esides honoring the legendaryAlthea Gibson, the 2007 U.S.Open staged an exhibit at Louis

Armstrong Stadium gallery, choreographedby the International Tennis Hall of Fame &Museum, that recognized the AmericanTennis Association (ATA). Titled “BreakingThe Barriers: The ATA and Black TennisPioneers”, Jimmie McDaniel and OscarJohnson were two of the SouthernCalifornia pioneers featured. Virginia Glassplayed a critical role, providing the organiz-ers with essential insight.

SSCCTTAAFEBRUARY 2008newsSouthern California Tennis Association

Much To TellM a r k W i n t e r s

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The ATA was founded on Thanksgivingday, November 30, 1916 in Washington, D.C.Representatives from more than a dozenAfrican American clubs formed their owntennis circuit because of the participationrestrictions that existed, at the time, at United States Lawn Tennis Association(USLTA) events. Often overlooked is thefact that the same year, The WesternFederation of Tennis Clubs (now PacificCoast Championship, Inc.), (in truth, thewestern counterpart of the ATA), wasestablished by players from the LosAngeles area. The first meeting took placeat the YMCA downtown.

Early ATA National Championships wereheld at black colleges, such as HamptonInstitute (now Hampton University),

Althea Gibson plaque at the Billie Jean KingNational Tennis Center

Photo: camerworkusa

Beverly Coleman

Morehouse College, Central State andLincoln University. The schools had the ten-nis courts and the housing necessary to hold big tournaments. In California, the situ-ation was different. Annually, one of themember clubs hosted the PCC Champ-ionship, which now take place on LaborDay weekend. Today, a facility in Bakersfield,Berkeley, Los Angeles, Sacramento or SanDiego serves as tournament headquarters.

“One year, I went to the ATA Champ-ionships in Eleese Thorton’s car,” BeverlyColeman recalled. “Earthna Jacquet camewith us, and so did Willis Fennell, who wasabout 12. I was 15 and reached the Girls’ final.Willis and I rode in the back seat.”

Fred Nobles’ father Jimmy was one ofthe PCC founders. Several years ago,before he suffered adebilitating stroke,Nobles said, “Therewere five or six Blackclubs in California.They were the basisfor the growth of ourtennis. The idea wasthey would play anannual championshipand the winnerswould have automat-ic entry into the ATA Championships.”

Southern Californians have been richlysuccessful at the tournament. Those whohave claimed, either a men’s or women’s ATAtitle, include: Jimmie McDaniel – 1939-‘41, ‘46;Oscar Johnson – 1950; Earthna Jacquet –1954; Luis Glass –1965; Diane Morrison –1975; Warrick Jones – 1979, ‘82; ShandraLivingston – 1984; and Vince Mackey – 1990,‘95, ‘00.

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“I grew up in San Diego, and remembergoing to Mountain View Park,” Nobles said.“There were two courts in the Black com-munity. In those days, people played from8:00 a.m. until sunset on Saturday andSunday. In the early afternoon, the olderplayers started a barbeque. On the week-

end, there was a lot of playing, eating anddrinking. It was a festive time.”

The ATA and PCC Championships havealways been a wonderful combination of tennis and fun. “We didn’t have any money, but Jean Glover (Richardson now) helped us when I went for the first time (to theATA Championships),” Coleman said. “Mrs.Thornton, who, was an ATA champion inthe 1930’s and 40’s knew so many peopleback east and they took care of us. Thatwas the only way we could travel. Weneeded to be hosted. We went the wholesummer playing ATA tournaments like that.Mrs. Thornton set it up. I don’t think shehas ever been given credit for doing somuch. That’s what should be known.”

Local communities, in both the east andthe west, have always been critically impor-tant. They have gotten behind the tourna-ments, offered support and turned theminto much more than tennis competitions.They made them “events”, and in manycases, the highlight of a year’s social season. Coleman, who was touted as the “nextAlthea” in her youth, has just retired afterfounding and running the Beverly ColemanTennis Academy in Sedona, Arizona, forunderprivileged youngsters, for the past 12years. “After what I experienced, I had to give back,” she said. “It’s the way I was socialized by Mrs. Thornton. When I start-ed, I knew nothing about running a tennis academy, but Pete Brown stepped up. Hehelped me so much. Jacquet’s been doingthe same thing for so many years; helpingkids. It’s the Exposition (Park) mentality oftaking care of people. If that’s what wasdone for you, you should do the same.”

In the old days, Exposition Park, whichwas eviscerated to build the Sports Arena,was the place those “with game” played.Jacquet, Johnson and McDaniel, along withPancho Gonzalez, were regulars. In the orig-inal agreement between the City of Los

Angeles and the Parks & RecreationDepartment, replacement courts were partof the future development plan. Sadly, as theneeds of the community changed over theyears, the tennis court addition was buried inbureaucracy.

(continued from previous page)

Earthna Jacquet and Jimmie McDanielPhoto: International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, Newport, Rhode Island

Fanny Gittens, a champion in the ‘20s,was known for her serve.

Jimmie McDaniel was called “The Greatest”.Photo: International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, Newport, Rhode Island

Jimmie McDaniel artwork appeared in the October1940 edition of The Xavier Herald,

the campus newspaperCourtesy of Xavier University Sports Information

“We went the whole summer playing ATA tournaments like that. Mrs. Thornton set it up. I don’t think she has ever been given credit for doing so much.

That’s what should be known.”

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Harvard, Rancho Cienega (sometimessynonymous with Dorsey since the highschool courts are across from the facility),Ross Snyder and Will Rogers (renamed TedWatkins) Parks have also earned “place toplay” status. Many of the elite AfricanAmerican players grew into their games atthese locations.

Doug Sykes, a star at Cal, was a Ranchoregular. Andrea Buchanan Whitmore, another of the Rancho collection, neverrealized potential, having been murdered in1982. Cheryl Jones, who played andcoached at USC, and her brother Jerome,an All-American who teamed with KellyJones at Pepperdine to win the 1984NCAA doubles, are also part of the group.

Lloyd Bourne, a member of Stanford’sfirst complete NCAA Championship team,was a two-time All-American who camefrom Pasadena. Alexandra Stevenson, whilespending time in Los Angeles, was San Diegobased. Named “Best Athlete” and “MostLikely To Be Famous” by her La JollaCountry Day School classmates, until besetby injuries, she briefly starred, as an 18-year-old in 1999, becoming the first women’sWimbledon qualifier to reach the semifinals.

Dee Williams Horne, (“Diva Dee theIllustrious One”) as Coleman calls her), hasbeen on the scene for some time. A fierce,feisty competitor, who “just picked up a racquet” (as she tells it), Horne has a thor-ough knowledge of those who have madean impact on the game. Samplings of her

recollections include, “I alwayshad so much respect for EleeseThornton. When I spoke at herfuneral, I called her the ‘Mother ofBlack Tennis’. I wanted to be justlike her. She was very special.Willis Fennell used to come toRancho. He had good strokes andwas a solid player. I hit with him,but he wasn’t playing tourna-ments then. Jimmie McDanielwas one of the nicest men in theworld. He was very smooth andhelped me technically. We won aPCC championship. He was avery impressive and honorableman. Classy says it better.”

Horne continued, “Fred Nobleswas called ‘Mighty Mouse’ becausehe was a tiny guy with a huge

serve. No one could believe how he couldhit it so hard. He and Hollis Smith bothencouraged me to play more tournamentsso that my game would develop. DonaldBly was another who offered direction.They were staples at Rancho. So was SyAllen Browning. He taught there. Hisstrokes and the way he dressed were verydebonair.”

Moving to the women, Horne said, “Iplayed Shandra Livingston many times. Shehad crooked strokes, but was a tenaciouscompetitor. She was always in the top 5 inthe juniors here, and you had to be verytough to do that. She would come at youand wouldn’t let go. She had an A game, buta C serve and that did her in. AndreaBuchanan Whitmore was my old doublespartner. She was smooth, but didn’t haveinsight. I saw her, at her parents’ housetwo days, before she was killed and shetold me she was coming back. I rememberher talking about playing Chris Evert, whowas No. 1 in the world, at Wimbledon,and shaking so badly, before they walkedonto the court that she had to run to thebathroom. She was extremely talented,but misguided.”

As a youngster, Tina Karwasky, thewomen’s tennis coach at California StateUniversity Los Angeles and the topWomen’s 55 player in the U.S., was a“gypsy” (according to her), playing atHarvard, Rancho and Arroyo Seco Parks.“My mother (Helen Watanabe) played

doubles with Jean Richardson back in the60’s,” Karwasky said. “They were a goodteam and also very good friends. Theyplayed local tournaments and did quite wellin a number of them. I remember howEleese Thornton, who played tennis wellbeyond her years, hit her backhand withthe same side of her racquet that she hither forehand. She twisted her arm to do it.She used to play lots of tournaments, andwas always at the Harvard and Ranchotennis courts.”

Karwasky continued, “I first playedagainst Shandra when she was 13. Later, sheand her parents drove from Los Angeles toIndianapolis to play the US Clay CourtChampionships. I was amazed that theydrove that far. When she lost, they left forLA. I felt so bad for them. I knew Andrea,having played against her in tournaments atGriffith Park. She was just starting out.Then, she became good and went on thetour. She loved to live life and loved to godancing. I remember playing tennis withFred Nobles at Arroyo Seco. He and hisfriends would occasionally include me intheir doubles foursome.”

Everyone who has played park tennisknows that every venue has its own setof rules, customs if you will. Several yearsago, Sykes, who used to chase balls downat both Rancho and Harvard, admitted, “Iwould play in the morning and therewould be guys betting on me. I would fin-ish my match, get my lunch money fromthe winners and come back to play in theafternoon.”

A wonderful array of characters are partof the tradition at each location. Noblesremembers, “There were two ‘Smitty’s’, onewas Larry Smith, the other was Hollis Smith.There was ‘Schoolboy’ Mitchell and ‘Stocks’.Teg Stoglin was a fixture at Harvard. He

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International Tennis Hall of Fame President Tony Trabertwith 1977 ATA winner Leslie Allen Selmore and her daughter

Rachel “Hurricane” Selmore at the 2007 US Open.Photo: Mark Winters

Pete Brown and Don Bly

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started the Stoglin Cup, a rivalry betweenHarvard and Dorsey.”

Karwasky added, “Mel Lewis played atRancho and Harvard. Everyone had a nick-name and his was ‘Bobo’. I never knewsome of the player’s real names until theydied. ‘Greenwood’ was one and he wouldalways bet two bits. He would say, ‘I’ll chopyou ‘til I drop you’. I later found out his firstname was Frank. And there was Jim Kelly,

who was also a Kung Fu movie star.”Looking back, Williams-Horne said of

Rancho Cienega and Harvard Parks, “Iremember watching young players such asDiana Morrison and her sister Rochelle,Earl Prince and Warrick (Rick) Jones.Maurice Hunter came here from Detroitwhen he was 16. He played at Pepperdineand we won the Adoption Guild one year.He was a heck of a player. Troy Collins wasa big hitter with a big serve and a verystrong game. Henry Brandon, Sy Fontaine,‘Cornbread’ (Lawrence King), RenardJohnson, Rudy Perkins and Walter Meltonwere also good in their day. Ken Bentley,who went on to work at Nestlé, wasunique. He talked his way through match-es, telling opponents, ‘You can’t beat me.You know you can’t’.”

Etta Lewis, who taught tennis for yearsat Martin Luther King Center inBakersfield, is another who made a differ-ence as did Camille and Vonnie Benjamin,who were outstanding juniors from thesame city. Fred and Richard Williams, thebrother duo, have been active for decades.They operate the Venus & Serena WilliamsTennis Academy. Fred also writes tenniscolumns for the Sentinel newspaper, andorganizes tournaments. Richard is theanswer to the trivia question – Who taughtRichard Williams (Venus and Serena’sfather) how to play tennis?

Wanda Marine and Frank Simmonsplayed significant roles. In fact, Simmonswas the founder of the storied FrankSimmons #1 Shoot-Out Tournament that is played annually at Harvard on January 1st.Lois Horton can’t be overlooked and neither can Roz King or LaRhonda Amos.

Compiling a really comprehensive list ofAfrican Americans who have given back totennis in the Southern California area isnext to impossible. Anyone who may havebeen neglected, knows they brought aboutchange and this, in the end, is what is mostimportant.

Mrs. James Conick, Jr., New York State TennisChampion. The Crusader, October 1918 ...Onward for

Democracy; Upward with the Race.

Roosevelt Megginson and Oscar JohnsonPhoto: International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, Newport, Rhode Island

Special TrophyPlayers who win theJunior Sectional Champ-ionships singles, doublesand mixed are special.Those who have accom-plished the task willreceive the trophy pictured here, whichwas created by Darren Potkey.

Nicholas Weiss - Boys’ 14 - 1996Kristen Grady - Girls’ 12 - 1996Tiffany Brymer - Girls’ 16 - 1997Steven Forman - Boys’ 10 - 1999Logan Hansen - Girls’ 10 - 1999Cosmina Ciobanu - Girls’ 12 singles andmixed, along with Girls’ 14 doubles - 2000 Steve Johnson - Boys’ 12 - 2001 and Boys’ 16 - 2005Catherine Isip - Girls’ 16 - 2006Joseph DiGiulio - Boys’ 12 - 2007Alyssa Smith - Girls’ 12 - 2007

Jason Harnett was named RacquetSports Industry Magazine 2007 WheelchairTennis Champion Of The Year. NationalFarm Workers Service Center, Inc.received a Year-End Aces For Kids Grantfrom the USTA Tennis & EducationFoundation. Harvard Tennis Club’s 2008officers are: Renea McZea - President;Tommy Tucker - Vice President; ArtWillis - Treasurer; Fran Wilson -Recording Secretary; Jackie Jones Love- Correspondence Secretary. CommitteeChairs include: Glenn Collins -Tourna-ments; Pete Brown - Juniors; DeloresSimmons - Development Membership.Rancho Cienega Tennis Club’s 2008 offi-cers are: Winston Brooks - President;Dottie Bly - Vice President; CharlesThomas - Treasurer; Marion Lenior -Recording Secretary; Phyllis Douglas -Correspondence Secretary. Board membersinclude: Dottie Bly, Nyla Jefferson,Phyllis Taylor McCall, CharlesThomas and Richard Williams.Tom Fey, Dennis Stojewa and KarenRonney are Southern California Recre-ation Coach Workshop Trainers.

Names In The News

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UCLA Southern California Tennis Association

Los Angeles Tennis Center - UCLA

420 Charles E. Young Drive West

Los Angeles, CA 90024-9115

(310) 208-3838

www.scta.usta.com

Henry Talbert - Executive Director

Darren Potkey - Manager of Junior Competition

Annette Buck - Director Adult & Senior Tennis

Mark Winters - Executive Editor

Melanie Bischoff, Alison Roell, Leslie Waite

and Toby Zwikel

C O N T R I B U T O R S

S T A F F

To see theSouthern California Tennis Association’s

go to the SCTA Home Page atwww.scta.usta.com

and click on the document posted.

I N T E R C O L L E G I A T E

April 10th (Thursday)Pasadena Enterprise Center, 1015 N. Lake Ave.,Ste. 102, in Pasadena at 6:30 p.m.CONTACT: Hank Castillo athank@hanksterinc.comApril 16th (Wednesday)Santa Barbara Tennis Club in Santa Barbaraat 6:30 p.m.CONTACT: Cathy Ann Simon (805) 680-3870April 23rd (Wednesday)Temescal Canyon High School in Lake Elsinoreat 6:30 p.m.CONTACT: Alison Roell (951) 901-9110 orroell@scta.usta.com

April 2nd (Wednesday)LA84 Foundation in Los Angeles at 5:30 p.m.CONTACT: Pilar Diaz atpdiaz@la84foundation.orgApril 3rd (Thursday)Valencia High School in Valencia/Santa Clarita at 7:00 p.m.CONTACT: Annie Kellogg atACK@hartdistrict.orgApril 9th (Wednesday)Barnes Tennis Center in San Diegoat 6:30 p.m.CONTACT: Kerry Blum (619) 221-9000

The cost of higher education todaymakes it important to attend College& University Scholarship Seminars. At

these gatherings, (all of which are FREE andNO reservation is needed), youngsters, par-ents and coaches will receive useful tips con-cerning the intricacies of earning a tennisscholarship.

For more information about the College& University Scholarship Program, call MarkWinters at (310) 208-3838, Ext. 231. Fordirections to a facility, contact the individualslisted at each location.

Spring Scholarship Seminars

Open. Los Angeles native Pete Samprasclaimed the first of his two L.A. crowns in1991, and returned to win again in 1999.Diminutive American, Michael Chang, lankyDutchman Richard Krajicek and German aceTommy Haas also won twice.

Last year, Radek Stepanek of theCzech Republic turned back Americanstar James Blake, to capture the singlestitle, and Bob and Mike Bryan won theirfourth doubles crown at the 81stCountrywide Classic.

For the past four years, the Country-wide Classic has been part of the U.S.Open Series, the eight-week summertennis season linking 10 major ATP andWTA Tour tournaments to the U.S. Open.

Proceeds from the CountrywideClassic, held in conjunction with UCLA,benefit the grassroots programs of theSouthern California Tennis Associationand UCLA. For information concerningthe Countrywide Classic visit the web-site at www.countrywideclassic.com orcall (310) 824-1010.

Straus Stadium’s25th Anniversary

Yo b y Z w i k e l

For those who usually attend theannual ATP tennis tournament, it ishard to imagine that this year’s

event will be the 25th played at StrausStadium at UCLA. The 82nd edition ofwhat is now known as the CountrywideClassic will take place August 4-10.

The Los Angeles Tennis Center-UCLA debuted at the 1984 OlympicSummer Games, when tennis was playedas a Demonstration Sport. It thenbecame home for the annual men’s pro-fessional tournament.

Jimmy Connors, a UCLA alum, wonthe last of his four Los Angeles titles atthe 1984 event at the facility. AndreAgassi would later claim four titles in the stadium.

The winner of the gold medal at the1984 Games was Stefan Edberg. TheSwede would go on to be a finalist local-ly in 1985, ’86 and ’87 before claiming thetitle in 1990.

In 1990, the tournament shifted to its cur-rent mid-summer date, leading up to the U.S.

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2 0 0 7YEAR IN REVIEW

Takamori Joins SCTAAi Takamori joined the Southern California Tennis

Association staff as the Assistant Manager of JuniorCompetition in January. A recent graduate of the University of

California San Diego, she was instru-mental in making the Tennis On Campus program a huge success. Inher playing days, she was a member ofthe Orange Coast College team thatcaptured the Community CollegeWomen’s State Championship. To con-tact her, call, (310) 208-3838 Ext. 232or email takamori@SCTA.usta.com

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.Locals Dominate

Bradley Klahn won the Boys’ 18, defeating Andre Dome inthe Winter Nationals final. He also picked up the doubles

trophy, teaming with Steve Johnson. Southern Californiaclaimed Sportsmanship Awards with Klahn earning Boys’ 18honors, while Alison Ramos was the Girls’ 18 winner. Daniel Howas a Boys’ 16 finalist. Reo Asami was the Boys’ 14 champion,and Valerie Thong was the Girls’ 14 Sportsmanship winner. Allof which was a very impressive showing for the section.

At the Copper Bowl, John Huang defeated Joe Young in thesingles, and Matthew Siow/Spencer Talmadge were finalists inthe Boys’ 18. Petra Padalikova was a Girls’ 16 finalist. RickeyBaylon/Maximillian Licona were Boys’ 14 finalists, and SarahGealer/Desirae Krawczyk defeated Yuki Chiang/Riko Shimizuin the Girls’ 14.

National Schedule: Once again, there will be no nation-al schedule booklet printed. To access the schedule in PDFform, go to www.usta.com and click on tournaments &leagues/then juniors, tournaments. There will also be a linkon the SCTA web site as soon as the information is available.

Endorsement Requirements: There are no changes tothe endorsement requirements. They remain the same as in2007. The complete list is available on www.scta.usta.comunder juniors/endorsement requirements.

National Ranking Tournaments (Level 3/4/5): Thereare no changes to the SCTA Level 3/4/5 events. They remainthe same as in 2007. A list is available on www.scta.usta.comunder juniors/info for players and parents.

International Spring Championships And Easter Bowl:The USTA will once again hold the ITF International WinterChampionships, in Carson (ITF Grade 1), on March 31-April6 (qualifying March 29-30). Once the tournament informa-tion is available, it will be sent out. You can also look at tour-naments.usta.com (tournament ID # 651734908). The 2008Easter Bowl will be held in Rancho Mirage, April 6-13 (spe-cific starting dates for each division have yet to be deter-mined). The Boys’ and Girls’ 18’s will again be an ITF GradeB1 event.

Junior Sectionals: The Junior Tennis Council eliminatedthe two tournament requirement to be block seeded. Theseedings will be based on the current SCTA seeding list. Inthe event a player is not on the seeding list, the seeding com-mittee will take any exceptional national performance intoconsideration. Once again, 16 players will be block seeded inthe 18’s, 16’s, 14’s and 12’s divisions, with play beginning onFriday, June 20th. The Junior Sectionals is scheduled to beheld on June 14-16 (preliminary rounds) and June 19-23 (finalrounds).

Satellite Tournaments: Effective July 1st the JuniorTennis Council voted to no longer count Satellite tourna-ments in the Open rankings. The Satellite tournamentresults will be placed on a separate Satellite seeding list. AnySatellite tournament held in 2007 will be on a player’s Openseeding record until the time it “rolls off” (12 months oranother period of time to be determined by the RankingChairwoman). At future SCTA Junior Tennis Council meet-ings, additional satellite regulation changes may be made.These changes (if any) will be posted to the SCTA website.

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Bradley Klahn Alison Ramos Reo Asami

Sarah Gealer/Desirae KrawczykValerie Thong

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Important 2008 Information

BOYS’ 18

Christopher Freeman/Billy Grokenberger (MASTERS)

Tyler Bowman/Jonathan Kazarian (TOP POINTS)

BOYS’ 16

Skyler Davis/Arthur Karagezian(MASTERS AND TOP POINTS)

BOYS’ 14

Justin Agbayani/Rickey Baylon(MASTERS)

Reo Asami/Jonathan Huang(TOP POINTS)

BOYS’ 12

Garrett Auproux/Gregory Garcia (MASTERS AND TOP POINTS)

BOYS’ 10

Maxwell Cancilla/Justin Zhang(MASTERS)

Jack Barber/Jonathan Sorn (TOP POINTS)

GIR L S ’ 18

Alison Ramos/Lauren Ritz(MASTERS) StephanieHammel/Michelle Sulahian (TOP POINTS)

Fitting Ending

Due to the Southern California wildfires in mid-October, thePrince Doubles Grand Prix Masters Championships, featur-ing the top four teams in the point standings, was post-

poned until December 22nd. After a full day's play at Costa MesaTennis Center, 10 champions were crowned.

Throughout the program’s history, there has been one constant;the involvement of Prince Racquet Sports. The section and juniorcompetitors are indebted to Prince and the support provided byCaylan Leslie and Peg Connor.

Masters winners and Top Point earners:

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GIR L S ’ 16

Melissa Mastsuoka/Lindsay Zotovich (MASTERS)

Britney Sanders/Nikki Sanders(TOP POINTS)

GIR L S ’ 14

Sarah Gealer/Desirae Krawczyk(MASTERS)

Ashley Dai/Valerie Thong (TOP POINTS)

GIR L S ’ 12

Gabrielle Andrews/Mayo Hibi(MASTERS)

Brigitte Desnoes/AlexisPereira (TOP POINTS)

GIR L S ’ 10

Rebekah Anderson/Brittanie Eraso (MASTERS)

Paris Todd/SydneyVan Alphen (TOP POINTS)

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Quite A TeamStephanie Hammel and Michelle Sulahian became the firstdoubles team to win both Girls’ 18 Doubles SectionalChampionships in the sameyear. In June, the pair overcame a talented field of teams, defeat-ing Alison Ramos/Lauren Ritz6-2, 6-4 in the final. In Novem-ber, they prevailed over a strongentry list, culminating with a 6-1, 6-4 over Jo-Jo Sanford/Alexandria Walters. In Septem-ber, Stephanie will be playing forcoach Mike Edles at Universityof California Irvine, while Michellewill compete for Ronni Bernsteinat the University of Michigan. Michelle Sulahian and

Stephanie Hammel

Remembering ALegend

The 10th Gene Jung Team Challenge took place onDecember 1st at Costa Mesa Tennis Center. Jung, a for-mer Junior Tennis Council Chairman, was dedicated to

the development and growth of junior tennis. The TeamChallenge honors his contribution to the game.

A fun day, (including good tennis, food and holiday cheer),was had by all. At the end of the competition Team AlecHorton prevailed, defeating Team Hank Lloyd. The competitionwas tied on matches and games, which required a “DecidingMatch Tie-Break” to determine the outcome.

Team Alec members were: Reo Asami, Maximillian Hawkins,Dorothy Tang and Nicolette Tran. Team Hank included: DeitonBaughman, Lorraine Guillermo, Mayci Jones and Alex Scheinman.

Special thanks are extended to all the coaches who madethe day special: Alec Horton, Ruya Inalpulat, Hank Lloyd, BillReynolds and Geoff Roche.

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Team Hank Lloyd

Team Alec Horton Pacific Junior Cup Winners

Alexa Glatch was one of the 2007 Bill TalbertJunior Sportsmanship Award winners.

Photo: cameraworkusa

Boys’ 14 K-SwissMasters Championshipwinner Connor Treacy

National coaches Roger Smith and David Roditi, who work at Carson, with Sean Berman,Spencer Simon, Mika DeCoster and Marcos Giron at Davis Cup final in Portland.

Daniel Nguyen and JT Sundling were the National Boys’ 16 Doubles champions.

J U N I O R T E N N I S

D a r r e n P o t k e y

The intercollegiate season is rolling onat the Division I, II, III and NAIA,(along with the Community Colleges),

levels. Many schools in the section were list-ed among the country’s best in theIntercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rank-ings. USC led the way in the Men’s DivisionI listings at No. 6. UCLA was No. 9 andPepperdine was No. 16. On the Women’sDivision I side, the same three schools werethe front-runners, but the order was differ-ent. UCLA was No. 3, USC No. 8 andPepperdine was No. 19.

Both USC and UCLA will participate inthe 34th ITA National Men’s Team IndoorChampionships, hosted by the University ofWashington at the Nordstrom TennisCenter and the Seattle Tennis Club, thismonth. UCLA will travel to University ofWisconsin for the 21st ITA NationalWomen’s Team Indoor Championships atthe A.C. Nielsen Tennis Stadium.

In Men’s Division II pre-season ranking,University of California San Diego was No. 6.

Moving to Men’s Division III pre-seasonplay, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps was No. 4and Redlands was No. 17. Women’s DivisionIII found Pomona-Pitzer at No. 8,Claremont- Mudd-Scripps at No. 12 andRedlands at No. 13. The NAIA pre-seasonteam rankings had not been released asthe February News went to press.

In the California Community CollegeMen’s pre-season rankings, Ventura was No. 1, Riverside was No. 3, College of theDesert was No. 5 and Mt. San Jacinto wasNo. 7. Things were even better for Women’sCommunity College participants withSaddleback ranked No. 1, Orange Coast No.3, Ventura No. 5, Cerritos No. 7 andRiverside No. 9.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps will host the2009 Men’s NCAA Division III TennisChampionships. The tournament will bestaged at the Biszantz Family Tennis Centeron which construction begins this fall. Havingpreviously staged the Men’s event in 1980,1986, 1991 and 1999, along with the Women's

Championships in 1983, 1989 and 1997, the2009 event will be NCAA’s fifth appearanceat the university.

“When we knew that the new tennisfacility would be built, it became a priorityfor us as a program to host the premierecollegiate tennis event - the NCAAs,” saidPaul Settles, the men’s coach at CMS. “Weare ecstatic about showcasing our new facil-ity to the rest of the country, and compet-ing at the championships with a senior-laden team.”

CMS has a rich NCAA history, havinghad 10 top four finishes in men’s competi-tion, including winning the title in 1981. Theschool has also had four NCAA singles andfour NCAA doubles champions. Even moreimpressive, the CMS team has participatedin 27 of the 32 Championships, includingeight of the last nine.

(Special thanks to Casey Snedecor, ITAMedia Manager, and Casey Angle, ITA Directorof Championships & Communications, for pro-viding the ranking data.)

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UCLA Men

Pomona-Pitzer Women

UCLA Women

Biszantz Family Tennis Center

RollingM a r k W i n t e r s

I N T E R C O L L E G I A T E

The USTA Community TennisDevelopment Workshop (CTDW),which takes place February 22-24 at

the Flamingo Las Vegas, is a great way to net-work with Community Tennis Associationleaders from across the country. To registeror find out more about what will take placego to www.usta.com/ctdw

A CTA is “any incorporated, geographical-ly defined, not-for-profit, volunteer-basedorganization that supports or provides pro-grams which promote and develop thegrowth of tennis.” These groups work tocoordinate and maintain tennis programs andservices; guaranteeing that they are open andaccessible to all. They may act as advocates,program administrators, promoters or fund-raisers. Fueled by volunteers, they exist topromote and develop the game locally. Thinkabout starting a CTA in your area.

If you are interested in fundraising, hostinga Recreational Coach Workshop is the wayto go. Providing high quality instructors andcoaches will make your program moreattractive to local consumers. Plus, a sitereceives the following benefits from theUSTA: • Customizable marketing materials to

promote the workshop • Youth and adult curriculum materials• Certified trainer at no cost to the

workshop host• Financial reimbursement based upon

completed evaluations

Park & Recreation agencies, clubs,Community Tennis Associations, as well as

any organizations of this sort, interested inholding a Recreational Coach Workshop,should visit the RCW Host Site Resource(http://www.usta.com/rcwhostsite).

If you have questions about any of theitems mentioned above, or Community Tennisopportunities in Southern California, contactMelanie Bischoff at bischoff@scta.usta.com

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Update

C O M M U N I T Y T E N N I S

M e l a n i e B i s c h o f f

Women’s 3.5 Senior Playoff Winners - Orange County

FFeelliippee MMccCClluusskkeeyyWhen leukemia claimed 31-year-old FelipeMcCluskey, a San Fernando Valley resident,on December 30th, Southern Californianot only lost an outstanding tennis instruc-tor, but an individual everyone in the gamewill remember as “A friend of tennis andone of the nicest guys around.”

MMaaddeelleeiinnee MMeehhrreennMadeleine Mehren, mother of AnnetteBuck, Director of Adult & Senior Tennis,passed away in late December. Mehrenlived a long and happy life, and will be dearly missed. She and her husband Paulraised seven children. No matter how

In Memoriam

busy, she found countless opportunities tovolunteer her time and energy to help oth-ers. Though she never played tennis, shewas often an ardent fan, cheering for herhusband and children whenever they com-peted, and driving many miles to juniortournaments.

GGuuaaddaalluuppee ““PPaanncchhoo”” aanndd MMaarriiaann DDeellggaaddooThe tennis community lost two beloved indi-viduals when Guadalupe “Pancho” Delgado,who won the inaugural Father & Son HardCourt Championship in 1959 with sonRobert, passed away in November, andMarian Delgado joined her husband in January.

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The San Diego District TennisAssociation held its Annual Meetingand Awards Banquet at the La Jolla

Beach and Tennis Club. Among the honoreeswere: Alexander Magtanong - Male Player ofthe Year; Roz King - Female Player of theYear; Andy Volkert - Pro of the Year; TonyYbarra - Men’s Sportsmanship; Nancy Abler-Sanchez - Women’s Sportsmanship; BenPress’ - Family of the Year; Pat Mason -Community Service; Rancho PeñasquitosTennis Center Tournament - Tournament ofthe Year; Coronado Tennis Association -Club of the Year; CH Court Tech - Sponsorof the Year.

Anne Podney, outgoing president, handedher gavel to Geoff Griffin. Others elected totwo-year terms were: Lesley Waite, FirstVice-President; Fran Wakefield, Second Vice-President; Mike Bauer, Treasurer; BarbaraKingston, Recording Secretary; Roz King,Corresponding Secretary.

More that 150 guests attended the eventthat included a cocktail hour and dinner.Logan Jenkins, Union-Tribune columnist anda fine tennis player, was keynote speaker.

Fall Doubles League local winnersadvancing to the Sectional Championships

were: 4.5 Barnes Tennis Center (Mike Graves- captain); 4.5 Kit Carson Park (Randy Mita- captain); 4.5 Surf & Turf Tennis Club(Marcel Verdugo - captain) earned a wildcard winner into the tournament; 4.0 AltaMira (Steve Salm - captain); and 3.5 RanchoArbolitos Tennis Club (LarryPoole - captain);

Local teams that participatedin the Playoffs, hoping to gain aspot in the Sectionals were: 4.0Balboa Tennis Club (DebbieFitzgerald - captain); 4.0 MorganRun Resort (Kelly Coleman -captain); 3.5 Balboa Tennis Club(Ruth Solano - captain); 3.5 LakeMurray Tennis Club (DougGoodall - captain); and 3.5Rancho Peñasquitos TennisCenter (Donna Dube - captain).

The Mixed Doubles League,which tallied just over 600 play-ers, an 11% increase in participa-tion, is underway with matchesscheduled to end in March. Localwinners advance to the SectionalChampionships where they will belooking to move to the NationalWestern Championships.

The largest and most successful adultprogram in the country is League Tennis. Itfeatures a singles and doubles format from5.0 to 2.5 NTRP skill levels. The Captains’Meeting is Tuesday, February 5th at 12:30

p.m. at the San Dieguito Tennis Club inEncinitas. Registration deadline is March20th. Men play Sunday mornings andwomen play weekday mornings. Playersmust be USTA members. The fee is $21per player. (The captains’ player fee iswaived.) Registration, scoring and stand-ings can be found online. Captains need tocall (858) 755-8110 for a team registrationnumber and more information.

The San Diego District Tennis Association,celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2008, plans a year filled with tennis opportunities.

There will be Family Tennis Day eventsat various sites throughout the county,offering free introductions to the game.These fun-filled activities are held on aweekend afternoon. Participants may fol-low up with free Drop In Tennis clinics forNovice adults or After School Tennis foryoungsters. Visit www.sandiegotennis.com

for information about theFamily Tennis Days.

Mark your calendar forTennis Fest, at the BalboaTennis Club courts, at MorleyField on Sunday, May 4th fromnoon to 4:00 p.m. Twenty-fivecourts will have top teachingprofessionals, who donatetheir time, providing basicstroke tips, and running skilldrills for everyone on hand.

There will also be courts forchildren only. Games, prizes,music, and food all lend to thefestive atmosphere. It’s an after-noon that celebrates tennis andit’s free. Last year nearly 900people joined in the fun.

Larry Belinsky, Chairman of the San Diego Tennis Hall of Fame committee, an-

nounced that nominations for the Class of 2008 are due May 15th. A shortbiography must be submitted with each nomination. For an official form, visitwww.sandiegotennis.com and link toSDTHOF.

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The Ben Press family

Alexander Magtanong

Pat Mason

S A N D I E G O D I S T R I C T

L e s l e y Wa i t e

The largest and mostsuccessful adult program

in the country isLeague Tennis that

features a singles anddoubles format from

5.0 to 2.5 NTRP skill levels.

•

•

Annual Awards And 35th Anniversary

O n the first Saturday of November2007, a merry band of past and pres-ent players got together at Perris Hill

Park in San Bernardino for the First Perris HillTennis Reunion. Almost 100 people renewedfriendships, swapped stories and promised tospend more time on the courts in 2008.During the ‘60s and ‘70s, the facility was ahotbed of tennis in the Inland Empire. Theformer home of the San Bernardino Open,American Heart Association Tournament, San Bernardino City Tournament, and theNight-Time Mixed Doubles, to name just afew of the events held annually, some ofwhich had 300-400 entries, has been the

place to play for thepast 57 years.

Those attending the Reunion includ-ed Stefanie Rehe,Earl Perkins, DavidSalomon, Mary JoFallara, Mike Duranand Jim Gardner.Event organizerDon Mittica was

very pleased with the initial gathering andpromises another one will be arranged. Ifyou would like to be on the PH Reunionmailing list, contact Don at (909) 886-3117.

L ast fall, John W. North High School in Riverside was the grateful recipient of an SCTAgrant supporting its No-Cut Coach Tennis program. During his tenure at North,coach Nick Mateljan has provided all North students with the opportunity to learn

and play tennis. The result has been a consistent success, resulting in strong team spiritamong the players, a sportsmanship ethic on the courts and a positive experience for all involved. For more information about the No-Cut Tennis program, go tohttp://www.usta.com/coaches/custom.sps

The Redlands Racquet Club (RRC)continues to provide quality tennisprogramming for adult and junior

players in San Bernardino County. Based atthe University of Redlands Tennis complexsince 1963, challenge ladders, social play, USTAleagues, inter-club exchanges, tournaments,clinics and club teamtennis events areoffered to the 200+members. Last year’sSummer TwilightTennis League provedsuch a success thatplayers are alreadylooking forward to2008 sign-ups. Annualmembership is cur-rently open. Dues are$80/family for the year (and that’s a realbargain). For more information, go towww.redlandsracquetclub.org or contactMembership Chair George Ledford atgctledford@yahoo.com or President PhongNyugen at phongmn@aol.com

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A l i s o n R o e l l

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Perris Hill Tennis Reunion RedlandsRacquet Club

North High School Tennis

Dick Johnsrud and RussSchultz at Perris Hill

Reunion

Twilight 3.5 Leaguefinalists Dan Morgan,Stacie Richards, Tammy Pelzter, EdTapia and John Thau

Twilight 3.5 League champs Chad Skidmore,Christina Franco, Hum Bui, and Lam Stotelmyre

Men’s 65 winners John Thau and Jerry Potter

First Perris Hill ReunionPhotos: John Thau

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F all saw a flurry of activity at the sixtennis courts located at ClementMiddle School in Redlands. The facility,

established as Redlands Junior Tennis Center(RJTC) in 1987, had fallen into disrepair.Through generous donations, from both pri-vate and corporate sponsors, a completerenovation of the courts was undertaken.Redlands Recreation handled the biddingprocess for the court hydroblasting andresurfacing, the extension of fencing aroundthe new viewing area and the installation ofnet-strap attachments. The staff of GionTennis, along with parents, friends and playersweighed in with sweat equity, installing newwindscreens and a shade structure,painting poles, and planting 70 trees,donated as part of the Great CleanAir Tree Planting project, and spread-ing bark in the viewing area. Aportable office/storage facility is nowin place, as well as bleachers, courtesyof RUSD. Redlands Racquet Club alsoprovided assistance in the form of aloan for refurbishing the lights. All inall, it is a great example of what canbe done by a group of dedicated andinsightful community members, work-ing together with the city and school

district. A USTA Tennis Block Party is to bescheduled as the gala opening of the new,sparkling complex.

Since 2005, Gion Tennis has run multipleyouth tennis programs at RJTC in non-school hours. The emphasis has been ongrassroots tennis development, with afocus on urban and minority youth popula-tions. The aim is to serve junior playersbetween the ages of four and 18. The cur-rent ethnic distribution is Black/AA (30%),Asian (10%), Caucasian (20%), Hispanic(10%), South Asian (30%). Gion Tennis hasgrown to include 60 children, who partici-pate on three Jr. Team Tennis squads thatplay at the facility. The 12 Intermediate teamwon the Spring 2007 Southern CaliforniaSectional Championship. The improve-ments at the facility have allowed an expan-sion of activities that include, but are notlimited to tournaments, and league compe-tition. Not only has the “new look” helpedGion Tennis create a more attractive loca-tion, it has made the setting a better learn-ing environment for the area’s youth. Forupdates on events and programs, check thewebsite www.giontennis.com (My thanks toDave Jaffe for contributing to this article.)

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R E S U L T SR E S U L T S

I N L A N D E M P I R E - C O U R T N O T E S

A l i s o n R o e l l

BOYS’ 16

Tanner Emerson d. Ryan Agbayani6-4, 3-6, 7-6BOYS’ 14

Justin Agbayani d. Giordano Valdez6-3, 6-2BOYS’ 12

Nick Wood d. Jack Felich6-2, 6-1BOYS’ 10

Ryan Marker d. Wyatt Cole4-6, 6-4, 7-5

GIR L S ’ 16

Jourdan Jefferson d. Regina Suarez7-5, 6-3GIR L S ’ 14

Amber Nelson d. Taylor Briggs3-6, 6-3, 6-2GIR L S ’ 12

Grace Funk d. Tiffany Delapaz6-3, 6-2GIR L S ’ 10

Yolanda Pham d. Stephanie Hazell6-2, 6-2

Desert Cities Grand Prix Masters Championships

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Girls’ 10Girls’ 16

Redlands Junior Tennis Center

Preparing the grounds...

and the courts was a team effort.

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R E S U L T S

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BOYS’ 14

Reo Asami/Jonathan Huang d.Erik Lim/Ace Matias6-7, 6-3, 7-6 BOYS’ 12

Joseph Di Giulio/Thomas Purad. Lucas Gomez/NikkoMadregallejo6-4, 6-0

BOYS’ 10

Maxwell Cancilla/Bradley Cumminsd. Jack Barber/Jonathan Sorn6-4, 6-1 GIR L S ’ 18

Stephanie Hammel/MichelleSulahian d. Jo-Jo Sanford/Alexandria Walters6-1, 6-4

GIR L S ’ 16

Hailey Hogan/SabrinaSantamaria d. BritneySanders/Nikki Sanders6-4, 7-5GIR L S ’ 14

Ashley Dai/Valerie Thong d.Sarah Gealer/Desirae Krawczyk7-5, 6-3

BOYS’ 18

Tyler Bowman/JonathanKazarian d. ChristopherFreeman/ Billy Grokenberger6-3, 6-7, 6-1 BOYS’ 16

Daniel Ho/Joshua Tchan d.Marcos Giron/Spencer Simon6-4, 6-3

105th Junior Sectional Doubles & Mixed Championships

Boys’ 18 Boys’ 10

Girls’ 14

Girls’ 12Boys’ 12

Boys’ 16

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GIR L S ’ 12

Alyssa Smith/Dorothy Tang d.Gabrielle Andrews/Mayo Hibi7-5, 4-6, 6-2 GIR L S ’ 10

Geneva Lewis/Carolyn Xie d.Kenadi Hance/Angela Kulikov6-2, 6-3 18 M IXED

Catherine Isip/Walker Kehrer d.Stephanie Hammel/Kyle McMorrow7-5, 6-2 16 M IXED

Dennis Mkrtchian/Sabrina Santamariad. Marcos Giron/Sarah Lee6-0, 1-6, 6-0

14 M IXED

Rickey Baylon/DesiraeKrawczyk d. Valerie Thong/Johnny Wang6-1, 5-7, 6-2

12 M IXED

Joseph Di Giulio/Alyssa Smith d.Nikko Madregallejo/Dorothy Tang6-0, 6-2

10 M IXED

Yuki Asami/Maxwell Cancilla d.Daniel Gealer/Carolyn Xie7-5, 6-4

R E S U L T SR E S U L T S

Girls’ 10

18 Mixed 12 Mixed

10 Mixed16 Mixed

Non-Prof it Org

US Postage

P A I D

UCLA

UCLA

Southern California Tennis Association

Los Angeles Tennis Center - UCLA

420 Charles E. Young Drive West

Los Angeles, CA 90024-9115

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R E S U L T S

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BOYS’ 18

Sean Levesque d. Connor Karen6-2, 6-1 BOYS’ 16

Alexander Gryaznov d. Sam Rodgers6-0, 6-2BOYS’ 14

Bryce Beisswanger d. McCoy Becker4-6, 6-4, 6-3BOYS’ 12

Corey Karen d. Eli Whittle7-5, 6-1BOYS’ 10

Nolan Rucker d. Gabriel Rapoport 7-5, 7-6GIR L S ’ 16

Jordan Brewer d. Della Taylor6-2, 6-2GIR L S ’ 14

Elle Taylor d. Alexandra Spring6-2, 6-3 GIR L S ’ 12

Sarah Stadfelt d. Alison Ho6-3, 6-4GIR L S ’ 10

Dominique Schaefer d. Ryan Peus6-2, 6-2

Central Coast Grand Prix Masters Championships

Boys’ 18

Boys’ 16

Boys’ 10

Girls’ 16

Girls’ 14

Girls’ 12