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VBTP

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FALL/WINTER 2012

NEWSLETTER

President’s Messageby Pam Gallagher

Hi everybody! I hope you are enjoying our newsletters and our NEW website (www.vbtennispatrons.org). We have been receiving outstanding positive feedback on both and we are very happy you are pleased! This issue is jam packed with articles about league and Banana Open results - CONGRATS to all winners and finalists and best of luck all heading to the Banana Challenge in Hilton Head and to our t e a m s h e a d i n g t o N a t i o n a l s ( w h a t M A J O R accomplishments!)!!! CONGRATULATIONS to the Virginia Beach 4.0 Ladies Team/West who are the 2012 Mid-Atlantic Sectional Champions heading to USTA Nationals Championships October 19-21, 2012 in Tucson, AZ. Also, for the second consecutive year, the amazing PACC junior team "Legends" will be going to Nationals

following their win at the Sectional Championship in College Park, MD! The National Competition will take place in Columbia, SC, October 26-28. G O L E G E N D S ! A l s o CONGRATULATIONS to the VA Beach 4.0 Senior Men's Team/Captain Anthony Eady - U S TA S e n i o r S e c t i o n a l Champions. They will be competing at the USTA Senior Nationals in Indian Wells also in October. We are so proud to

sponsor you AND we are all rooting for you! Clearly Virginia Beach is being well-represented by these and other non-VBTPA leagues heading to National finals this year!!! A huge note of appreciation to USTA/Virginia Tennis who surprised the VBTPA with a very beautiful appreciation plaque for our sponsorship and our role at the Special Olympics Beach Blast this past Spring. Thank you especially to Donny Weed (Special Projects, USTA/Virginia Tennis), and Ginny McCoy (Special Olympics Tennis) and Wayne McCoy (President, USTA/Virginia Tennis). We greatly look forward to collaborating with you more often on more worthy tennis endeavors! T h a n k s t o e v e r y o n e w h o g e n e r o u s l y donated their old tennis trophies, clothing and tennis bags. We appreciate your efforts. Nex t , be sure to sign up early for our two Fall VBTPA play days, our NEW Beachfront Play

Inside This IssueThank You Notes 2Guy Rule Tournament 3USTA League News 5Banana Open 8USTA JTT 13Calendar of Events 15

WWW.VBTENNISPATRONS.ORG

‎"Most of the time there is a way to win. You just have to figure out what it is."

-Brad Gilbert

continued on page 2

Lizette Driscoll, Editor

Pres. Pam Gallagher and Guy Rule at 2006

Banana Open

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THANK YOU, USTA/Virginia Tennis! A very special note of appreciation goes out USTA/Virginia Tennis for coordinating the "Beach Blast" Special Olympics Event held earlier this year in

conjunction with our organization and other sponsors.  Specifically and most especially, we thank Donny Weed, and Wayne and Ginny McCoy.  The VBTPA is looking forward to partnering with you again for

other worthy tennis events!  ~Pam Gallagher 

 THANKS to the VBPTA!Many thanks again for the check for the registration fee for our team which arrived today!!  We are so

appreciative of your generosity!! Please see page 14 for an article that I was asked to write by USTA

about the benefits of JTT… thought you might enjoy it!!  It's such an honor to be associated with these

wonderful juniors!! Thanks so much again to the Patrons Association!!  I will keep you posted of how

Nationals goes… but for us, just participating is a huge privilege!!

All the best, Helen Roberts, MD, Current JTT Captain and Parent

Thank You Terry Mahon and Cape Henry Plaza Food LionDoug Snidow and Claudette Sealy, presented a Plaque

of Appreciation to Terry Mahon, Assistant General  Manager at Food Lion Cape Henry Plaza, to show our

appreciation for their continued support of the Banana

Open Tennis Tournaments by donating bananas and

water for the past few years.

Day, October 6, and our regular VBTCC play day October 7th; both FREE to current VBTPA members! See flyers in this newsletter for more information and to find out how to register. It's FREE! Farewell to the following VBTPA board members who are leaving the board after this year: Harry Felton, Craig Gallagher, and Pat Mosley. Thank you for your many years of service to our cause. We will miss you all. Lastly, it has been a tremendous pleasure to be "President Pammy" these past two years (and as the "woman behind the man" wh ile my husband was president for two years before I became president). We have an amazing board and I am excited about next year's slate of officers and feel most positive about your VBTPA and where it's heading. I look forward to focusing solely on membership beginning in 2013.

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Yeeeeeehaaawww, Cowboys & Cowgirls! No one could “LASSO” more players into area leagues than

our dearly missed Guy Rule! So, bring your rackets and belly

up to the Virginia Beach Tennis Patrons 1st Annual Guy

Rule Memorial Tennis Tournament to benefit Virginia Beach

leagues.

Date: November 11-13, 2011 Where: Virginia Beach Tennis & Country Club Men's & Women's Doubles & Mixed Doubles 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 & Championship 1st Round Consolation (weather permitting) Please call Claudette 481-7545, ext. 17/Nancy ext .13 if you would like to play (if you need a partner, we will try and find you one) ENTRANTS: Be  sure  to  attend  VBTPA’s  Happy Hour Hoedown, Sat., Nov. 12th, 4pm with drinks that will float a   horseshoe,   y’all! Free t-shirts to participants. Awards to winners & finalists!

Entry deadline: Tuesday, November 8th Entry Fee: $30.00 per person or $45.00 per person for two events

Yeeeeeehaaawww,Cowboys & Cowgirls!

No one could “LASSO” more players into area leaguesthan our dearly missed Guy Rule!

So, bring your rackets and belly up to theVBTPA's 2nd Annual Guy Rule Memorial Tennis Tournament

to benefit Virginia Beach leagues.

Date: November 10, 2012

Where:Virginia Beach Tennis & Country Club

Tournie Format:TBA

Please call Claudette 481-7545, ext. 17/Nancy ext .13if you would like to play

Party Time: Be sure to attend VBTPA’s Happy Hour Hoedown

Sat., Nov. 10th, 4pm with drinks thatwill float a horseshoe, y’all! Free t-shirts to participants.

Awards to winners & finalists!

Entry deadline: Tuesday, November 8th

2nd

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GUY RULEWho is this Guy?????

In the early years of USTA Adult League in Virginia Beach, NO ONE was more instrumental in keeping the leagues running healthy than Guy Rule!! From the early 80’s on, he would visit every single tennis complex and court in Hampton Roads on a weekly basis. He was relentless. Visiting city parks, military bases, private clubs, recreation centers, school courts and others... he knew them ALL!!! Always with his notebook and pencil in hand, he watched and analyzed every player and would intercept them as they headed to their cars. He would ask, with his infectious smile, “Have you ever considered playing USTA Adult League?” Then say, “You will love it and I have a team for you.” He would then take names and numbers and thus another new league player was born. Many, many people can thank Guy Rule for introducing them to league play! He could be counted on to fill teams looking for players and for creating many teams. If he couldn’t recruit a captain, he would do it himself; often captaining 4 teams at a time! He worked as level coordinator and helped with the administrative aspects of the league.

For years he organized mixed doubles round robins at Little Creek Amphibious Base, at Owl Creek and Lynnhaven Middle School courts on Friday nights, in addition to other groups. One day Guy heard that the USTA was starting Senior League tennis and he immediately sprang into action. Having already been building up and captaining Adult Leagues, Guy established senior teams as well. In fact, he was SOLELY RESPONSIBLE for bringing Senior League tennis to Virginia Beach! And so it began – again– creating teams and also even playing on them himself. He was enthusiastic, organized, knowledgeable, driven and efficient. Additionally, he did it all with a great attitude, and, who can forget his great sense of humor???

Guy was on the board of the Virginia Beach Tennis Patrons for many years and he helped with every function and event they sponsored. He only slowed down to care for his dear wife Barbara as her health declined. He also experienced ill health during her illness and after her passing. He however, did not stop!!!!!!!!!!

WHY did he do it????????????? Because he loved tennis and the people involved, and he wanted to help them enjoy the game, “the sport of a lifetime” just as he did.

For all that he has done, we dedicate “The Guy Rule Memorial Tennis Tournament” in his honor!!! We thank his dear wife, Barbara and his children, Paul and Mary for sharing him with us. Guy, thank you for all you did for tennis. We are grateful to have had you in our lives!!!!

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Senior Men’s Leagueby Jack Tucker

Senior Men’s League Coordinator

The Senior Men played their local league at VBTCC at the site of the old bubble. After weeks of spirited play a winner was decided for the two levels of play, 3.5 and 4.0. Teams led by Anthony Eady at 4.0 and Charlie Pittman at 3.5 headed for the mountains to compete at Wintergreen Resort. Both levels consisted of two flights, but the 4.0 men were sending two teams to the Sectional Championships. This meant that the 3.5 men had to win their flight of four teams and then beat the other flight winner for the privilege of representing Virginia at Sectionals. The 4.0 men had to win their flight to secure a spot at the next level. Both teams knew they were in for a battle and gave it their best effort. Anthony Eady’s 4.0 men were successful in winning their flight while playing 3 third set tiebreak matches. Charlie Pittman’s team won their flight and moved on to the District Championship Finals where they won 2 matches to 1 to secure a place at the Sectionals.

Huntington Park was the site for the Sectionals and Virginia Beach was well represented with our two teams vying for a chance to go to Nationals. The competition was very tough and our teams knew they had to play their best in order to win. The 3.5 men lost their first match 2-1 with one of the matches going to a third set tiebreak. They bounced back to take the second match 3-0, but fell 2-1 in their final match thereby eliminating themselves from a run at Nationals. The 4.0 team had unbelievably competitive matches and once again had to deal with 3 third set tiebreaks in the three matches they played. Anthony Eady’s team persevered and won all three matches 2-1. They will be representing the Mid-Atlantic Section at the National Championships. Congratulations to all who participated this year making it a very successful season. Next season will see some changes with the deletion of the word “Senior” from the League and raising the minimum age to 55. Keep you eyes and ears open next year for more information on the new “Adult 55” League.

Fall League is Unique(or UN-I-QUE as one of my elementary school

friends would say in order to help with spelling tests)by Karen Tucker

Adult League Coordinator

USTA is now offering so many different leagues, all wonderful and allowing opportunities for competition and advancement to district, sectional and national levels. In addition to USTA adult league there are now singles leagues, tri-level, mixed, combo and senior leagues. The senior levels also offer tri-level, combo and mixed. There are more choices to play league than ever before. USTA leagues are flourishing, players are loving and embracing all of it. Tennis truly is a sport of a lifetime.

The Virginia Beach Tennis Patrons Fall League is the only league not affiliated with USTA thus not requiring membership in USTA, making it basically a low cost, somewhat laid back fun experience. The beauty being that your team can stay together, play as a team while enjoying all the positives. Obviously it is competitive, tennis players never step on a court without that instinct, but at a somewhat different level. It is a great way to gear up for the spring adult USTA league. Instead of heading to districts at the end of the season, we have a PARTY!!!!!!! How great is that?? Not just any party but one loaded with the most fun group anywhere, tennis players. Look forward to seeing you all there. It is not too late to join a team, please contact me if you are interested, there are still some spots available. On another note, as many of you have already heard, USTA will be restructuring the adult league in 2013. We will be attending a meeting next month to get more information. It will not impact our spring USTA league, that will remain the same. As we learn more we will pass it on to you.

Wonderful news regarding our 4.0 Virginia Beach Tennis Patrons spring league USTA winning ladies team captained by Jackie West. Not only did they win locally, they won Districts, Sectionals and are now preparing for their journey to Tucson, AZ for Nationals in October. You can follow them on Tennis Link! Congratulations ladies on an outstanding accomplishment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks again to all of you for what you do!!

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BEACH TENNIScombine the fun of tennis with sun and sand

Saturday, October 6th, 11am to 2 pm

Experience Beach Tennis at a Virginia Beach Tennis Patrons Play Day!!

One of the hottest new sports on sand hasarrived (or should we say is coming) to Virginia Beach!!!

We live at the BEACH and our business isTENNIS, so it was inevitable that we playa Tennis League on the Beach!

Serving refreshments and lots of fun on the sand!!

Beachfront at the Virginia Beach Resort Hotel & Conference Center(2800 Shore Drive Virginia Beach, VA)

FREE for Current Patron Members ($10 for non-members)

Beach Tennis merges the worlds of Tennis and Beach Volleyball into one exciting sport. It can be played both competitively and recreationally and because it's so simple to play, it appeals to athletes and non-athletes ofall ages. It’s a perfect way to spend time with your friends and family under the sun!

To sign up, contact Claudette - sistaslice@gmail.com | 481-7545 ext. 304

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VBTPA FALL PLAY DAYVBTPA FALL PLAY DAYwhen:

Sunday, October 7, 2012

2:00PM - 5:00PM

cost:

FREE for current 2012 Patron Members!

$10 for non-members

(This amount may also be applied toward new membership)

includes:

3 rounds of tennis round-robins

(2:00PM-2:45PM, 2:45PM-3:30M, 3:30PM-4:15PM)

FREE soft drinks, beer, wine, & refreshments!

(4:15PM-5:00PM)

how to sign up:

Deadline is Wednesday, October 3rd

Call Claudette Sealy at the VBTCC at 481-7545, ext. 17

OR email sistaslice@gmail.com (be sure to include your name, phone number, and your rating)

To Honor All Patrons and Kick Off the VBTPA Fall League

Sponsored by

the Virginia Beach Tennis Patrons Association (VBTPA))

www.vbtennispatrons.org

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Banana Open Tournament News 2012by Claudette Sealy & Doug Snidow

2012 has been an AWESOME year for our Banana Open Tournament Series! The Banana Open Singles was held in May 18-20th with 116 players. The Men’s and Women’s Doubles was held in August 3-5th with 264 players, and the Mixed Doubles in August 24-26th with 157 players. May was the perfect time of the year to hold the Singles Tournament, the weather was just right. Playing the doubles and mixed separately was also a wise decision because it would have been very difficult to complete both in one weekend with these many players. We are proud to say that our players do enjoy playing the Banana Open Tournaments so our participation gets larger each year. In joining in with the sprite of the Olympics Games this year, the Winners/Finalists were also awarded Gold/Silver/Bronze Banana Open Medals at the Mixed Doubles. Names of the of the Winners and Finalists and pictures are posted on the VBTPA website and also on Banana OPEN Tournaments and Virginia Beach Tennis Patrons (VBTPA) sites on Facebook. So visit these sites and give them a “thumbs up”. Winners & Finalists have the opportunity to advance to the Banana Open Challenge in Hilton Head in October 5-7, 2012. CONGRATULATIONS to all our Winners and Finalists! At the Doubles Tournament, Bakers brought their “Best” Banana Cookie recipes and lots of Cookies and Banana Cupcakes to take part in our “Banana “Cookie & Cupcake Bake Off” WOW!! Can you say YUMMY!! Lots of yummy cookies/cupcakes made with the key ingredient, BANANAS. Loved it! I All were delicious and may it really hard to pick “One” winner. We had a tie for the "Cookie Bake Off" - Banana Nut Drizzles (Sandra Claxton), and Banana Open Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars (Pamela Faraino). Cupcake Winner - Chocolate Banana w/Cream Cheese Frosting (Beth Marino). A few Honorable Mentions.....Magic Banana Bars, was so close (Laurie Duquette), Banana Cream Sandwich Cookie (Kayle Donahue), Banana Nut Oatmeal Topped w/Nutella (Laura Morgan) and Banana Chocolate Chip Walnut (Karen Tucker). I have the rights to all the recipes, for a price

Our Sponsors are A W E S O M E ! ! ! Thank you all for helping to support our Tournaments this year. First for t h i s yea r, ou r “BEST BANANA” Sponsors were listed on the back of our Tournament T-Shirts this year. A Special Thanks to “Beach Eye Care” for sponsoring Towels for the Tournament. Food Lion – Store #2751 for our Bananas. We definitely needed them for the Daiquiris You ALL complete us!! All our Sponsors are also posted on our website.Thanks to all our “Silent Auction” Contributors and Volunteers that help to make this year’s Tournaments spectacular!!

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ARNOLD GRAPHICS II BAY DISPOSAL

“dug down under gear”(MEN’S COMFORT APPAREL – WWW.DUGLIFE.COM)

DONNA BOSZE – KELLER WILLIAMS ELITE, REALTORSSTACEY SEIM – ATLANTIC BAY MORTGAGE

JUST CUPCAKESTHE JOHN SAVINO GROUP OF PRUDENTIAL TOWNE REALTY

KERI A. MARKIEWICZ, P.C.LGN ENTERPRISES, INC.

LONG JEWELERS (GREAT NECK ROAD)PAUL’S AUTO SERVICE

PRIORITY AUTO GROUPSTATE FARM – JESSICA HESTER

WELLS FARGO ADVISORS – TIM HARRISONWWW.DIVURGENT.COM

SPONSORSSPONSORS“Top Banana”

“Big Banana”

“Special Thanks”

www.VBTennisPatrons.org

TO ALL OUR SPONSORS

BLOOM – STORE #2751McINTOSH PORTRAITSSTIHL INCORPORATED

BEST BANANABEACH EYE CAREBAKER’S CRUST

BAY DISPOSAL & RECYCLINGJUST CUPCAKESLONG JEWELERS

PRIORITY AUTO GROUPSTATE FARM – JESSICA HESTER

WWW.DIVURGENT.COM

TOP BANANAFOOD LION - STORE # 2751

BIG BANANADONNA BOSZE

KELLER WILLIAMS ELITE, REALTORSSTACEY SEIM – ATLANTIC BAY MORTGAGE

“dug down under gear” (MEN’S COMFORT APPAREL – WWW.DUGLIFE.COM)

THE JOHN SAVINO GROUP OF PRUDENTIAL TOWNE REALTYKERI A. MARKIEWICZ, P.C.

LGN ENTERPRISES, INC., LEETSA NOTTINGHAM, PRESIDENTWELLS FARGO ADVISORS – TIM HARRISON

RIPE BANANASTIHL INCORPORATED

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SINGLES - July 29-31

The Virginia Beach Tennis Patrons CongratulatesBanana Open Tournaments 2012

Singles, Doubles, Mixed WINNERS and FINALISTS

4.5 Men - Mike Heisler - Winner Ramel Bautista - Finalist4.0 Men - Brandon Beavers - Winner Bill Prince - Finalist4.0 Men - Back Draw Winner Paul Piepoli3.5 Men - Tycho Knudson - Winner Byungsung Song - Finalist3.0 Men - Hau Vinh - Winner Chris Gregoire - Finalist3.0 Men - Back Draw Winner David Hinshaw

SINGLES4.5 Ladies - Meredith Catchin - Winner Carina Simpson - Finalist4.0 Ladies - Mart-Mari Von Schlichting - Winner Beverly Farley - Finalist3.5 Ladies - Melissa Frye - Winner Kimberly Canakci - Finalist3.5 Ladies - Back Draw Winner Krissie Hugenroth Cole3.0 Ladies - Alayna Gregoire Jacinthe - Finalist2.5 Ladies - Kim Craft - Winner Sandra Hanna - Finalist

DOUBLESOpen Men'sWinners - Clay Cypert/Ryan DavidsonFinalists - Michael Duquette/ Sander Koening

5.0 Men'sWinners - Travis Bode/Michael PfeifferFinalists - Sonny Dearth/Wayne Clifton

4.5+ Men'sWinners - Ramel Bautista/Jason MuellerFinalists - Eric Smith/Mason Smith

4.5 Men'sWinners - David Sloane/Pete WithersFinalist - Brandon Beavers/David Slack

4.0+ Men'sWinners - Brandon Beavers/Brad BonneyFinalists - David Woods/Carey Hodsden

4.0 Men'sWinners - Ed Flanders/ GoodrichFinalists - Josh Viohl/Craig Collins3.5+ Men'sWinners - Omar Peterkin/ George MarinoFinalists - Ron Morrison/Todd Woldmoe

3.0 Men'sWinners- Will Thomas/Ryan HollandFinalists - George Louzia/Nick Calvin

Continued on next page

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5.0 LadiesWinners - Bridgett King/Charlene CalvinFinalists - Jennifer Itonyo/Lisa Fanney4.5+ LadiesWinners - Imee Bautista/Deirda BrinkmanFinalists - Laura Stone/Diane Deaton

4.0+ LadiesWinners - Elizabeth Schulz/Kathy KretzFinalists - Russie Snyder/Whitney Stevens

4.0 LadiesWinners - Diane Sturtevant/Debra TrentFinalists - Laurie Duquette/Donna Bosze

3.5+ LadiesWinners - Maryanne Hill/Nancy ErminiFinalists - Marybeth Slattum/Clare Semler

3.5 LadiesWinners - Teri McCracken/Sara WildaFinalists - Lauren Harper/Memi Taylor

3.0 LadiesWinners - Miriam Brown/Lizette DriscollFinalists - Kara Louzia/Charmayne Frazier

DOUBLES

The Virginia Beach Tennis Patrons CongratulatesBanana Open Tournaments 2012

Singles, Doubles, MixedWINNERS and FINALISTS

MIXED DOUBLES5.0 Winners/Gold - Charlene Calvin/Michael Stoney, Jr.

5.0 Finalists/Silver - Georgina Young/Martin Black4.5 Winners/Gold - Kristi Kegerreis/Michael Smith

4.5 Finalists/Silver - Tijen Ireland/David Slack4.0+ Winners/Gold - Sheridan Conley/Jamie Conley

4.0+ Finalists/Silver - Marsha Davis/David Root4.0 Winners/Gold - Grace Wright/Eulace Malloy

4.0 Finalists/Silver - Anne Pitt/John Olenczak3.5+ Winners/Gold - Melissa Frye/Trey Hicks

3.5+ Finalists/Silver - Lauray Kennerly/Michael Thacker3.5 Winners/Gold - Keri Markiewicz/Chris Dimaya

3.5 Finalists/Silver- Laurin Haupt/Steve Pearson3.0 Winners/Gold - Alayna Gregoire/Will Thomas

3.0 Finalists/Silver - Miriam Brown/Steve Brown3.0 Bronze Medals Winners - Mardi Bede/Sutton2.5 Winners/Gold - Bonnie Green/Steve Green

2.5 Finalists/Silver - Kaylie Donahue/Walter Myrdal2.5 Bronze Winners - Joyce Worthey/Eric Quinones3.0 Seniors Gold Winners - Betty Bowden/John Ince

3.0 Seniors Silver Winners - Joyce Lawrence/Wilbert Lawrence3.0 Seniors Bronze Winners - Sarah Williams/Duey Buchert

Continued from previous page

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Cruise Control Gearwww.cruisecontrolgear.com

dug (down under gear)www.duglife.com – Michael Stoney

Esme “beloved style”  – Whitney Stevens

Final Cut Carpentrywww.fccarpentry.com - Frank Cole

FT Fitness Together fitnesstogether.com/virginiabeach

Foot Solutionswww.footsolutions.com – Earl Mulligan

4Life www.4life.com – Ashley Nations

G & W Gifts

Hoffman Beverage - Scott Burgess

Hot house Yoga

www.hothouseyogi.com - Jerry ScottJust Cupcakes

 www.justcupcakes.net

The Lake Wright

Megan Barry Photographywww.meganbarryphotography.com

McIntosh Portraitswww.mcintoshportraits.com

Sandy Claxton

Smile By Design – Vinita J. Folck, DDSsmiles@smilesantos.com

String RX Racquet Stringing -  Dan Schank

Sweet Love Productions (Pottery)Angie C. Tripp, Creator

Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group - Stacey Seim

Taylor Kelly, Mary Kay Consultant

Banana Open Silent Auction Contributors

Special Thanks To

Claudette Sealy & Doug Snidow along with all

the volunteers, who helped make for another

successful 2012 Banana Open!

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THE BENEFITS OF USTA JR. TEAM TENNIS By Helen E. Roberts, M.D. – Current JTT Captain and Parent

PACC 14-and-Under Advanced Dream Team after placing 4th at Nationals

It is a privilege to share our experience with USTA Jr. Team Tennis (JTT) at

Princess Anne Country Club (PACC) in Virginia Beach with the rest of the state, and

possibly the nation. I hope to convince those who are unfamiliar with JTT, and those

who may not fully embrace the concept, that there are many benefits to

participating in this junior program. It truly is a unique opportunity that is a win-

win for the players, the parents, the pros, and even the country clubs.

The most significant benefit of JTT is that it promotes junior match play.

Over the past three years, the interest and participation level of JTT has greatly

increased at PACC. In spring of 2011 there were only three teams from PACC, but

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this season there are going to be 12 teams at all age levels competing in the 2012 Hampton Roads JTT Spring League. Winners of the local leagues advance to compete at the District and Sectional JTT Championships, while the 14-and-Under and 18-and-Under teams are eligible to advance all the way to the National JTT Championships.

It was because of this advancement option that helped PACC grow its junior program. We are a proven success story that shows combining dedicated staff and parents with juniors who love playing tennis, will translate into more exposure for the country clubs, tennis facilities, and organizations.

Several factors contributed to the growth of JTT at PACC. John Fraser, Director of Tennis at PACC, offered the following insights. “First, our team of pros have been huge proponents of JTT because of the improvement they see over a season and by really encouraging all of their young students to get on a team and participate. Then, they talk to the parents after their clinics to educate them on this form of competition and get them on board as well. This creates a wave of excitement and enthusiasm further fueled by the publicity that some of our teams have received over the course of the last three years, particularly our 14-and-Under Advanced team from last year. They placed fourth at the National Championships in Arizona, which was truly an amazing accomplishment and experience for all the players and their parents.” [For more information on their National Championship run, click here]

Princess Anne General Manager Bill Shonk noted, “Jr. Team Tennis aligns and synergizes perfectly with Princess Anne’s focus on youth and family programs. It is clearly value added programming for our membership at virtually no cost to the Club. The growth of JTT here has been inspiring, and is due to the remarkable devotion and tireless efforts of parent volunteers like Sam Steingold and Dr. Helen Roberts.”

However, non-members are allowed and often encouraged to participate on JTT teams that are based out of PACC. The addition of these players creates a more diverse and often stronger team. All of our JTT players are coached by staff tennis professionals. Both members and non-members attend the practice clinics which generate additional revenue for the pros and the Club. Often times, families will apply to join the Club after experiencing a positive JTT season.

Finally, JTT turns an often viewed individual sport into a team sport. It fosters friendships and team camaraderie. In addition, it is the only venue for juniors to form a coed team while competition programs like USTA Junior Tournaments and varsity and junior varsity tennis are gender specific. Having a mixed doubles court in the JTT lineup is a wonderful way to start boys and girls playing tennis together at a young age.

My goal for this article is to convince every reader of the many benefits of JTT. As a retired pediatrician and a tennis enthusiast, I strongly support JTT and believe that it is a terrific way to promote our junior players’ passion for tennis. It is great fun for both the players and the parents. After all, the children are our future—in more ways than just tennis. If you are still not convinced of the merits of JTT, please feel free to email me at heroberts@cox.net for further information. I can truly say that being a part of JTT has been one of the most rewarding and enjoyable opportunities that I have ever experienced.

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2012 CALENDAR OF EVENTS2012 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

SeptemberSeptember

4 Fall League Roster Turn In

7-9 Mid-Atlantic Senior/Senior Mixed/Super Duper

9 VBTPA Fall League begins

15-16 15 - 16 Smash Zone at NAS Oceana Air Show

16 Fellowship of Christian Athletes – (1 Day) - VBTCC

21-23 District Combo - VBTCC

28-30 Play for the Children - VBTCC

OctoberOctober

6 Intro to Beach Tennis 11-2pm, Beach at VB Resort Conference Center

7 VBTPA Play Day Outing – Round Robin – VBTCC

12-14 Ace of Hearts – VBTCC

17 Annual Meeting & Election of Officers - 7pm, VBTCC

26-28 Districts - Singles

28 VBTCC Halloween (1 – Day)

NovemberNovember

10 Guy Rule Tournament

18 Turkey Classic (1 – Day)

DecemberDecember

8 “Toys for Tots” (1 - Day)

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Diane Adamson Website Upgrade Committee Co-Chair (c) 635-5798 (Text) diane.adamson@vbschools.com

Pat Alig At Large

LIzette Driscoll Newsletter Editor(c) 406-1079 (Text) lizettedriscoll@verizon.net

Harry Felton Junior Committee

Craig Gallagher At Large

Pam Gallagher Membership, Website Upgrade Co-Chair, Outreach Co-Chair

Dave Howell Junior Committee Co-Chair

Pat Mosley At Large

Claudette Sealy Banana Open Tournament Co-Chair, Social Committee, Social Media Co-Chair567-2023 (Text) sistaslice@gmail.comDoug Snidow Banana Open/Tournaments Co-Chair and Junior Committee Co-Chair, Outreach (h) 498-3243 peganddoug@cox.net(c) 450-7006 (Text) (w) 588-0217

Debra Trent At Large

Terry Wendt Social Media Dev. Co-Chair, Website Upgrade Co-Chair Web Manager(h) 463-7814 tjwendt@cox.net

Vicki Whited At Large

Virginia Beach Tennis Patrons Association, Inc.Officers & Board Members 2012

OfficersPresident - Pam Gallagher rcgallagher1@cox.net

(h) 496-2500 (c) 478-8817 (Text)

Vice-President- Karen Tucker karen10s@msn.com (h) 499-2180

(c) 639-2890 (Text)

Treasurer- Jack Tucker jtucker234@aol.com (h) 499-2180

(c) 478-3194 (Text)

Secretary - Peggy Winn pawinn@verizon.net (h) 422-3677

(c) 536-9677 (Text)

Board Members(Note: all Board Members are on the Tournament Committees)

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Annual Membership Application or Renewal Form (April)

Virginia Beach Tennis Patrons Association, Inc. P.O. Box 631, Virginia Beach, VA 23451

_____$10.00 Individual _____ New _____Renewal Applicant(s) Information (please print or type)

Name(s)

Address

City, State

ZIP Code

Telephone (home)

Telephone (work) Optional

Telephone (cell) Optional

E-Mail(s) For VBTPA Purposes Only

Please mail checks to: Virginia Beach Tennis Patrons Association, ATTN: Treasurer, P.O. BOX 631, Virginia Beach, VA 23451

Signature(s)

Date

DONATIONS TO THE VBTPA ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE AND ARE GREATLY APPRECIATED Please accept my donation of (write in amount): __________________________ I would like my donation to go toward (please specify - Junior Development, Adult League, Tournaments, Wheelchair Tennis, General VBTPA Needs, etc.): _______________________________________________________________________________________

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