Adrien Fournier – Page 6 – Villages Tennis Club

Important Dates and Memories

Tennis Talk

By Wendy Ferguson

Put these dates on your calendar:

Scholarship Events on April 27.

VTL end-of-season celebration on May 1.

Silver Creek Boy’s play our men on May 6.

By now you know that we raise money for the Scholarships by sponsoring the tournament and dinner, and from donations from folks like you and kind merchants in our area. But, did you know that the very first fundraiser was the Ladies of the Court calendar for 2005? One page looked like this:

Left to right, Sally Schauer, Phyllis Mueller, Peggy Marlow, Wendy Ferguson, Jean Gillette, Anna Hewitt, and Jill MacMitchell. We had a lot of fun as the photo shows. And the fun has continued for 20 years.

News flash: Four very deserving SCHS scholars and intrepid tennis players are recipients of the Villages Tennis Club Scholarships. You can meet them at the Scholarship Dinner next Saturday night. Be sure to read their essays on the Tennis Club web site. Let me tell you a bit about their achievements. First, all of them have a 4.0 GPA; well, one has a 3.95.

Kate is majoring in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology at UC Davis. She played tennis for three years and was co-captain as a senior. She said that her tennis career was the most memorable and enjoyable experience of her high school years.

Kabir is studying Computer Science at Cornell. He played all four years, and his best friends were members of the tennis team.

Kiana is majoring in Engineering at DeAnza. As co-captain her senior year, tennis taught her to learn and grow from mistakes and she helped foster team cooperation.

Vasanth is studying Biology at UCLA. He has played tennis for nine years. During the season, he set up a more efficient communication system for the team through Google Calendar. Let’s hope these fine young people continue a life-long pursuit of tennis as so many of us have in The Villages.

VTL standings are in, and as of this writing, Team Benz is in first place, followed by teams Olsen, Murphy, and Pennington. And it’s not all about winning; just ask the participants.

Open House Report

Tennis Talk
By Adrien Fournier

Wow!!! The 2024 Tennis Club Open House is in the books. We had a four-court extravaganza (I don’t know exactly what that word means, but it’s got “Extra” in it, and “Ganza”, which sounds like Ganja, so it’s got to be good, right?). The attendance was great with a mix of regular players along with about 15 new players, who have gone on to participate in the Jump Start Program which meets on successive Tuesday afternoons beginning April 2nd for 10 weeks at 5:00-6:00 PM. Best program ever, as so many players that have gone through it are now regulars on the courts. Thanks to our Villager “experts”, Gail & Mike Tuft, Roy Pennington and Peggy Seidel, who help you learn and improve your strokes, under the direction of Sherry Benz…who has been involved in every Open House event…like forever!

Anyway, the theme of this year’s Open house was “Tennis Olympics with a Carnival Theme”, hosted by our resident Pro, Brett Foreman. Starting on court 1, we had some basic skills which included bouncing the ball with the racket, which helps with telling your brain that the untrained arm and hand are actually longer by about a racket’s distance away. Our elderly brains don’t like this, so we moved on to bouncing the ball in the air while turning the racket over 180 degrees between bounces which exercises hand-eye coordination and racket control, oh, and cussing control. A side benefit to this is that it helps with bladder control as well. I don’t know how, I just know it does. Next was court 2, where hitting balls way above the net over a rope, re-enforced getting balls deep in the court, although some made it to the parking lot. Lots of targets were layed out which made it really fun. Court 3 was a few serving drills with more targets and tips from the Pro, who was wandering all the courts imparting game changing nuggets. Thanks, man! Court 4 featured our ball machine, “The Gordon”, and 20 Wilson demo rackets, courtesy of our longtime partner, Tennis Anywhere. Thank you! And Thanks to Roy Pennington and Ken Klein who ran that whole affair.

Oh, Oh, Oh…Last but not Least, Strawberries and Cream…Pink Cream…over sliced cake. OMG…I snuck a second. Nancy Domingo and Andrea Alvarez, our Hospitality Directors did a wonderful job and I believe for the first time, added a veggie plate to the menu. Awesome duo!!!

2024 Open House…A Huge Success!!! Jayme Dickson, who was the lead on this production, is mentioned at the very last here…so his name will stick in your head. Great Job Jayme…Thank You!

See You on the…ya know!

Brett Foreman, Art Lind (AGE: 96), Peter Groot

President Ruth Domingo Liu addressing the Crowd

Scholarship Tournament and Dinner

GALA 20 YEAR CELEBRATION

Villages Tennis Club Scholarships

Don’t miss out on ALL the FUN! Sign up as SEATING is LIMITED! All PROCEEDS for Scholarships!

SATURDAY, APRIL 27

TOURNAMENT IN THE MORNING…

…that is a crazy-mixed-up handicapped format. Partners provided & ALL Players Welcome! Players only: Drawings for Prizes.

Can’t wait to play

DELICIOUS DINNER @ VINEYARD CENTER…

…with BBQ Chicken/Steak, & trimmings, Beer & Wine.
At Dinner Meet the Scholarship Winners. Enjoy Entertainment, Games and Drawings for Prizes.

I’m going to attend

Donate to the Scholarship

“No refunds for cancellations after 04/22/24.”

The Prescott Tournament Results

Tennis Talk
By Joy Rem and Betty Olsen
Preview of The Villager 3/29/24 publicationOur first tournament of the season, The Prescott tournament, was held on Saturday, March 16. We had a beautiful day and 32 tennis players signed up. We also had many spectators in the viewing stand. They enjoyed watching the tennis while enjoying the wonderful spread provided by the hospitality committee, made up of Nancy Domingo and Andrea Alvarez.

The registration fee was a $15 donation to VMA. We also received some extra donations from tennis club members.

The tournament ran from 9am until 1 pm. Each player played for 2 hours with a 1 hour break in between sessions. The players were divided into two groups (grouped red and group white). Players played 12 games, 4 games with each player in the group or 20 minutes with each partner, whichever came first. Each player had a printed card to keep track of the games they won with each partner. At the end of play the games were added to determine the winners. Here are the lucky winners.:

Red group (men)

1st place: Marty Funcell and Paul Spisar (tie)
2^nd place: Brett Foreman

Red group (women)
1st place: Karen Hillis
2nd place: Mitzi Macon, Lolivic Shaw and Sharon Bartells (tie)

White group(men)
1st place: Jay Desai
2nd place: Don Clarke
3rd place: Randy Shaw

White group(women) – sorry no photo 🙁
1st place: Nancy Domingo
2nd place: Shirley Mariani
3rd place: Tina Parsley

Prizes were awarded to the top three winners in each group. The tennis club generously donated over $700 to the VMA through this event
A special thanks to Joy Rem and Cheryl Diltz, Tournament Directors, for such a well organized Prescott Tournament.

__________________________________________________________________

Tennis is in full swing for the Villages Tennis Club. The men have registered a USTA team and would enjoy a filled viewing stand of supporters for their home matches all at 3:30pm: Sunday, March 24, Saturday, April 6, Sunday, April 14, Sunday, April 28, and Saturday, May 11. Also, the women’s USTA team has 2 home matches left: Monday, March 25 and Monday, April 8.

OPEN HOUSE…It’s Happening Folks!!!

Tennis Talk
By Sherry Benz
For publication 3/21/24

The Tennis Club’s annual Open House is right around the corner, and you don’t want to miss it! Join us on the courts Tuesday, March 26th at 1:00-3:00 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, but you’ll have fun trying! 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: Contact Lolivic Shaw (Lolivicshaw02@gmail.com) or Jamie Dickson (runman001@aol.com)

Jump Start kicks off at the Tennis Club Open House. Thanks to our Villager “experts”, Gail & Mike Tuft, Roy Pennington and Peggy Seidel, 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 2nd 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.)

VTL is in full swing and the competition is fierce, yet friendly. The next matches will be held at 1:30 PM on Saturday, March 23rd, Sunday, March 24th and Thursday, March 28th. It’s fun to watch and the viewing stands has a seat for you!

Open House and Other Fun Stuff

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 26th from 1:00-3:30 PM at the courts. Our Villages 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 they are offering discounts on equipment. Come shod in tennis shoes for “on the court” fun. There will be prizes, games and strawberry shortcake!!! No reservations required. Questions: Call Lolavic Shaw (Lolivicshaw02@gmail.com) or Jamie Dickson (runman001@aol.com)

Jump Start kicks off at the Tennis Club Open House. Whether you are a beginner or just “rusty”, our Villager “experts” are ready to help you learn and improve your strokes. Jump Start will meet on successive Tuesday afternoons beginning April 2nd 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.)

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

The VTL (Villages Tennis League) is off to a great start. Thanks to Roy Pennington, Jim Murphy and Peggy Seidel for organizing this program. It has been such fun to be on the courts with lots of different players. If you are interested in being a sub, give Roy Pennington a call (505-410-3449 or rpenn1700@aol.com).

Betty Olsen’s 65/7.0 team is underway. Our next home match is at 10:45 on Friday, March 15th. We sure could use you support

Tiebreak Puzzle Solved

Tennis Talk

by Marty Funcell

The Villages Tennis Club uses the “Coman Tiebreak Procedure” for Set and Match tiebreaks.

In 1985 the Coman Tiebreak was designated an “experimental tiebreak” by the USTA, and in the early 2000s it was adopted for national league play. In 2004 the name was changed from the Balboa to the Coman Tiebreak in memory of Coman, a recently-deceased player who was a strong proponent of the tiebreak.

The Coman tiebreak allows all players to serve on the same side of the net as they did throughout the entire set. Therefore, a player doesn’t suddenly find him/herself serving in a condition that they were not accustomed to during the critical set or match tie-break.

Also, unlike the “Regular” tiebreak procedure, where players switch sides every 6 points, the Coman tiebreak procedure switches sides every 4 points and facilitates a fairer match since each team plays a more equal number of games on each end of the court.

COMAN SET 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 ADD court after the first point.

TO BEGIN SERVING THE NEXT SET AFTER THE SET TIEBREAK

The tiebreak game is the “service game” of the team that served the first point which means:

The opposing team serves the first point of the next SET.
After the last point of the tiebreaker, the teams switch sides to start the next SET

COMAN 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.

The Prescott: The Real Scoop

Tennis Talk by Joy Rem

Our first tennis tournament for our 2024 season is one of our most special, The Prescott Tournament. It will be held on Saturday, March 16 from 9:00 till 1:00. The special tournament celebrates Phil Prescott and the amazing contributions he made to our tennis club. In 1997, he was able to raise over $30,000 from Villagers and then he matched this amount dollar for dollar for a grand total of $60,000 to build courts 5 and 6. As a member of the tennis club, you are invited to carry on the tradition of honoring Phil and supporting our wonderful Villages Medical Auxiliary (VMA). Phil was also a long supporter of the VMA. Your $15 tournament contribution is a tax deductible donation to VMA.

Please join us in this fun round robin tournament. There will be yummy food, prizes, and fun tennis. All levels are encouraged to join as it will be a fun tournament without any pressure. This is a way of seeing old friends and making new friends. Spectators are also welcome to join in the fun, but hope you will sign up to play.

You will be able to sign up on Your Courts or by emailing or calling Joy Rem, jkr1787@gmail.com or 818-620-7642.

The Village Women’s 65 7.0 USTA team played its first home match on Wednesday, February 14. We fought hard, but came up a little short. We first split sets, won 1 and lost 1, and the 3^rd match on the courts split sets and played a 10 point 3^rd set tie-break which alas we lost. Next home match is Wednesday, February 28.

Arthur Ashe: Tennis ICON

Tennis Talk

By Mary Ringel

February marks Black History Month, an ideal time to honor African American tennis icon Arthur Ashe. Born in Richmond, Virginia, on July 10, 1943, his journey in life was beyond difficult. At the young age of six, he woefully lost his mother due to complications of surgery. Growing up in America’s turbulent 1960s, an era of segregation, he continually battled against restrictions for black athletes. Yet despite devastating obstacles, Ashe rose above life’s circumstances and achieved extraordinary feats during his 49 years.

During his career, Ashe won 45 singles titles, ranking number two in the world at one point. He made history by becoming the first black man to secure singles titles at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open. He was also the first black player chosen for the United States Davis Cup team.

Unfortunately, in 1980, he suffered a heart attack and soon retired. Tragically, during subsequent heart surgery, he received an HIV-tainted blood transfusion – a fact only uncovered while undergoing brain surgery years later. Despite this devastating setback, Ashe remained undeterred, immersing himself in work, he began crafting his three-volume masterpiece, “A Hard Road to Glory.” Published in 1988, this influential work highlighted the struggles endured by Black athletes in America. While working on this piece and even after its completion, Ashe chose to keep his health condition private. However, true to his humanitarian spirit, he dedicated the remainder of his life to raising awareness about HIV and AIDS. Unfortunately, due to complications related to AIDS, Ashe passed away on February 6th, 1993.

In 1997, the U.S. Open honored him by naming its new court the Arthur Ashe Stadium in recognition of his status as the first African American man to win the U.S. Open Men’s Championship and his exemplary role as a humanitarian that future champions could aspire to.

With too many achievements to detail here, it’s clear that Ashe used his exceptional skills to break down barriers in the world of tennis, setting the stage for future generations of black athletes. His triumphs are irrefutable evidence that talent knows no color or race; it recognizes only dedication and hard work.

The Prescott Info and Signup

Annual Prescott Tennis Tournament
To benefit the
Villages Medical Auxiliary (VMA)
AND

We Want You! (Seeking Volunteers) - InfectionControl.tips

DATE: Saturday, March 16th

9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

- - - - Each participant plays 24 games
      - Double Double Switch format
      - We will find a partner for you
      - All levels welcome
      - Yummy brunch, water, soft drinks, music and prizes

Suggested Tax deductable donation: $15.00

1. Charged to your house number
2. Signup by clicking the Prescott Signup button below.

THIS IS A FUN TOURNAMENT AND IT IS FOR A GOOD CAUSE IN HONOR OF PHIL PRESCOTT, the driving force for courts 5 & 6

Any questions contact:

Joy Rem, Tournament Chair, jkr1787@gmail.com

Cheryl Diltz, Co Chair, capecod0415@gmail.com

The Prescott SIGNUP