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.

Adrien Fournier & Jim Ferguson 2022 Scholarship Dinner

Scholarship Tournament & Dinner Signup

Open House Report

TT 4/14/2023
By Betty Olsen

Well the rains stayed away and the sun finally came out and the postponed Tennis Club Open House finally happened Tuesday, April 4. All Villagers were invited to experience meeting club members, trying out demo racquets with the ball machine and participating in the drills and thrills run by tennis pro Brett Foreman and his member helpers.
Villagers signed-up for the club’s Jump Start program that begins Tuesday, April11 at 5:00-6:00pm. The Jump Start program is free and runs for 10 weeks run by Mike and Gail Tuft and their helpers. The program is for “rusties” to get back into the game and take advantage of our 6 beautiful tennis courts. Questions about the program email Sherry Benz, sabenz@sbcglobal.net.At the conclusion of the court activities, strawberry shortcake with whip cream was served and raffle prizes were given out to those who registered and held the lucky numbers. _____________________________________________________________________________For our next tennis club activity, mark your calendars and be sure to sign up for the Tennis Club’s Scholarship events on Saturday, April 29.The “handicap” Tournament starts at 8:30 AM. You’ll play with three different partners on 3 different courts. It sounds crazy, we know, and it’s crazy good fun. Following the crazy tennis tournament, there will be a catered Mexican Dinner that includes margaritas or beer and starts at 5:30 PM at Foothill. You’ll meet and hear from the Silver Creek High Scholarship winners and have a chance at the now famous Wine Locker. The evening promises to be a lot of fun. So be sure to sign up for both events.

Meet VP Ruth Domingo Liu

TT 4-7-2023
By Betty Olsen

Meet our new vice-president of the Tennis Club. Her name is Ruth Domingo Liu and she was born and raised in San Jose, a hometown girl. She went to Overfelt High and graduated from San Jose State majoring in business.

Ruth has had a varied career in business, but found her specialty in HR. When she and Robert moved to the villages in 2021, she was retired, but when sister Nancy Domingo, a Special Ed teacher, said “Help, education needs people who care,” Ruth answered the call. Ruth admits she was getting bored in retirement. So now Ruth works at Evergreen College in the HR department full time. She admits the ten minute commute was enticing and she was hired in one day!Ruth is from a family of seven, 3 girls and 4 boys. Her family’s story is one of many immigration stories. Her Pilipino father came to the US at age 16, worked hard and was able to purchase a house. He then traveled to the Philippines to find a bride. He was successful and returned to San Jose to raise 7 children in that house, Ruth being the oldest. As the oldest, Ruth was given early responsibility and remembers standing on a stool in the kitchen helping her mother probably at age 5.Ruth recently returned from a European birthday trip with family and friends to Paris and Barcelona. She traveled with a group of 10! What an organization feat that must have been!I asked Ruth when she started tennis and she said she and sister Nancy were on their high school team along with close friend Mila who is often seen on the village courts. I believe Ruth and Nancy were part of our Rusty Jump Start program.We are lucky to have her as our VP. And don’t forget the upcoming Scholarship Tournament and dinner Saturday, April 29 at Foothill. Please mark your calendars and watch for more information in the Villager and Fast Lane.

Open House

Tennis Talk
By Sherry Benz

The Tennis Club’s annual Open House is right around the corner and you don’t want to miss it! Join us on the courtsTuesday, March 28th at 1:00-3:30 PM 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!

Tennis Anywhere in Los Gatos is providing demos of some of the newest racquets for you to try and they are offering discounts on equipment. Come shod in tennis shoes for “on the court” fun. There will be prizes, games and the traditional strawberry shortcake!!! No reservations required. Questions: Call Harry Soin (harrysoin@gmail.com) or Nancy Spisar (nancy.spisar@gmail.com)

Jump Start kicks off at the Tennis Club Open House. Thanks to our Villager “experts” Gail & Mike Tuft, Jim Murphy and Peggy Siedel who are returning to help you learn and improve your strokes. They are some of the best players in our club and have a wealth of information to share with you. Jump Start will meet on successive Tuesday afternoons beginning April 4th for 10 weeks at 5:00-6:00 PM. 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: Call Sherry Benz (408-223-6882 or sabenz@sbcglobal.net.)

The Prescott charity tournament was held Saturday, March 18 and the results will be reported next week.

Also, League Tennis is off to a rainy start, but be sure to come watch Saturday & Sunday, March 25 and 26, and Wednesday, Thursday, March 29 and 30……all at 1:30pm

V.T.L. Information

By Peggy Seidel

You do not want to miss this!! Our newly formed Villages Tennis League is getting its start this week on Wednesday and Thursday, as well as Saturday and Sunday – all at 1:30 at the courts. All six teams will be participating, so check out the schedule below and come on out to cheer for your favorites.Wednesday March 1Akiko’s Tennis Menace will meet Betty’s Bees on courts 1-3.Sherry’s Wise Aces will meet Julie’s Hawks on courts 4-6.Thursday March 2Joy’s Village Lobsters will meet Suzi’s Racketeers on courts 1-3Saturday March 4Akiko’s Tennis Menace will meet Sherry’s Wise Aces on courts 1-3Suzi’s Racketeers will meet Julie’s Hawks on courts 4-6Sunday March 5Betty’s Bees will meet Joy’s Village Lobsters on courts 1-3Teams listed first above will bring balls for the match. They are the home teams for that match. Format is two sets of regular scoring including set tiebreaks as needed (first team to 7 points by 2 points wins the set at 6 games each) and a 10 point tiebreak (first team to 10 points winning by 2) to decide the match if teams are tied at one set a piece.Come prepared to cheer loudly. It’s gonna be wild!
SET & MATCH TIEBREAKERS

By Marty Funcel The Villages Tennis Club uses the “Coman Tiebreak Procedure” for all tiebreaks. By Marty FuncelSET TIEBREAK

First to win 7 points with at least a 2-point margin wins GAME and SET
The player whose turn it is to serve, shall serve the first point from the DEUCE court.
After the first point, the players change sides and then players change sides after every four points (5,9,13,17, etc…)
Each team shall serve alternately for two consecutive points starting from the AD court after the first point.

TO BEGIN SERVING THE NEXT SET AFTER THE TIEBREAK

The tiebreak game is the “service game” of the team that served the first point which means:
a. The opposing team serves the first point of the next SET.
b. After the last point of the tiebreaker, the teams switch sides to start the next SET

MATCH TIEBREAK The MATCH tiebreak procedure is similar to the SET tiebreak except:

First to win 10 points with at least a 2-point margin.
A MATCH tiebreak is considered a “3rd SET” so the teams have the option to:
a. Change which player will play the DEUCE or AD side of the court.
b. Choose which player serves first.

Villages Team League Progress

Tennis Talk 2023-02-17
By Betty Olsen

V.T.L.

Roy Pennington is bringing his Albuquerque Tennis Club experience to our Villages TC starting March 1st. If you recall, at our Christmas holiday party, Roy explained Team Tennis amongst our own club and some 40 players were interested and signed-up. Since then additional sign-ups brought the total to 81 members interested and ready to play.

Roy, Jim Murphy and Peggy Seidel formed the committee to separate the 81 players into approximate categories so that each team would have members with a variety of abilities and matches would between equal abilities. Six women were asked to captain this first Team Tennis schedule.

On Thursday, February 2, the 6 captains plus the Team Tennis committee met to choose teams. The team captains are:

#1. Akiko Giordono . #2. Betty Olsen #3. Sherry Benz #4. Julie Hawkinson #5,. Joy Rem #6. Suzi Hathaway

Each match will consist of 6 players: #1 – A man + A woman, #2. A man or woman + B man or woman, #3. B man + B woman.

Villages Tennis League schedule is from March 1 – April 27. Mark your calendars and come out to cheer on the players. We may even schedule a playoff.

Phil Prescott, Mr. Courts 5 & 6

By Betty Olsen
Tennis Talk 2/2

The first Tennis Club tournament of 2023 is the Prescott Tournament in honor of Phil Prescott, the man responsible for the building of our courts 5 and 6 in 1998. Since only a handful of current club members were here when that happened, I felt it appropriate to enlighten the rest of us who were not here in 1998 to know about Phil Prescott. This article is in answer to the question often heard: “Who and what is Prescott?”

Phil Prescott was born in 1914 in Fresno and entered Stanford in 1932. He graduated in 1936 and married Wilma Knapp, a Stanford classmate in 1937. Phil graduated with an engineering degree and spent most of his working years at North American Aviation in southern California. While at Stanford they became friends with David and Lu Packard, the David Packard responsible for the Monterey Aquarium and refurbishing and remodeling San Jose’s California Theater into an opera house and for symphonic orchestras.

Not sure when Phil and Wilma took up tennis, but in 1966 they did a People-to-People tennis tour of Europe. People-to-People tours were started by Dwight Eisenhower to share cultures for better understanding. They played tennis with local clubs all over Europe.

Phil retired in 1975 at age 61 and then moved to The Villages in 1979 to be close to children, grandchildren and Stanford. Phil was President of the Tennis Club in 1984 and I would like to quote from Phil’s Family History book: “We put on four or five tournaments during the year and had potluck suppers following the tournaments. For the Fourth of July parade, the club took the newly-acquired ball machine, placed it on the back of a truck and added bike wheels to make it look like a cannon. The ball machine spewed tennis balls out to awaiting tennis players. They would in turn hit the balls to other players on each side of the truck who would then catch the balls and feed them back into the ball machine. It was the hit of the parade.”

Next week, look for the conclusion of Phil Prescott’s story.

The Very Busy Jay Desai

Tennis Talk
By Mary Ringel
For publication: 1/26/23

If you don’t know Jay Desai and you like to play tennis, you will meet him soon! Jay is a man of many interests; you will find him walking the waterfalls, playing Bocce ball, Pickleball, Billiards, Ping Pong, Cards, Model Trains, as well as painting and sketching. But, his greatest joy is getting people to play tennis. He will offer you free advice only if you ask him for help. He will then recruit you to play Trash Talk Tennis (TTT) on Sunday mornings. At his next TTT he plans to have a 15-minute Macarena warm up with music. Be advised though, he loves to, as he likes to put it ,“keep things interesting.” So, if you agree to play with him, you need to be prepared to receive the following from Jay: a killer kick serve, a dynamite drop shot, a miraculous on the-line lob shot and loads of laughter. Jay has a big heart! But, don’t be late to the court or he will tell you with a serious grin, you owe him $1.00 for every minute you’re late. He’s kidding, of course! If you want to make him smile, here are two of his favorites: NY Cheesecake and JW Black. After a gift like that, he might even take you for a ride in his 1930’s replica Ford Roadster golf cart.

In 2014, when Jay arrived in the Villages from New Jersey, he didn’t know a single tennis player. He met the late Gordon Knapp on the first visit to view his new home and Gordon took him out on the court for an hour. He met Bill Leonard shortly after and was soon plugged into regular play. Jay has often shared how they both were there for him, encouraging him to play. Now, he’s paying it forward and doing the same for others. Jay claims to have played with 150+ tennis players at the Villages. We don’t doubt it!

In 2015, he brought his New Jersey version of Team Tennis to the Villages. Every Sunday, at 8:30am, players of all levels enjoy Trash Talk Tennis with Jay. Trash Talking is optional of course! If you want to get in on the fun, contact Jay at jaydesai530@gmail.com. Just say, please add me to your list of players. You will not regret it. Don’t be late!

Tennis Club Board

Tennis Talk 1/12/23

By Sherry Benz

Our 2023 Tennis Club Executive Board of Directors was unanimously approved at the December 4th Holiday Dinner Dance (see picture). The out-going Board is due many thanks for a terrific job in 2022. The Club came back at full speed once Covid gave us a break and it was evident how much we enjoy playing, socializing and working together.

Special kudos to Peggy Seidel (President) for her leadership and countless hours. Thanks to Akiko Giordano (Master Scheduler), Penny Barcellos (Membership), Liz Kung (Communication Director), Tina Parsley (Treasurer) and Linda DuMont (Hospitality) for agreeing to serve another year. And, a big welcome to Randy Shaw (President), Donna Gilmour (Vice President), Marty Funcell (Court Manager), Roy Pennington (Secretary), and Karen Hillis (Tournament Director).

The 2023 schedule is set and promises to be a fun-filled year both on the courts and socially. Check the website for dates, times and places. The first tennis event is the Prescott Tournament on March 18th. Mark your calendars now! The Prescott will be followed by the Open House on March 28th which is an exciting annual event, open to all Villagers and complete with strawberry shortcake! Watch Tennis Talk and check the website (villagestennisclub.org) for details.

The VTL (Villages Tennis League) will begin in early Spring If you would like to participate in this “in house” league lasting 10 sessions, contact Peggy Seidel (713-398-7955), Jim Murphy (408-274-4195) or Roy Pennington (505-410-3449). Space is limited!

VILLAGES TENNIS LEAGUE

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!