His Countrywide Classic per-formance left no doubt aboutSam Querrey’s ability. He canplay. At the US Open, he

offered more evidence by surprising PhillipKohlschreiber. The No. 174 ranked wild card,in his Grand Slamdebut, defeated theNo. 63 German 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

“I thought Iplayed great , ”Querrey said. “Oneof my best matchesof the year; servedreally well. My fore-hand, I was justcrushing it all day;just felt great.”

Having decidedto turn pro ratherthan take a tennisscholarship at USC,Querrey, said, “Iwent back and forth every day until June. Igot advice from everyone, and everyone’swas different.”

He continued, “Had a great summer; hadwildcards into almost every ATP event.That's been great. Makes life a little easier.Won some rounds at a couple of them. Thesummer tournaments really boosted myconfidence.”

The 18-year-old, whose Chatsworthschoolmates (“The Samurai”) painted theirchests green, provided vociferous supportduring his UCLA run when he defeatedVince Spadea before dropping a close matchto finalist Dmitry Tursunov, is viewed as “TheNext” in American tennis. “I try to block out

a lot of the pressure and the expectationsand just focus on my game, and do the bestthat I can,” he explained.

Prior to facing Gaston Gaudio ofArgentina in the second round, Querrey, wasasked if he knew his opponent, and he

replied as only Sam could (witha grin), “Won the French Open,I know that. Other than that,not too much.”

His new kid on the blockfearlessness served him wellas he took the first set 6-3,but from there on, the 2004Roland Garros champion tookcontrol, winning 3-6, 6-2, 6-1,6-4. “I lost, but I think I couldhave won,” he said. “I playedwell the first set. In the lastthree, I lost it mentally. Hestarted winning his servicegames easier and it bugged me.My service games got closer. Ididn’t play. Nothing was out-

standing. I was greatly ordinary.”A year ago, Vania King played her way

through the qualifying to earn a spot in theUS Open Women’s draw. She scored herfirst Grand Slam tournament victory bydefeating Klara Koukalova of Czech Republic6-3, 3-6, 6-1, before being dismissed byNathalie Dechy of France, seeded No. 15,6-1, 6-1.

King, who turned down a Stanford schol-arship when she turned pro in July, came tothe Open ranked No. 70. In her initial match,she dispatched Alicia Molik of Australia 6-3,6-2. Tournament finalist Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium, the No. 2 seed, did thedispatching in King’s next encounter, 6-1, 6-2.

DECEMBER 2006newsSouthern California Tennis Association

SoCal Juniors Shine At The OpenM a r k W i n t e r s

Photos : camerawork .usa

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Sam Querrey

Vania King

“...She became only the

second American to

collect a title in 2006,

and became the youngest...

since Williams...”

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King, whose twin sisters, Ivana andMindy, also know their way around a tune,said of her warm up, “I sang in the car.” Sheadded, “I was nervous, almost like itwas a match. When I got out there andstarted, I was fine. It was over so quickly, Ihad no problem. I wanted to show thatthere is more a tennis player can do thanjust play tennis.”

Serena Williams praised her saying, “I thinkVania King is doing pretty well. I heard ofher when I was in LA, playing the tourna-ment. I think she has a very bright future.”

It should be noted that in October, afterwinning the PTT Thailand Open singles anddoubles (with Jelena Kostanic of Croatia; theduo also teamed for King’s first career WTAwin the week before, at the AIG Japan OpenTennis Championships), she became only thesecond American to collect a title in 2006,and the youngest American to loft a champi-on’s trophy since Serena Williams claimedthe US Open title in 1999.

Last year, Michael McClune made his jun-ior Grand Slam debut in New York. FacingMarin Cilic of Croatia, the No.2 seed, he recalled, “I couldbarely move.” This year was adifferent story as the 17-year-old raced past Ricardo Uzua ofChile 6-1, 6-4.

McClune is part of theAdvantage Tennis Academy

program in OrangeCounty “The experi-ence of playing herelast year helped,” headmitted. “I’ve beenplaying Futures and thisalso made it easier. Inthe future, I’m going tocontinue doing thesame thing. I have totake advantage of myserve and keep movingforward.”

Against Greg Joneshe was unable to do soand the Aussie earneda 6-1, 6-2 victory.

Admitting that he went into the120th Southern California OpenSectional Championship “really notplanning on winning”, Jason Jung didexactly that, earning a wild card into

the Countrywide Classic. “I had to pre-qual-ify so I ended up playing eight matches,” hesaid. “Once I got into the main draw, my only

thought was aboutthe wildcard andwhat it would belike to play in thepros. I playedWayne Arthursand it wasn’t agood match. I wasnervous, but Ilearned you haveto have the sizeand serve.”

The confidenceJung gained at theSectional Champ-ionships servedhim well at theBillie Jean KingNational TennisCenter. “I wasn’tplanning on going,but my mom toldme I had a goodchance to qualify,”he said. “I won

two matches and got in. I played HansPodlipnik of Chile. It was a close match.” (Helost 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.)

Jung, who turned 17 in June, visitedNew York three years ago to watch the US

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The 17-year-old is quite comfortable deal-ing with the pressure of being the highestranked young American woman. She evi-denced her mental moxie with a stunningrendition of “America The Beautiful” inAr thur Ashe Stadium prior to a nightmatch. One observer offered, “If herfuture wasn’t set in tenn i s , i t wou ldbe in singing. She has an extraordinaryvoice.”

(continued from previous page)

Jason Jung

Michael McClune

Martina Navratilova and Bob Bryan won the Mixed Doubles. “...It was great Bob wanted to

play with me,” said Navratilova of her last tournament. “Now we have an All-American title.

Winning at home is very, very special.”Julia Boserup

The 81st Countrywide Classic ispart of the US Open Series, andwill take place July 16-22, 2007 at

the Los Angeles Tennis Center – UCLA.For information visit: www.countrywideclassic.com or call (310) 824-1010

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Open. “This year was a lot better,” he said.“I traveled with my friend Christopher Ho.He has an uncle who lives in the city. Everyday we took the subway to the TennisCenter. Carrying our tennis bags, peopleasked if we were players. I actually signedsome autographs. It was a lot of fun.”

Earning a spot in the Open is a test;one Julia Boserup almost passed in 2005. Thisyear she graduated with honors by qualifiing.“I played my first match outside and my nextindoors because of the rain,” the 15-year-oldsaid. “I liked it because the surface was fast.”

Having been coached by Robert Lansdorpsince she was 7, (“He’s the greatest,” sheoffered.), Boserup is big off the ground.Unfortunately, Ksenia Milevskaya of Belaruswas bigger, taking the contest 6-3, 6-3. “Ikept telling myself to just play my game,”Boserup said. “I thought I did, but myopponent played better.”

Boserup, an Elena Dementieva look-alike, was accompanied in New York by hermother, Ann-Marie and her sister, Mia. “Iwas outside the Hyatt (the tournamenthotel) and a kid came up and asked me if Iwas Dementieva.” She didn’t sign an auto-graph then, but she did after coming off thepractice court. Asked if she would nowhave a Sharpie in her bag, Boserup grinned,“I don’t carry one around.”

A year ago, Bradley Klahn also attempt-ed to qualify and wasn’t successful. In 2006,he received a wild card and faced MartinKlizan, the top seed. The Slovak Republicyoungster lived up to his billing, defeatingKlahn 6-1, 7-6.

Though he spends some time training atthe Barnes Tennis Center, his primary

coach is Lee Merry, whooperates at the RanchoBernardo CommunityTennis Center. “I started toplay when I was 11,” Klahnsaid. “That’s when I startedwith Lee. I played baseball,basketball and soccer. I gotinto tennis late.”

Under Merry’s tutelage,the 16-year-old is develop-ing an all-around game. Thisspring he went to Uruguay,Paraguay and Argentina toplay ITF events. “I’m notreal good on clay,” he said

with a smile. “Hard courts are my best sur-face. As far as my strokes, I like my fore-hand best, but everything can get better. Italso helps to be lefthanded.”

Being around Brittany Augustine, onecan only be overwhelmed. Talk about amagnetic and energetic personality, the 14-year-old product of the Safe Passage pro-gram has the market cornered. She’s got it!

“I was shocked that I got in last year,”she said with a toothpaste smile. “This year,I’m a little more acclimated. It’s always nicebeing around the players. I got to seeLleyton Hewitt with his baby.”

Tony Brock is the driving force behindSafe Passage. “I trust everything he saysbecause it works,” Augustine admitted.“He wants me to get into the net, and Iwant to have a different game than theother players.”

Augustine teamed with AlexandraAnghelescu of Florida. “I like to serve andvolley,” she said. “That’s what I’ve beenworking on. My serve has gotten a lotbetter.”

The same holds for Augustine who said,“My serve is getting stronger, and I’m moreeager to go to the net. Opponents are notused to this because you don’t see juniorscoming in much.”

Unfortunately, Maria Fernanda AlvarezTeran of Bolivia/Yanina Wickmayer ofBelgium scored a 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 decisionover the duo.

Klahn put the Open into perspectivesaying, “Last year really helped me. I knewwhat to expect.” He added, “I am so glad tobe here in the great atmosphere, and havea chance to take it all in.”

Bradley Klahn

The 81stCountrywide

Classic

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Doubles winners Bob and Mike BryanPhoto courtesy of Getty Images

2006 champion Tommy Haas

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

It was hot, but the weather did not stop morethan 6,000 youngsters, at 130 locations, from par-ticipating in the Amateur Athletic Foundation/

National Junior Tennis League summer tennis pro-grams. At the end of the season, two Special ActivityDays were held at Whittier Narrows Tennis Center.

In-N-Out Burger served lunch at breakneck speed to the 500kids on hand. A third Special Activity Day was held at Robb Fieldin San Diego. More than100 youngsters had a great time goingthrough drills, round robin play and the hit for prizes.

Chakar Simba and Park Cockerill, two fantastic instructors, areretiring after 22 years of storied work in Inglewood and the SanFernando Valley. Both made a point of teaching tennis as well aslife skills. Both had an opportunity to influence thousands andwatch those they worked with go on to accomplish bigger and

The Jr. Team Tennis National Championships is the program’s crown jewel. The event showcases the best elements of 14 Advanced and Intermediate tennis:

spirited competition, friendship, achievement, sportsmanship and fun.

Playing in a National Championship is a once-in-a-lifetime experience as the Fullerton Tennis Center Advanced and

Westview Attackers Intermediate teams discovered.

For 24 years, the Gar Glenney Cup has been a Southern/Northern California Jr. Team Tennis tradition. Annually, the sections bring their best teams to compete. In the last match,SoCal won 56 -16 matches thanks to the effort of teams from the Fullerton Tennis Center, Sunset Hills Country Club, Westlake Tennis & Swim and San Diego Surf & Turf.

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Hot AAF/NJTL Summer A r l e n e B a r c o

Gar Glenney And MoreP h o t o s a n d I n f o r m a t i o n b y G i n a P e l a z i n i

better things. Both will be greatly missed.The Jack Kramer KIK (Kids Instruct Kids) program is going

strong, with120 youngsters who have become teachers since itbegan four years ago. “Before KIK, we had two AAF/NJTL kidsreturn as staff,” said Dee Henry, who runs the AAF/NJTL pro-gram at Biola University. “Since KIK began, the entire summerstaff is exclusively KIK. This year’s Head Instructor, AshleyNicolaides first played tennis in AAF/NJTL at Biola when she was14. She joined KIK the following summer. In time, she made herhigh school team, and in 2006, she was a valued member of theBiola team.”

Thirty-five sites hosted the first session of the AAF/NJTLYear-Round program which began in October. For informationabout remaining Year-Round opportunities, contact Arlene Barcoat (310) 208-3838 Ext. 234.

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Spectacular SummerP h o t o s a n d I n f o r m a t i o n b y M a r t h a K a t s u f r a k i s

The 27th K-Swiss Summer Grand Prix wasspectacular. More than 12,000 youngsters

from across the section and theIntermountain, Eastern and Southern sec-tions, along with players from Bangkok,Canada, Saudi Arabia, Guam, New Zealandand Singapore, participated in the forty-twotournament circuit.

One thousand-one hundred and fortyearned Grand Prixpoints. Reo Asami,who collected 1,180,was the only per-former to jointhe 1000 PointClub. The MastersChampionshipswas held at theLakewood TennisCenter.

Boy’s 10 finalist Joshua Rosen andwinner Stefan Doehler

Boy’s 12 winner Jake DeVries andfinalist Gannon Daynes

Boy’s 14 winner Reo Asami andfinalist Oliver Thornton

1,000 point winner Reo Asami

Boy’s 16 finalist Connor Hardie andwinner Warren Hardie

Boy’s 18 winner Evan Meltzer andfinalist Douglas Edwards

Girl’s 10 finalist Christine Maddox andwinner Alexis Pereira

Girl’s 16 finalist Lexi Provancha andwinner Elena Najera

Girl’s 18 finalist Vijan DeLoreyes and winner Kaitlyn Christian

Girl’s 14 winner Jennifer Cornea andfinalist Alexander Constance

Girl’s 12 finalist Mayo Hibi andwinner Katelyn Nguyen

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T he word is out on college campusesthis fall, as students kick off a new aca-demic and recreational tennis year–

“the fuzz is da buzz”. After a successful2005-2006 season, that saw UCLA, USCand UCSD represent the SouthernCalifornia section at the 2006 NationalChampionships, student leaders of theTennis On Campus program have beenorganizing; anxious to increase competi-tion.

Good news spreads fast. New schoolshave been added this fall, in both the LosAngeles and San Diego areas. Participantsare part of the new Tennis On CampusLeague that provides monthly tennis eventsgiving students an opportunity to test

Tennis On-Campus Kick OffL i n d a M i l a n

themselves on court.The co-ed team format, involving all lev-

els of undergraduate and graduate students, isa natural for the college environment. Whatbetter way to meet new people and continueplaying or to learn a new sport and get exer-cise to relieve the stress of studying?

As Mark Otten a graduate student, whomanages the UCLA Intramural/Club Tenniseffort, pointed out, "If you start your ownclub or get involved running intramurals, you’llget to know everyone that plays tennis atyour school… I am not exaggerating.”

For additional information or to start aTennis On Campus program, contact LindaMilan at lmilan@scta.usta.com or visitwww.scta.usta.com/adult/recreationaltennis

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A fter spine surgery inJune, I was benchedfor six months – no

tennis. It was the polaropposite of my usual dailytennis and participation intournaments as often as Icould. Although I couldn’tplay, I wanted to stay closeto the game. It was thenthat Idecided touse a proj-ect that Ihad begun

in my junior year ofhigh school to bene-fit Special Olympics,whom I had coached

Everyone Has A TalentA x e l l e K l i n c k e

with in the past. I would make and handdecorate handbags and computer cases andsell them. I would be able to use my timeaway from the game in a productive way.

I traveled to China with my family to finda supplier who could make the bags. Then Ihand painted and decorated them withSwarovski crystals. In the months followingsurgery, I made presentations to various

women’s groups and organized fashionshows, in order to donate the profits to theSpecial Olympics. The monies will be usedto purchase new uniforms and to send ath-letes to competitions across the state.

The Special Olympics has alwaysappealed to me, because it provides an envi-ronment in which athletes can interact com-fortably and have fun with each other andthe coaches. The activities allow for manythings that benefit both the children andtheir families, the best of which is seeingtheir children being independent.

The importance of philanthropy seemsobvious to me. It was wonderful to findsomething that I was passionate about,much like designing, and utilize it when Ineeded something to fill the void after mysurgery made it impossible for me to play. Irealized that everyone has a talent they canshare and utilize some way or other, inorder to help others.

For information about my products,please feel free to call (323) 459-3225.

Axelle Klincke (brunette in center, bag over shoulder) at one of the presentations.

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The annual Community Developmentand Recreational Coaches Work-shops, held at Indian Wells Tennis

Garden, drew a record-setting number ofparticipants because of compelling topicsand presenters.

Tom Fey made the Recreational CoachWorkshop offering both entertaining andinformative. Ellen Del Colle providedinsight regarding the USTA Tennis &Education Foundation’s grant process toopen Community Development topics.

“Big Ideas For Big Events” featuredGeoff Griffin, Barry Friedman, Hank Lloydand Terry Lynch. John Toppel of adidas, BobShafer of Balle de Match, and Bill Rennie ofThe Active Network provided “MarketingTennis In Your Community” insight.

Dennis Ralston, a former USC standout,Davis Cup player and coach, stole the showas the keynote speaker. Ralston, who won27 national singles and doubles titles duringhis career, is still the youngest to take homethe Wimbledon men’s doubles trophy, (oneof his five Grand Slam doubles titles).

The Bakersfield native has returned tothe Mission Hills Country Club. For infor-mation about his extensive clinic offerings,call (760) 992-8137.

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

ATA ShowcaseThe ATA Championships, played in San

Diego, showcased California’s tennis talentin the junior, open and senior ranks. EarleSeagle edged Danet Miquel in an excitingBoys’18 final. Michael Armstead, Jr./BenjaminRoy were Boys’ 18 doubles finalists. NatalieDillon scored a Girls’ 16 sweep, winning thesingles over Andrea Walton and taking thedoubles with Danielle Jackson.

Phillip Graham claimed the Men’s Openwith a decision over John Evans. RussellHiggins and Barbara Dawson were the Men’sand Women’s 40 singles champions. CalvinBennett/Maurice Hunter were the Men’s 45doubles winners. Ramona Robinson was aWomen’s 45 doubles finalist with PamelaLoyd, and a Women’s 50 singles finalist. RozKing rarely left the court, capturing theWomen’s 50 doubles with Josephine Mendez,and taking the Women’s 60 singles.

Marie Flemming was better than DriscillaWright in the Women’s 65 title round. CharlesTeaberry was the story in Men’s 70 play sur-viving a lengthy three-setter in the singles finaland collecting doubles honors with JamesRidgley. Jim Kelly was a Mixed 55 doubles final-ist with Fenella Cooper. Josephine Mendez/James Pyles defeated Marie Flemming/RobertWilliams in the Mixed 60 doubles final.

NCAA champion, Suzi Babos of Caldefeated Melanie Gloria of FresnoState 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 in the Riviera/ITA

Women’s All-American Championships, pre-sented by Fila, singles final. It was the firsttime in the history of the event begun in1983 that a third set tie-break decided theoutcome. Roxanne Clark and Kady Pooler ofArizona State scored a monumental 8-4 vic-tory for doubles honors over the defendingchampions, Catrina and Christian Thompsonof Notre Dame.

Babos became the second Berkeley per-former (Raquel Kops-Jones was the first in2003.) to walk off with the All-Americantitle. Even more impressive, the juniorbecame the first player in 11 years to reach all

three national finals during her career – All-American, NCAA and ITA National Indoor.Keri Phebus of UCLA scored the trifecta in1994-95.

Clark and Pooler, a former SoCal juniorstandout, were equally impressive earningtheir school’s first All-American doubles title.Not to be outdone, the Thompsons played a

record setting third straight tournament final.Ben Kohlloeffel of UCLA won the

Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA)National Indoor Championships for the sec-ond year in a row, becoming the third playerto do so and the fifth collegiate to win threenational collegiate singles titles.

The ITA Small College Division III Champ-ionships was all about Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Team members Mike Starr (picturedleft), and William Ellison/David Oehm (pic-tured right) won the singles and doubles.CMS’s Gui Schils/Lawrence Wang won thetitle last year. The school, whose program isgrowing by leaps and bounds under thedirection of Paul Settles, may host the eventat its new facility in 2007.

School TimeStories by M a r k W i n t e r s

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Workshops Enlighten. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Geoff Griffin, Barry Friedman, Terry Lynch and Hank Lloyd

John Toppel, Bob Shafer and Bill Rennie

Melanie Bischoff and Ellen Del Colle

Dennis Ralston

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Learning And MaturingR i z a Z a l a m e d a

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

A question that many intercollegiate/aspiring professional play-ers face is – “Should I stay another year, or should I leaveschool now?” I must admit, I continually confront the issue.

After all, the professional life is a tempting career. In retrospect, mysophomore year was the most challenging emotionally and physi-cally of all the years I have played. Not only did I sprain an ankleearly in the season, but I fell into a slump where my confidenceteetered. I couldn’t win a match or practice without outbursts ofdesperation.

It was disheartening towatch my teammates fightingfor each point, while I sat onthe sidelines having lost amatch. Nevertheless, I stuck itout, putting more time andintensity on practicing, gettingfitter, and taking care of mybody. It became almost an

obsession. I got on the courts early in the morning, and late in theafternoon to have individual workouts.As luck would have it, I earneda spot in the NCAA Championships with a ranking of No. 56.

I realized then that I love the pressure of competition, and I hadnothing to lose because I had already experienced the worst. Withthat mind set, I fought fearlessly into the singles and doubles quar-terfinals. It took a tremendous amount sweat and blood, and evensome tears, to get through the jungle…yet it was part of the devel-opment and experience I needed to become a pro.

It doesn’t matter if its college or pro, I am building to improvemy game. I won my second $10,000 Satellite singles title, during thesummer, at Edmond, Oklahoma. I was fresh and still “willing” myselfto win matches. I knew what I had to do. Winning the title wasgratifying because I earned it, and I gained a lot of confidence.

Unfortunately, playing as an amateur, my per diem barely covereda fraction of what I spent traveling to Oklahoma. I hurt my knee inthe final, but I decided to play the next event in Southlake, Texas. Myparents told me not to go, but I wanted to keep playing because Ihad made a commitment. It was also my last chance to play the cir-cuit before returning home to go to summer school.

I was doubtful the morning of the match, and as it turned out,I was right to be doubtful. I lost 6-0, 6-0. I wasn’t even angrybecause I knew I was mentally tired. Practice had become monot-onous, and I was no longer “fresh”. I hit my peak the week before,and I just couldn’t keep it up. It shows that I am an amateur, and Istill have plenty to learn.

On the tour, a large percentage of working on your game comesfrom the experience of it; getting use to adversity and uncomfort-able situations, and learning how to deal with them. College suppliesplayers with the necessary resources and support that are ideal foran aspiring tennis professional, (not to mention the extra benefitsthat make college fun.)

Another Way M a r k W i n t e r s

Trying to keep up with Grant Chen. requires strapping onyour adidas runners. The energetic, effervescent UCLA gradtook a unique approach to becoming involved in intercolle-

giate tennis. Though he was formerly a ranked junior, a four-timeAll-League performer and No.1 player at Dos Pueblos High School,he realized a different road needed to be taken to the Westwoodcourts. “Quite a few of the Ivy League schools were interested inme as a player, but they didn’t offer scholarships,” Chen said. Hecontinued, “This (UCLA) is where I was meant to go. After I com-mitted, my mom found a picture of me when I was about 4, wear-ing a UCLA shirt and hat.”

Adding to the Chen saga, he said, “In high school, I was involvedin all sorts of extracurricular activities. Without tennis I found I hada lot of time on my hands when I was a freshman, and I missed thesport. I approached Billy (Martin, UCLA men’s coach) right beforeOjai, and he said we could talk after the tournament. We met andhe agreed to let me become the team’s manager. I had played jun-ior tennis with Travis Rettenmaier and I knew some of the otherplayers on the team. I think they helped convince Billy that I wouldbe good.”

Chen was the manager for five years. “It was one ofmost worthwhile things I have ever done,” he said. “I lovedputting in the time. It wasn’t work.”

Having become a fixturein the men’s tennis program,Chen assists Martin’s tenniscamp efforts in the summerand during the UCLAbreaks before the fall holi-days. Since UCLA is an adi-das school, he has becomeactive in product testing anddeveloping marketing ideas.“I freelance,” he said. “I’vehelped for a couple of years.It’s fun to see from thebeginning to the end of thedevelopment of a shoe. It’sinteresting how they takeinto account the players’needs, and see that it’s com-fortable, durable and fashionable; three very important factors.”

In the fall, Chen was named Director of the Los Angeles TennisCenter, a newly created position. Admitting he is “impassionedabout tennis”, he added, “I’m entering new territory. They havenever had a director before. People want to keep me here. Now,I have to live up to their expectations. I will be working with themen’s and women’s teams. I will be responsible for seeing that thefacility is prepared for tennis activities. I want to make sure it’s hos-pitable. I will also be involved with development.”

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9

he 27th US Open WheelchairTennis Championships, spon-sored by Campbell’s and The

Tennis Channel, was a huge success,Drawing players from across the coun-try and around the world. The BarnesTennis Center hosted the tourna-ment.

As Kerry Blum, thefacility’s Executive Directorexclaimed, “Wow. SanDiegans were treated to amazing tennisduring the prestigious tournament.Every court at the Barnes Tennis Centerhad players wheeling about at unbeliev-able speeds. Over 175 junior and adultcompetitors participated.”

Included in this group were the fol-lowing from Southern California: Lylah

Mixed Doubles finalists Tiffany Geller/Nick Taylor and winners AnthonyLara/Kaitlyn Verfuerth.

Wheelchair SpectacularM a r k W i n t e r s

Photos : Annet te Buck

Men’s C Doubles finalists Matt Long/Jim Yoes and winners Alan Salceda/Atif Moon

Bradford, Tiffany Geller, Greg Hasterok,Anthony Lara, Matt Long, Atif Moon,Michelle Mapstead, Dana Mathewson,Dan Mathewson, Alan Salceda, KaitlynVerfuerth, Jim Yoes and Rafael Zamarripa.

Blum continued, “Spectators gaspedas the players regularly turned theirchairs on one wheel in order to changedirection and chase down shots. Theskill exhibited was magnificent towatch. Everyone was mesmerized bythe battles for the traditional gold, sil-ver and bronze balls. Each and everyplayer deserves congratulations formaking the tour-nament such amemorable affair.”

Ken Solomon,Cha irman andCEO of The TennisChannel, added,“The champion-ships are one ofthe great stories

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Women’s A finalist Michelle Mapstead and winner Dana Mathewson

Junior players wearing their Campbell’s/The Tennis Channel tournament jackets.

in American tennis. These athletescompete at an extraordinary level anddisplay the hearts of champions themoment they roll out on the courts.Anyone who watched the play realizedthey accomplished something muchmore extraordinary. After a few min-utes you invariably forget they are inwheelchairs and you see what theyreally are, people like you and me fac-ing life’s challenges and overcomingadversity with grace, style, humanityand the will to win. We see in them thebest of what we all aspire to be.”

Quad Second Doubles finalists Boniface Prabhu/Lylah Bradford and winners Greg Hasterok/Rafael Zamarripa.

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L E A G U E T E N N I S

P h o t o s a n d I n f o r m a t i o n b y A l i O r d o n e z

Sectional Championships

3.0 - San Gabriel Valley3.5 - Los Angeles4.0 - San Diego

4.5 - Orange County5.0 - Beach CitiesMen’s Open - San Diego

2.5 - San Diego North County3.0 - San Fernando Valley3.5 - San Diego North County

4.0 - Inland Empire4.5 - Santa Barbara5.0 - Orange County

Women’s

Men’s

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3.0 - San Gabriel Valley

L E A G U E T E N N I S

P h o t o s a n d I n f o r m a t i o n b y A l i O r d o n e z

Sectional Senior Championships Sectional SuperSenior

Championships

3.0 - San Gabriel Valley

3.5 - Orange County

4.0 - Orange County

4.0 - San Fernando Valley7.0 - Orange County

8.0 - Coachella Valley

7.0 - San Diego

9.0 - Coachella Valley

4.5 - San Diego

3.5 - San Gabriel Valley

Women’s

Men’s

Men’s

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4.5 - San Diego

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son. It drew nearly 600 entrants, com-peting in 52 divisions featuring Openthrough the 80s, NTRP class events andmany family categories.

During the tournament the inauguralSan Diego Tennis Hall Of Fame induc-tion ceremony took center stage onthe Maureen Connolly Stadium Court.The class of 2006 included: Bill Bond,Maureen Connolly Brinker, MichaelChang, Dodo Cheney, Wilbur Folsom,Jeanne Doyle Garrett, William ScrippsKellogg, Fred Kinne, Ben Press andKaren Hantze Susman. Each spoke oftheir passion for tennis. All agreed that

the game madethem better peopleand enhanced theirlives. All have left anindelible mark onSan Diego’s richtennis history.

Larry Belinsky, whobrought the idea ofinstituting a San DiegoTennis Hall of Fame to

the SDDTA, headed the committee thatspent nearly a year preparing for the cele-bration. Belinsky also chaired the selectioncommittee that included Ed Collins, JeanKremm, Jim Lackritz, Bill Stack and ValerieZiegenfuss.

Encore! That’ll be tennis in the SanDiego District in 2007.

hat a year this hasbeen. It sounds like asong lyric, and the

San Diego District TennisAssociation reached all the highnotes during 2006.

Bill Kellogg, president of the La Jolla Beach& Tennis Club, orchestrated the USA-Romania Davis Cup tie. It was amazing towatch the temporary stadium court rise onwhat is the club’s golf course. More than 5,000fans enjoyed the weekend of tennis that fea-tured Andy Roddick, James Blake and theBryan brothers. Winning made it even better.

There was hardly time for intermissionbefore the next event, the free 6th San DiegoTennis Fest extravaganza. The SDDTA signa-ture activity was held on 25 courts at BalboaTennis Club. Tracy Austin headlined the day’stennis. She and several pros led high-energyon-court Cardio Tennis workouts.

USPTA president Geoff Griffin directed 35local teaching pros. Each was stationed on acourt, (some for juniors only), offering skilldrills and stroke clinics for novice, intermedi-ate and advanced players. Major industry ven-dors showcased their equipment. There wasan exhibition match, games and prizes…everything to show what tennis is about.Hundreds of participants took advantage,eager to try their handat the game.

Meanwhile, the ongo-ing chorus of tennisevents included theever-popular Leaguecompetitive program.Six teams won theSouthern CaliforniaSectional Champion-ships, earning an oppor-

tunity to compete at League NationalChampionships around the country. TheMen’s Open team captained by SteveAdamson, with Eric Faulk, Matthew Hanlin,Bobby Hrdina, Simon Shen and Chris Tontz,traveled to Las Vegas and won the title, afirst for San Diego’s men’s teams. Julie Watts’Women’s Open team was also in Las Vegas.

Sectional winners advancing to the AdultLeague Nationals included: Mike Graves’Men’s 4.0 Barnes Tennis Center team; RanchoBernardo Community Tennis Club’s Women’s3.5 team with Pat Langpap as captain; andStoneridge Country Club’s Women’s 2.5team headed by Barbara Grant. Senior

League Men’s 4.5 winning team from La JollaTennis Club was captained by Scott Farr.Carolyn Cassell’s 7.0 Super Senior team basedat Barnes Tennis Center was another nation-al competitor.

The San Diego District Tennis Champ-ionships, that wrapped up the summer,was the highlight of the tournament sea-

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

What A YearL e s l e y W a i t e

(Back row:) Karen Hantze Susman, Bill Kellogg, Larry Belinsky, Lance Lareau, Fred Lewis (Front row:) Brenda Brinker Bottum, Ben Press, Fred Kinne, Bill Folsom, Michael Chang

enjoyed the Hall of Fame Ceremony. Photo: Brad Samuels

Men’s Open winners

La Jolla Tennis Club Men’s 4.5 won the Senior League National championship.

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Y O U T H T E N N I S S A N D I E G O

Scholarships BenefitedKerry Blum

Youth Tennis San Diego has been presenting college scholarship awards todeserving high school seniors since the early 1970’s. This year, thanks tothe generosity of Steve and Lee Booth, three new Booth Family

Scholarships were awarded. David Saad (Bonita Vista School), Albert Terrones(Steele Canyon High School), and Gracelyn West (San Diego High School)were the recipients. Saad headed off to Boston College; Terrones went to CalPoly Pomona, and West to UCSD.

Fernando Esquivel, who has a long involvement in junior tennis, not only as a player, butas a coach at the Urban Village Tennis Center, received the Angel Lopez Scholarship. Esquivelis attending City College.

Wayland Chu and Sarah Grover received the Marion Ketchum Scholarship. Chu, a topranked junior, was an outstanding student at Rancho Bernardo High School and is now atCal. Sarah, a Hilltop High School graduate with an outstanding community service record, isattending UCSD.

Rebecca Linn (Torrey Pines High School), two-time CIF singles winner, was one of theBarnes Scholarship winners. Her accomplishments, as an athlete and a scholar, are unparal-leled. She is currently attending Rice University. Matt Sorensen also received a BarnesScholarship. He attended Scripps Ranch High School and was an active participant in tourna-ments and high school tennis, as well as an outstanding scholar. He enrolled at UCSD.

This year the Youth Tennis San Diego Grant and Financial Assistance Committee award-ed over $7,000 to juniors participating in tennis programs throughout San Diego County. TheCIF received $1,800 for Girls’ 2005 and Boys’ 2006 tennis finals officials. In addition to thecommunity funding, $6,000 in scholarships for summer camps were awarded to outstandingAfter School Tennis participants.

The Grant and Financial Assistance Committee meets twice a year, once in April andagain in August to review applications. Only requests submitted on the official Grant/FinancialAssistance form will be considered for funding. Applications are available on the website atwww.barnestenniscenter.com or at the Barnes Tennis Center.

NTRP Points( P r o v i d e d b y A n n e t t e B u c k )

M E N ’ S 5 . 5

Jon Idemoto – 800Keith Barksdale – 620Eric Schaeffer – 590York Cheng – 520Rogerio Coutinho – 460

M E N ’ S 4 . 5

Lance Franey – 1060Londo Whittaker – 960Hung Tran – 840Jack Zezula – 820Joe Cardenas – 760

M E N ’ S 3 . 5

James Theisen – 930Manuel Ortiz – 720Robert Moore – 620James Munoz – 500Marc Lichtman – 420

WO M E N ’ S 4 . 5

Jenny Sharratt – 320Sunny Kim – 240Rosemary Talmadge – 240Beth Sharratt – 220Dana Tavelman – 220Elizabeth Lichtfield – 160Celeste Scheinberg – 160Monica Sweet – 160

WO M E N ’ S 3 . 5

Elena McCorkle – 640Carole Cano – 500Lupe Lopez – 420Fergy Manuva – 260Chris Richardson – 260Victoria Tanco – 260Nancy Smith-Wells – 220

UCLA Southern California Tennis AssociationLos Angeles Tennis Center - UCLA420 Charles E. Young Drive WestLos Angeles, CA 90024-9115(310) 208-3838

Mark Winters - Executive Editor

Henry Talbert - Executive Director

Annette Buck - Director Adult & Senior Tennis

Arlene Barco, Kerry Blum, Barb Johnson,Ali Ordonez, Gina Pelazini, Alison Roell and Lesley Waite

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

S T A F F

Seminar Interest M a r k W i n t e r s

Once again a substantial number of individuals from the section andout-of-state, as well as many from Northern California, attended theFall College & University Scholarship Seminars. In fact, an Army den-

tist based in Rome, Italy called to say that he was considering coming to SanDiego, with his son for the session held at the Barnes Tennis Center.

Those attending learned of the meetings through wide-ranging sourcessuch as the SCTA News, USTA Magazine, letters mailed by the program, along with mentionmade by various newspapers and area publications such as Barnes Tennis Center, KernCommunity Tennis Association and Bakersfield Racquet Club. Teaching pros, high schoolcoaches and Tennis Service Representatives, like Alison Roell, also helped spread the word.

With the changes to be made in NCAA Core Course requirements, getting into a schoolwill become even more complex. For this reason, plans are being made for the Spring College& University Scholarship Seminars in late March and April. For more information call MarkWinters at (310) 208-3838 Ext. 231.

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Dick Noel began play-ing tennis just beforehis junior year in high

school 46 years ago. His fam-ily had little money, he didn’thave lessons and seldomcould afford a racket or newballs. He was fortunate toearn a tennis scholarship tothe University of Portlandwhere he played number onesingles and doubles.

Tennis has played a hugerole in his life. He met his wife, Mary, whilegiving tennis lessons in Portland the sum-mer before leaving for graduate school inColorado. Both of his sons began playingtennis almost as soon as they could walk.The entire Noel family became accom-plished players. Both Mike and Steve earnedtennis scholarships to Division I schools.Noel and his oldest son Mike won twonational titles.

He pointed out, “There are three intotal. In 1985 Mike and I won the NationalEquitable Family Father & Son Tournament,and in 1986 we won the National Father &Son Hard Court Championships. Also, in1986 Mary teamed with Mike to win theEquitable Family Mother & SonTournament. Steve and I won a trip to NewYork for the Equitable Tournament in1987,but I tore my ACL just before the trip, andwe retired after winning our first round.”

Noel’s tennis career came to a halt in1998 when he was diagnosed with a MitralValve Prolapse and Leakage. After failing astress test, an angiogram was done to con-firm the diagnosis. “It came as a totalshock,” he said. “I thought they had made amistake and assumed they would realizetheir error at each subsequent test.Although I had never had really goodendurance, I just never realized it could bedue to a heart problem.”

He took up golf and put his tennis rac-quets on the shelf. Admitting his cardiolo-gist had told him he could play at a lowlevel, but he lamented, “I didn't see how I

KERN COMMUNITY TENNIS ASSOCIATION

Pumping AlongB a r b J o h n s o n

could enjoy tennis if I had toplay half-heartedly (a pun).Instead, I took up golf andmade it to an 8 handicap. Istarted playing a lot moremusic gigs on my accordion.There was pretty much ablack hole for 5 years when Iignored tennis and turned toother interests.”

Noel continued, “At myannual cardiologist check-uplast September the doctor

said it was time to fix the problem. Iinvestigated different surgeons, made mychoice, and decided to do it right away soI could be in good shape by the followingsummer.”

On the way to surgery he said, “I wascalm, cool and collected” but upon beingwheeled into the operating room, “I almostlost it. Luckily the anesthesiologist put meto sleep quickly because he knew I wasstarting to panic.”

After making a full recovery, he beganplaying tennis again this past April. A merenine months after surgery he was a finalistin the Men’s 40 Kern County Doubles andwon several rounds in the Open DivisionKern County Men’s Doubles Champion-ships. “I started hitting balls four monthsafter surgery and began competing againseven months later,” he said.

Looking to the future, “I want to keepplaying with juniors and some of the Openplayers, as well as with a variety of playerscloser to my age. I’ve been hitting with a lotof the juniors, and love to see themimprove. I’m considering playing some sec-tional or national senior tournaments alongwith local Open and 4.5 tournaments.”

When it comes to offering advice tothose facing heart surgery, Noel said, “Likeany other surgery, try to get the best sur-geon you can. Talk to others who have hadsimilar surgeries. They can tell you what toexpect and give you tips on how to han-dle problems. Then just enjoy whateveractivities your body allows.”

Jack GarfinkelJack Garfinkel’s death was not only a person-al loss, but also one for the game. Rarely hasan individual cared more about tennis then hedid. An avid player and competitor, the USCgrad left the court in September.

Sam GoldenbergIf it was Tuesday or Thursday, Sam Goldenberg,a former restaurateur whose red Cadillac wasa “stopper”, was at MountainGate CountryClub playing with his pals. He did so for yearsuntil his game came to an end in October.

Julius HeldmanThe former junior and Stanford standout wasmore famous for being the husband of WorldTennis Magazine and Virginia Slims circuitfounder Gladys Medalie Heldman, and thefather of Carrie and Julie Heldman than for hisown playing exploits.

Jesse HillockA former Santa Barbara Tennis Patronspresident, Jesse Hillock was devoted to thesport and to cycling. Affable, as well as beinga thoughtful and energetic story teller, hewent out of his way to do things for young-sters in the community and those whoplayed on the University of California SantaBarbara tennis teams. Tennis lost a dedicat-ed individual when he succumbed to injuriessuffered in an August cycling accident.

Jackie JocsonA junior standout who went on to play atUniversity of California where she captainedthe team, Jackie Jocson left the tennis commu-nity far too soon in October.

Charlie LassA regular and well liked competitor, CharlieLass was a standout. He and regular part-ner George Peebles won a host of seniornational doubles championships. He passedaway in October having just celebrated his88th birthday.

George PebblesGeorge Pebbles was an outstanding playerwho turned professional at a very youngage. Interestingly, he became known not forhis outstanding teaching skills, but as arenowned tennis court builder. You knewyou were in the game when you were play-ing on a Pebbles court, such as those at theLos Angeles Tennis Center - UCLA. He leftus in September.

In Memoriam

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Riverside Junior TennisLeague (RJTL) joinedforces with California

Baptist University (CBU) tohost the first westernRiverside County Recreational

Coach Workshop in early September. Witha perfect day weather-wise, the twenty-fourattendees, representing a good cross-sectionof the area’s tennis community – teachingpros, college and high school coaches and

players, along with people interested inbecoming involved in community tennis pro-grams, spent 6 hours on the CBU courts.

Tom Fey, Tennis Director at Indian WellsTennis Garden, ran participants through fast-paced drills designed to facilitate effectiveteam practice. It wasn’t all work and noplay because an excellent buffet lunch pro-vided an opportunity to network, and shareinformation and ideas.

The overall assessmentof the program was posi-tive. “I had a terrific timeand got so many good ideasfor our free clinic,” JudySheets said. “I think I wasenergized after the clinic. Iwent to my daughter-in-law's fortieth birthday bash.They had a great live band,and I danced till eleven

o’clock. Thanks muchfor the superb organ-ization, and to all thesponsors.”

Mark your calen-dars for next year’sevent – Saturday, Sep-tember 8, 2007.

Riverside JuniorTennis League is aCommunity Tennis Association dedicated to developing tennisprograms for youth in the greaterRiverside community. RJTL runsfree junior tennis clinics at publicparks, coordinates teams partici-pating in USTA Jr. Team Tennis, andworks with District, and AlvordUnified School District. It alsohelps Riverside Parks, Recreation &Community Services Departmentprovide weekly tennis instructionat 10 middle schools during thePRIMETIME after-school program.It has also secured grants for tennisprogramming in Jurupa UnifiedSchool District middle schools. Formore information on RJTL, e-mail:

riversidejrtennis@hotmail.comThe 52nd Lynn Scott Memorial Riverside

Open, held at the University of California,Riverside this year, saw a great turnout oflocal juniors. Fifty-one of the entrants playedInland Empire Jr. Team Tennis, coming fromsquads based in Redlands, Riverside, Coronaand San Bernardino. Tournament Director,Holly Haggerty, worked with tournamentparticipants on time concessions so as not

to jeopardize team matches.Several of the league players went

on to appear in the following finals: KlimentBoshilov – Boys’ 16 finalist; David Stanko –Boys’ 14 finalist; Soraya Andria and NikkiVorhees – Girls’ 12 winner and finalist.Congratulations to all the players who partic-ipated in the longest running and largest Openevent in the Inland Empire. For informationabout Inland Empire Jr. Team Tennis, contactJeff Benito by e-mail: jeffbenito@hotmail.comor call (909) 229-9956.

In mid-October, the Canyon CrestCountry Club’s Fall Classic brought togetherold and new members, along with guests, fora morning of social tennis (which was quitecompetitive), and a convivial luncheon.Twenty players hit the courts including USOpen Wheelchair Championship playersHope Lewellen and Michelle Mapstead. “TopCourt” honors were won by the doublesteam of Lewellen and Canyon Crest mem-ber Sharon Beattie. CCCC Tennis Director,Steve Vorhees, teaches wheelchair tennisinternationally and is currently working withboth Lewellen and Mapstead at the Riversidefacility. For more information on the CCCCwheelchair tennis program, contact Vorheesby e-mail: Stephen.Vorhees@ourclub.com orcall (909) 229-9956.

Inland Empire Court NotesA l i s o n R o e l l

Fall Classic Photo: Toni Kechevas

Jordan Gobatie Photo: Richard Burns

Nikki Vorhees Photo: Dan Flores

Open participants.

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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Billie Jean King (pic-tured) and Sally Ridewere among the first 13inductees in the CaliforniaHall of Fame. BradleyKlahn was a member

of the US 16s team that played in theJunior Davis Cup and Junior Fed Cupfinal in Barcelona, Spain. Sean Berman,Kaitlyn Christian, Mika De Coster,Gabrielle Desimone, Amelia Herring,Campbell Johnson, Jordaan Sanfordand Raymond Sarmiento participatedin a High Performance Camp for playersborn in 1992 and ’93 at Carson. ReoAsami, Joseph Di Giulio, JonathanHuang and Dennis Mkrtchian took partin a High Performance Camp at Carsonfor players born in 1993 and ‘94.Gabrielle Andrews and Yuki Chiangtook part in a similar offering at thefacility for juniors born in 1995, ’96 and’97. Desirae Krawczyk was one ofthe players born in 1994 and ’95 partic-ipating in the All Star Cup at KeyBiscayne. Jamie Sanchez, the LoyolaMarymount University coach, organ-ized a “30 Years of Women’s Tennis”weekend spectacular celebrating theschool’s rich history in the game.Bwana Chakar Simba was RacquetSports Industry’s 2006 Junior Devel-opment Champion of the Year.

Names In The News

Southern California

Tennis Association

c o r d i a l l y i n v i t e s y o u t o

The

Hall of Fame

Induction Gala

Friday, July 13, 2007

Four Seasons Hotel

Reception – 6:30 p.m.

Dinner and Presentation – 7:30 p.m.

Black Tie

________

Call (310) 208-3838 Ext. 302

for more information

HistoricP h o t o s a n d I n f o r m a t i o n

b y A n n e t t e B u c k

T he weather was wonderful, and the 50th

Southern California IntercollegiateChampionships historic. Nearly as

notable as the venue where the event wasplayed, the Los Angeles Tennis Club. In a“Battle of the Bruins”, Michael Look of UCLAdefeated teammate Mathieu Dehaine 2-6,7-5, 6-3 in the singles final. Timo Kienle/KalleRosen of Denver fought their way to an 8-6 victory over Look/Chris Surapol fordoubles honors.

Chris Surapol/Michael Look and Timo Kiele/Kalle Rosen

Mathieu Dehaine, UCLA coach Billy Martin and Michael Look