Fall Junior Team Tennis Starts in Pensacola with 112 Players
The 2014 Fall Junior Team Tennis season got underway with a bang on October 5, 2014 at Roger Scott Tennis Center in Pensacola.
Tara Dominguez
Pensacola-area Junior Team Tennis Coordinator Tara Dominguez was very pleased with the turnout. There are 14 teams including two U10, two U18 and the rest U12 and U14. The Red Ball Tennis Club plays at 2PM on Sundays while the older players start at 3PM.
17 Courts Full of Junior Team Tennis Players
Players come from both area tennis clubs and area schools. It was quite a refreshing sight to see so many new players on the courts at Roger Scott. All 17 hard courts were being used. Congratulations Tara.
Over $14,000 Raised at Second Annual “Help the Kids” Tennis Tournament in Pensacola
Well over $14,000 was raised at the Second Annual “Help the Kids” Tennis Tournament held October 4th, 2014 at Roger Scott Tennis Center in Pensacola. One hundred percent of the proceeds were donated to Brentwood and Weis Inner City elementary schools. The tournament featured Ladies and Men’s Doubles in several flights, lunch, refreshments, a Silent Auction and Pensacola’s own Billie Jean King/Bobby Riggs match between Pensacola Country teaching pro Krysta Lee and Doug Kreis of the sponsoring organization Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis and Overholtz Attorneys.
“Help the Kids” Major Sponsors
Volunteers from the law firm were everywhere serving food and drinks and helping the event proceed smoothly. Brian Sakey, director of tennis at The Club II in Gulf Breeze, set up and ran the tennis portion of the day. Men’s and women’s flights were named after the school grades. 118 teams participated in the event. All teams played four 8 game pro set matches.
In the Lee versus Kreis challenge set, money was placed on both sides and all those proceeds went to the schools as well. Lee defeated Kreis 6-2 and a fun filled audience participation (line calls, etc) match.
Doug Kreis and Krysta Lee
Many of the students attending inner-city schools in Escambia County have to overcome much more than just homework. They have to deal with basic survival needs. Almost 100 percent of these students qualify for free lunch during the school week but many are lucky if they get one meal a day on the weekends. Some do not own a good pair of shoes and when it is cold outside, some come to school in T-shirts and shorts. These schools are always asking for donations of coats and shoes.
Weis and Brentwood Elementary schools started the Positive Behavior Support Program and Student Store to address these concerns. The Student Store contains all manner of donated items including clothing, personal hygiene items, books and games. Students who are “caught” doing good deeds are rewarded with the opportunity to “shop” in the store to purchase these much needed items. The generous support of the players in the tournament helps to “stock” the shelves at the store and the weekend take-home pantry.
Winners in the various grades included:
Ladies 1st Grade – Meriel Donahey/Kathleen Galinis; 2nd Grade – Kim Andrews/Jessica Schulthies def. Dawn Thomas/Suzanne Manzeik 11-9 in a ply-off tiebreaker; 3rd Grade – Leigh Heim/Amanda Howard; 4th Grade – Tammy Timby/Tanya Shaffer and 5th Grade Sue Ellen Smith/Mary Ellen Maclean.
Men’s 1st Grade – Scott Peck/Jim Cobb; 2nd Grade – Scott Baehr/Michael Carro.
Many thanks to the players and to the Law Firm of Aylstock, Witkin, Kreis & Overholtz, PLLC for their for their support in this event.
University of West Florida Men Honored for 2014 National Championship
The University of West Florida (UWF) men’s tennis team won the 2014 NCAA Division II National Championship back in the spring. At the annual UWF Tennis Homecoming Weekend held October 3 and 4, 2014, the team was honored with several events.
A welcome reception was held at the Argo Athletic Club on Friday evening before the National Championship Banner was unfurled at a UWF Volleyball game. A party at Coach Derrick Racine’s followed the banner unfurling.
On Saturday, the team attended an invitation-only dinner with UWF President Judy Bense at Seville Square in downtown Pensacola. After the dinner, the players were presented with their national championship rings.
UWF Players and Coaches Receive 2014 Division II National Championship Rings. President Judy Bense (front), Coach Derrick Racine (far right first row)
The whole tennis community of the Panhandle congratulates the Argo Men for their undefeated national championship season. Go Argos!!
14 Tennis Court Reopened in Gulf Breeze and Pensacola
The historic flood of April 29-30, 2014, saw two feet of water rained down on Pensacola and Gulf Breeze, wiping out 14 tennis courts, 4 subsurface irrigated clay courts at Roger Scott Tennis Center in Pensacola and all 10 hard courts across the bay at Shoreline Park in Gulf Breeze.
Combined with the closing of Pensacourt and its six clay courts, the tennis community was had hit, especially the Greater Pensacola Ladies Tennis League (GPLTL). The GPLTL uses nearly every court in town in the mornings between 9 and noon.
October 7 and 8, 2014 saw those 14 courts back open for business just in time for GPLTL Fall season, USTA League Fall leagues and the Pensacola $10,000 Futures in November.
Before and after shots of both sites are offered below.
Terrific and timely jobs were done by Welch Tennis Courts, Inc of Sun City at Roger Scott and Mclean Tennis, Inc. of Tallahassee at Gulf Breeze.
Shalimar Team 8.0 Mixed Makes the Semifinals at Sectionals in Daytona
The weekend of October 10-12, 2014 saw the 18+ USTA 6.0, 8.0 and 10.0 Mixed Doubles Sectional Championships in Daytona Beach. Although several teams from west of Tallahassee made the trip to Daytona, the team from Okaloosa/Walton-Shalimar had far and away the best results at the event.
The Shalimar team, which plays out of Shalimar Pointe Tennis Club, swept through their Flight 1 round robin defeating Brevard-Fleming 2-1, Volusia/Flagler/Trails 3-0 and North Palm Beach/Palm Beach 3-0. The three wins got the Panhandle team into the semifinals against Mario/Fort King. Shalimar lost 1-2 but all three matches were decided by 3rd set tiebreakers.
2014 Shalimar Pointe 8.0 Mixed Doubles Team
Great job by team Captain Kevin Dunworth and his teammates Jennifer Armbruster, Greg Bennett, Maria Button, Charlotte Dunworth, Lubomir Kaderjak, Kim Pennington and Dale Rice.
Pace’s Weaver Third at Closed Regional in Norcross, GA
Elena Weaver, 3rd at Norcross, Ga., USTA Closed Regional.
The weekend of October 11-13, 2014 featured many USTA National junior tournament across the nation. One such tournament was a USTA Closed Regional tournament held in Norcross, GA where Pace junior player, Elena Weaver, was the #1 seed in the Girls 14.
The Norcross tournament featured junior players from Florida, Southern and Caribbean regions. Weaver was upset in the semifinals by Elizabet Verizova of Suwanee, Ga., but bounced back to win 3rd over Kate Gray of Marietta, GA. While the weekend was plagued with rain most of the tournament was completed.
Other area players at Norcross included Jacob Baehr, Caraline and Colin Scheufler.
Pensacola’s Chris Ephron played the Boys 18 at the USTA National Selection tournament in Delray Beach on the same weekend. After a first round win, Ephron lost in three sets to second seeded Terrance Whitehurst of Tallahassee.
