Monday, December 31, 2007

A Roster Deadline

Correction from last issue: Jacque Houck can be contacted at swimjac2@aol.com or 681-3225.

TENNIS E-News

Dec. 31, 2007 Vol. VI, No. 139
South Carolina Tennis 2006 Media Award Winner
Hilton Head Island SC

One Week To Go for Required USTA League Roster Minimums in TennisLink

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) – Captains have a week to get a minimum number of players in TennisLink and thereby officially qualify teams for the scheduling process for the USTA League Adult and Senior spring season.

At latest check, 60 Adult teams and 108 Seniors are pre-registered, but each team must have a minimum eight players for Adult and six for Senior in the team’s TennisLink roster by Jan. 6. Scheduling then will be completed. Rosters are open and players can be added until late in the league season.

Total team numbers are down some from last year. If the figures hold, it will be the first year that the number has decreased from one year to the next. Year-end ratings always affect team composition, but this year that component may have had a bigger impact. An increase in rating upgrades coupled with a decrease in appeals granted compounds the affect.

“If any Southern (section) team wins Nationals,” Southern league coordinator Marilyn Sherman explains, “that raises the rating points for all Southern players competing at that level. And that happened this year.”

The statewide number of ratings appeals and denied is due out shortly.

Here are the figures for Spring League 2008 and, for comparison, the 2007 number of teams and number on players on the final rosters:

Adult # of teams (also # of ’07 players)

Rating 2008 2007

2.5M 1 3/30

2.5W 5 5/53

3.0M 6 6/77

3.0W 8 11/161

3.5M 8 8/114

3.5W 18 12/175

4.0M 4 4/55

4.0W 6 6/87

4.5M 2 0/0

4.5W 2 2/26

5.0M 0 2/14

A5.0W 0 1/6

A5.5M 0 1/8

Total 60 63/811

Senior

2.5M 6 5/54

2.5W 3 4/44

3.0M 21 27/317

3.0W 19 19/24/300

3.5M 19 20/238

3.5W 24 19/238

4.0M 6 5/60

4.0W 6 7/84

4.5M 2 1/8

4.5W 2 2/22

Total 108 118/1,373

Are You Ready for Some More Senior Singles?

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) – The weekly Senior Singles guys have taken a break through the Super Senior league season, but are ready to get back into action, starting with a New Year’s opener Thursday from 2:30 to 4:30 at Port Royal Racquet Club.

The informal format is set up for 3.5 players “and those competitive with 3.5s”. Seven-game “sets” are played, then players switch opponents. “It’s very laid back,” coordinator Dennis Malick said. “No cumulated scores are kept. Play a couple rounds until you get to beer time. Walk-ons welcome, and so are snowbirds.” Cost is the club’s guest fee of $7 per person.

In order to coordinate courts, an email to banana@hargray.com is requested.

TAHHI Annual Business Meeting, Banquet, Awards, Dancing Feb. 6

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- The Tennis Association of HHI annual meeting and dinner-dance will be held Feb. 6 at Hilton Head Island Beach and Tennis Resort. Invitations to members are in the mail.

Annual business meeting will be 6-7 p.m.; 7-7:30 cocktail hour-cash bar; 7:30 dinner (chicken or grouper); 8:30-9:30 dancing-DJ Alan Palchak; 9:30-10 award presentations

Cost is $17 per member and $30 per guest. Send your menu choice and check (payable to TAHHI) by Jan. 30 to: Pat Leinberger 3 Seburn Drive Bluffton, S.C. 29909. Direct questions to Pat at 705-6014.

Additional information is available on http://www.tahhi.org.

At Last Word, These Teams Still Are Looking for Players for 2008 Spring Season

-- 3.0 Women's Adult. Wexford. Contact Mary Navis at marynavis@aol.com or 785-1916.

-- 3.0 Women's Senior. Wexford. Contact Betty Melkon at 298-0688 or Patrick Mason at 686-8816.

-- 3.0 Women's Senior. Palmetto Dunes. NEW 3.0 team senior team and maybe combo as well. Contact Steffi Cahn 682 - 4056 or e-mail stefficahn@hargray.com

-- 3.5 Women's Adult. Palmetto Dunes. Saturday play only. Contact Cindy Knight at teamtennis1@yahoo.com.

-- 3.5 Women's Adult. Singles players for Colleton River. Contact Pat Rustad (ner2pr@hargray.com).

-- 3.5 Women's Adult - Singles players. Wexford. Contact Call Andi Purple at 785-5867.

-- 3.5 Men's Senior. Spring Lake Mis-Hits. Contact Tom Larkin at tlarkin@aol.com or call 689-3685

-- 3.5 Men's Adult - Wexford. Contact Joe White (joscow@roadrunner.com)

-- 4.0 Women's Adult. New team at Long Cove. Contact Laura Bracken laurahbracken@hotmail.com or 341-5663

-- 4.0 Men's Adult in Bluffton. Contact Tim Austin at (vegas@hargray.com).

20th Clay Court Maintenance School Set for Jan. 23, 24

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) - Want to learn how to maintain soft tennis courts? The 20th annual Tennis Court Maintenance Training School will be conducted Jan. 23 and 24 at Port Royal Racquet Club.

The sessions, conducted by HT Tennis and Lee Tennis, are geared to tennis pros, supervisors, employees and anyone else interested in court-maintenance work. The course begins Wednesday the 23 with morning class, then afternoon on-court training. Thursday session will include daily maintenance routine, installation of tapes and tournament maintenance.

Training fee is $250. Deadline for registration is Jan. 15. Applications are available at Port Royal or HT Tennis, P.O. Box 569, Hagerstown MD 21741 (800-842-6104).

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TENNIS E-News FootNote

ooooO

( ) In case you missed this HHPrep fourth grader's answer to:

( ) How does Santa know where you live?

(___) "He calls the President and asks him."

-- Dennis Malick

Thursday, December 27, 2007

TAHHI Grants

'Cinderella and the Seven Dwarfs' -- See our new feature below

TENNIS E-News

Dec. 27, 2007 Vol. VI, No. 138
South Carolina Tennis 2006 Media Award Winner
Hilton Head Island SC

ABC's of Tennis Gets a $$$ Boost

TAHHI Year-end Grants Bolster Tennis Programs from Kindergarten to Super 75s

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- Grants totaling almost $3,000 have been awarded by the Tennis Association of Hilton Head Island to support a variety of area tennis causes.

The initial grant was $1,000 for the startup Super Senior 75s League directed by Local League Coordinator Don Grider. That was followed by grants to Beaufort, Bluffton and Hilton Head Island projects. Here is the rundown:

9/07 -- $1,000 grant to Super Senior 75s

10/07 -- $850 to Beaufort Tennis Inc. for benches at the tennis courts

12/07 -- $500 to Public Tennis Inc. for Chaplin Park court building fund

12/07 -- $350 to Jacque Houck of HHI for kindergarten tennis program

12/07 -- $500 to the Boys & Girls Club for rackets and balls

12/07 -- $500 to Bobcat Public Tennis Center Bluffton High School for court fund

"ABC's of Kindergarten Tennis" is the program conducted by outgoing PTI President Houck. With about 70 pre-schoolers involved, she started at St. Francis Catholic and Mt. Calvary Baptist kindergartens last spring. This fall St. Gregory Catholic and Christ Lutheran were added.

"ABC's of Kindergarten Tennis has been successful in developing a knowledge and love of tennis with children who usually know what basketball and soccer is but have not heard of tennis," Houck said. "We start with throwing and catching scarves, beanie babies and balloons, then graduate to sponge balls with soft hand paddles, then wood paddles, etc., until we get to rackets. We use tape to produce a target to hit over, then a small net. Children that age can only concentrate for about 20-30 minutes, so they're short fun sessions with games and music."

Next month Houck hopes to teach other instructors the method so it can expand to Bluffton, Beaufort and more Hilton Head Island schools. She can be contacted at swimjac@aol.com or 681-3225.

NEW in '08:

Men's, Women's Prize-Money Open Set for Late February at VdMeer Tennis

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- Van der Meer Tennis Center will host a three-tournament Men’s and Women’s Open Series in 2008, starting with the first event on Feb. 29-March 2. The tournament is non-sanctioned and will include Men’s and Women’s singles and doubles.

NTRP levels 4.5-5.5, teaching professionals, college players and competitive juniors are being sought to play, Tournament Director Justyn Schelver said. Draws will be limited to 32 entries in singles and 16 teams in doubles. He said that draws are expected to fill and entries will be taken in the order received.

Matches will be on the hard courts of VdM Tennis Center with play beginning on the afternoon of Friday, Feb. 29. A first-match consolation will be played in doubles, but not singles. Prizes will be awarded to the champion, runnerup and consolation doubles champions. Cash prize of $500 to the singles and doubles champion will be dependant on full draw.

Entry fee is $30 per event. For additional information or to enter, contact Schelver at 785-8388 ext 119 or justynschelver@hotmail.com. Entries cannot be made online. If emailing, include your name, age, contact info and any appropriate seeding information.

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"Something you didn't know about" … is a new TENNIS E-News feature, based on the assumption that many of our area players actually had a real life with pretty exciting moments before retiring or otherwise finding their ways to the Lowcountry. Success of the feature leans mostly on you readers to submit these interesting tidbits of our players' pasts. Just email the information to banana@hargray.com. Oh, and don't worry about the wording. We'll take care of that part. Thanks in advance. Here is the opening salvo of:

Something you didn't know about : DON GRIDER
Lebanon Valley's 'Cinderella and the Seven Dwarfs' and He Was One of the Dwarfs

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- Lebanon Valley College's stunning moment on the national athletic scene came when the Pennsylvania school's 1952-53 men's basketball team made it to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. To date, LVC is the smallest college (400 students) ever to advance to that level.

The LVC Dutchmen were undersized and underdogs when they shocked national powerhouse Fordham University before falling to future NBA Hall-of-Famer Bob Pettit and Louisiana State University. The Cinderella season now is documented in a book "Cinderella and the Seven Dwarfs" by Dr. Arthur Ford '59, a professor emeritus of English at LVC.

The team held a reunion and autograph session last month at an LVC game. Signing was a "Dwarf" from Hilton Head Island -- Don Grider, now USTA League local senior men's coordinator and a founding father of Super Seniors -- tennis, not basketball. George "Rinso" Marquette was first-year coach for the remarkable Cinderella season and joined the reunion.

The book includes a DVD of game footage copied from 8mm film to videotape and then to disk. For locals familiar with Grider's dropshots who would like to see if he had a hook shot, go to http://www.lvc.edu and select "Alumni and Friends" for reunion pix and information of obtaining the book.

State Throws Weight Around on Court, Too

3 South Carolina Players Win International, National Championships

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- In a recent issue, TENNIS E-News cited USTA South Carolina's tennis politics power base with two state officials in line for national and sectional presidencies. While they were off court achieving, three Palmetto State players were winning bigtime on court.

Brenda Carter of Charleston defeated two former world champions en route to the ITF Women's 60s championship. She defeated Carol Campling of Australia in the semifinal, then upset Elly Krocke of The Netherlands in the final 6-4, 6-7(1), 6-2.

Meanwhile in Key Biscayne FL, Mallory Cecil of Spartanburg and partner Melanie Oudin of Marietta GA won the Dunlop Orange Bowl Girls' 18s doubles, defeating Coco Vandeweghe of Rancho Santa Fe CA and Allie Will of Boca Raton FL 6-2, 6-4.

Also, Spartanburg's Spencer Brown, age 8, captured the Little Mo International Open title in Austin TX. Brown, the tournament's #1 seed, knocked off Jackson Wood of Woodstock GA 6-3, 4-6, 6-2. Brown, #1 in SC Boys' 10s, was the only player from South Carolina invited to compete in the tournament. He won the U.S. Little Mo, among other titles, this year.

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TENNIS E-News FootNote

ooooO

( ) Revisionist Geography 105 -- South Carolina-style:

( ) A public address announcer introducing players at a televised sports event broadcast Monday:

(___) "Welcome to Charleston … where the Ashley and Cooper Rivers join to form the Atlantic Ocean."

-- Dennis Malick

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Sampras McEnroe to HHI?

In our next issue: Grider in 'Cinderella & the Seven Dwarfs' -- He's one of the latter.

Also: A New Open Prize-Money Tournament for HHIsland

TENNIS E-News

Dec. 22, 2007 Vol. VI, No. 137
South Carolina Tennis 2006 Media Award Winner
Hilton Head Island SC

Shopping for Tennis Stuff: 20%-30% Off Everything at Several HHI Stores

(Story Below)

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Outback Champions Tour

Sampras, McEnroe, Courier on HHI? Well, If Fledgling Effort Succeeds…

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- A group of local tennis enthusiasts are exploring the possibility of bringing an Outback Champions Tour event to Hilton Head Island. Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Pat Cash, Todd Martin, Mats Wilander, among others, are currently on the tour.

Islanders may remember the late '90s fun and great tennis of the "Jimmy Connors Tour" -- not its official name but a Connors' show nonetheless that included Borg, Clerc, Kriek, Gomez, etc. -- that played a couple years at Sea Pines Racquet Club. The current tour features players from the ATP tour who, among other things, are 30 or older, have reached a Grand Slam final or been ranked in the Top 5 in the world. Each tour stop features eight players divided into two groups of four in a round-robin format in which group winners advance to the finals.

Pat Child, past president of the Tennis Association of HHI and one of those initiating the Outback Tour effort, emailed local pros and tennis activists: "While we are in the early stages of this process, we have, to this point, gotten the blessing of Sea Pines to conduct the event at their center court facility, and we have been in contact with the group that manages the tour, Inside Out Sports, and they have expressed a desire to add Hilton Head (Island) as a stop on the tour. Realistically we will be looking at holding our first event in 2009."

Child cited the crux of the effort: funding.

"An event of this size cannot be held without a lot of money," he said, adding: "We need to raise sponsor dollars. At this point, we are really looking for a title sponsor and a presenting sponsor. Of course, lower sponsor levels will be needed as well. The title sponsor will need to dedicate from $350,000 to $500,000 and the presenting sponsor will need to contribute around $200,000 to $250,000 to the effort … Overall, we have estimated that it will cost about $1 million to conduct the event."

The intent of the group is to break even financially, Child said, "however, should any profit be made, we would offer those dollars back out to the local tennis community in the form of grants. I want to stress to you that this is not designed to be a way for members of this group to make money."

Anyone having potential sponsor contacts -- local or beyond -- may reach Child at 290-2760.

Chorus of Local Shops:

30% Off … 30% Off … 30% Off … Oh, Come Ye and Get 30% Off

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- Okay, so that would make a lousy Christmas carol -- unless it's retail clerk Carol singing from behind the counter of one of Hilton Head Island tennis shops. The point is that the HHI tennis retailers are adding deals for the holiday crunch time, and 30% off seems to be the chorus line.

"All merchandise is 30% off," says Sportline's PJ Scearce. "Everything (except balls) -- rackets, clothes, shoes, accessories 30% off."

The holiday sale at Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center runs through Jan. 1. "There is (at least) 20% off everything," PD's John Kerr says, "and 30% off all Nike and an additional 10% off all sale merchandise."

"Still 20% off all bags -- big selection -- except the two Federer patent leather bags," says Sea Pines Racquet Club's Eric Wammock, referring to a bag sale that began a couple weeks ago.

"30% and more," says Tanda Bianco of several wall displays and racks of clothing and accessories at Port Royal Racquet Club.

Holiday specials are also available at Players World of Sports, Van der Meer Shipyard and Van der Meer Tennis Center.

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Teams Looking for Players for 2008 Spring Season

-- 3.0 Women's Adult. Wexford. Contact Mary Navis at marynavis@aol.com or 785-1916.

-- 3.0 Women's Senior. Wexford. Contact Betty Melkon at 298-0688 or Patrick Mason at 686-8816.

-- 3.0 Women's Senior. Palmetto Dunes. NEW 3.0 team senior team and maybe combo as well. Contact Steffi Cahn 682 - 4056 or e-mail stefficahn@hargray.com

-- 3.0 Women's Senior. SCYacht Club looking for players. Call or email gwenludvigsen@yahoo.com 342-6297.

-- 3.5 Women's Adult. Palmetto Dunes. Saturday play only. Contact Cindy Knight at teamtennis1@yahoo.com.

-- 3.5 Women's Adult. Singles players for Colleton River. Contact Pat Rustad (ner2pr@hargray.com).

-- 3.5 Women's Adult - Singles players. Wexford. Contact Call Andi Purple at 785-5867.

-- 3.5 Men's Senior. Spring Lake Mis-Hits. Contact Tom Larkin at tlarkin@aol.com or call 689-3685

-- 3.5 Men's Adult - Wexford. Contact Joe White (joscow@roadrunner.com)

-- 4.0 Women's Adult. New team at Long Cove. Contact Laura Bracken laurahbracken@hotmail.com or 341-5663

-- 4.0 Men's Adult in Bluffton. Contact Tim Austin at (vegas@hargray.com).

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How To Find Ratings -- Individual, Team, Everyone's -- Start with http://www.sctennis.com and, at left on the Home Page, select TennisLink, then select Leagues, then (on the right) scroll down to Find a Rating. You can key in an individual name or scroll to the Drilldown Search which will get you to a series of dropdown windows to select Championship Year (2007), Section (Southern), District (South Carolina) and Area (SC-Hilton Head Island). From there, select whether you want all players, only Women's 3.5s, etc. The "Ratings Appeals" tab is on the sctennis.com.

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3.0 Senior Men's Interclub

TEAM Won Lost Courts Lost

Palmetto Dunes Net Cords 6 0 1

Shipyard Wildcats 5 1 5

Sun City Challengers 5 1 6

Belfair Bashers 4 2 6

Sun City Strokers 3 3 8

Sea Pines Sand Gnats 3 3 10

Callawassie Island 3 3 11

Wexford Hitters 2 4 11

Sun City Lob Artists 2 4 14

South Beach Curmudgon 1 5 12

Indigo Run Mavericks 1 5 12

Moss Creek Tornadoes 1 5 13

FLIGHT "B"

TEAM Won Lost Courts Lost

Sun City Dirt Ballers 6 0 2

Long Cove Runners 5 1 7

Spring Lake Lakers 4 2 7

Moss Creek Hurricanes 4 2 7

Sea Pines Cardinals 4 2 8

Sun City Slickers 3 3 8

CC of HH Hustlers * 2 3 7

Shipyard Rockets 2 4 11

Hampton Hall Hawks 2 4 11

Sun City Spoilers 2 4 12

Port Royal Beach Bums 1 5 15

CC of HH Wildmen * 0 5 13

*Score not reported

3.5 Senior Men's Interclub

Results 12/19/07

Wexford 2, Sun City Nationals 1

Indigo Run 3, South Beach 0

Sea Pines 2, Spring Lake Lakers 1

Sun City Spin Doctors 2, SCYC 1

Port Royal 3, Long Cove 0

Sun City Aces 3, Moss Creek 0

Belfair 3, Sun City Funatics 0

Dataw 2, Spring Lake Mis-Hits 1

CCHH 3, Sun City Critical Hits 0

Standings as of 12/19/07

Flight A Matches Courts

Club won lost won lost

Indigo Run 5 0 13 2

Sea Pines 4 1 11 4

Spring Lake Lakers 4 1 10 5

CCHH 2 3 8 7

Sun City Aces 2 3 7 8

South Beach 2 3 6 9

Moss Creek 1 4 4 11

Sun City Critical Hits 0 5 1 14

Flight B Matches Courts

Club won lost won lost

Spring Lake Mis-Hits 4 2 13 5

Dataw 4 2 13 5

Port Royal 4 2 12 6

Long Cove 4 2 10 8

Sun City Nationals 4 2 10 8

SCYC 3 3 10 8

Sun City Spin Doctors 3 3 8 10

Wexford 3 3 8 10

Belfair 1 5 5 13

Sun City Funatics 0 6 1 17

TENNIS E-News FootNote

ooooO

( ) Aphorism: A short, pointed sentence expressing a wise or clever observation or a general truth.

( ) . Adage: Scratch a dog and you'll find a permanent job.

(___) Adage: Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs.

-- Dennis Malick

"When things are happening,TENNIS E-News happens."

Get on Your Team Roster Now

Southern Talks to You About Year-end Ratings and Appeals -- see attachment

TENNIS E-News

Dec. 19, 2007 Vol. VI, No. 136
South Carolina Tennis 2006 Media Award Winner
Hilton Head Island SC

Captains, Start Your Engines

The Numbers Are Out; Teams Ready To Enter Players in TennisLink

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- Holidays. Holidaze. Time to wake up and smell the TennisLink and get your name into your team roster for the USTA League spring season.

Before getting to the directions for putting together the kid and adult Christmas toys, you have this directions test: First, get your team number from your captain and have your credit card at the ready. Then go to http://www.sctennis.com and click on TennisLink. From there, select "Register for a team" at the right of your screen. Then follow directions. For the computer challenged, just get your captain to do it.

As a kindness to your team captain, register right now … before the holidays … you'll have plenty of time later to give him/her palpitations.

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NEW in '08: Captains Could Get Disqualified for Lowballing Players' Self-Ratings

"A player who inappropriately self-rates, and captains and others who condone inappropriate self-rating, may be subject to possible sanctions, including disqualification and suspension."

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- The tweaking of USTA League rules is an ongoing project from local to national level. One of the most controversial aspects of the league program has been the evolution of regulations that have lead to the current self-rating format. Bite is being added to the tweak.

"Players who enter the USTA League Tennis program by inappropriately self-rating at an NTRP level lower than their actual skill level are considered to have violated the standards of good conduct, fair play and good sportsmanship," the '08 South Carolina state rules read. "These players may be subject to a Self-Rate Grievance."

The self-rate grievances include, among other points:

Players with a valid computer rating are not subject to Self-Rate Grievances.

Any league captain, coordinator or member of a championship committee may file a self-rate grievance.

A player who inappropriately self-rates, and captains and others who condone inappropriate self-rating, may be subject to possible sanctions, including disqualification and suspension.

In local league competition – self-rate grievances shall be filed in writing with the local/area/district league coordinator or designee having jurisdiction. Self-rate grievances shall be handled by the self-rated players’ Section League Grievance Committee.

TENNIS E-News will continue with other details for the '08 season in future issues. If you want the complete SC State League Rules, email your request to banana@hargray.com.

For Southern Tennis Association comments on the year-end ratings situation, see the attachment to this issue. Reasoning behind ratings, appeals, explanation of the rating point designations and such are included.

Presentation at Annual Banquet

Nominations Sought for TAHHI's Smith, Melville-Reid, Stitt Awards

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- Nominations now are being accepted for the three annual awards given by the Tennis Association of Hilton Head Island that will be announced at the TAHHI annual meeting and dinner-dance Feb. 6.

The Stan Smith Junior Sportsmanship Award for boys, the Kerry Melville-Reid Junior Sportsmanship Award for girls and the Dick Stitt "Volunteer" Award will be presented at the banquet.

Liz Purcell, TAHHI Grants and Awards Committee chair, directs you to the TAHHI website (http://www.tahhi.org) and to click on "Grants and Awards" and then "Criteria and Nomination" for information and forms. The applications and letters of reference should be sent to her at 2 Woodbine Place #60, Hilton Head Is. SC 29928. Deadline for nominations is Jan. 22.

League Season Nearing Close

Team Tennis District Championships Will Be Held on HHI Jan. 12, 13

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News via The Chaplin Chatter) -- The USA Adult Team Tennis League will be finish up its regular season matches Jan. 5, then jump the following weekend into the South Carolina District Championships that will include all eight teams, all from the HHI league.

The single-elimination team tournament Jan. 12 and 13 will be played with the same format as the regular season matches. The seeding for the tournament will be based on the final team standings from the seven-match season. Team #1 will play #8, #2 will play #7, #3 will play #6, and #4 will play #5. Winners of the first round will advance to the semi-finals Saturday afternoon. The final will be Sunday at Chaplin Public Tennis Center, proceeded by a players party at noon open to all league participants (127 total) and anyone else wishing to attend. Food and refreshments will be provided and a Sunday Round Robin Social will follow the Championship match.

Presidents 2x in '08

South Carolina a Power Base in National USTA Politics

HILTON HEAD ISLAND SC (TENNIS E-News) -- The USTA South Carolina power base in section and national tennis was pretty evident in the Annual Meeting Weekend at The Westin Resort. If things hold to form, two attendees will ascend to top offices next year: Rex Maynard of Belton to become president of the nine-state Southern Tennis Association and Lucy Garvin of Greenville to become USTA national president.

Garvin was USTA SC president in 1985 and '86 and will become the second woman to hold the top USTA office. In the Saturday night banquet crowd was the first woman to serve as national president: Judy Levering of Hilton Head Island, who received the SC Adult Player of the Year Award.

Maynard was SC president in 1984 and '85 and will assume the Southern presidency next month, reigning over Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, as well as South Carolina.

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Teams Looking for Players for 2008 Spring Season

-- 3.0 Women's Adult. Wexford. Contact Mary Navis at marynavis@aol.com or 785-1916.

-- 3.0 Women's Senior. Wexford. Contact Betty Melkon at 298-0688 or Patrick Mason at 686-8816.

-- 3.0 Women's Senior. Palmetto Dunes. NEW 3.0 team senior team and maybe combo as well. Contact Steffi Cahn 682 - 4056 or e-mail stefficahn@hargray.com

-- 3.0 Women's Senior. SCYacht Club looking for players. Call or email gwenludvigsen@yahoo.com 342-6297.

-- 3.5 Women's Adult. Palmetto Dunes. Saturday play only. Contact Cindy Knight at teamtennis1@yahoo.com.

-- 3.5 Women's Adult. Singles players for Colleton River. Contact Pat Rustad (ner2pr@hargray.com).

-- 3.5 Women's Adult - Singles players. Wexford. Contact Call Andi Purple at 785-5867.

-- 3.5 Men's Senior. Spring Lake Mis-Hits. Contact Tom Larkin at tlarkin@aol.com or call 689-3685

-- 3.5 Men's Adult - Wexford. Contact Joe White (joscow@roadrunner.com)

-- 4.0 Women's Adult. New team at Long Cove. Contact Laura Bracken laurahbracken@hotmail.com or 341-5663

-- 4.0 Men's Adult in Bluffton. Contact Tim Austin at (vegas@hargray.com).

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How To Find Ratings -- Individual, Team, Everyone's -- Start with http://www.sctennis.com and, at left on the Home Page, select TennisLink, then select Leagues, then (on the right) scroll down to Find a Rating. You can key in an individual name or scroll to the Drilldown Search which will get you to a series of dropdown windows to select Championship Year (2007), Section (Southern), District (South Carolina) and Area (SC-Hilton Head Island). From there, select whether you want all players, only Women's 3.5s, etc. The "Ratings Appeals" tab is on the sctennis.com.

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MEANWHILE:

4.0 Senior Men's Interclub

Results 12/18/07

Port Royal 3, Wexford 0.

Sun City Sun Strokes 3, Sun City Net Gnats 0

Indigo Run 2, Long Cove 1

2nd Half Standings Thru 12/18/07

Won Lost

Sun City Sun Strokes 1 0

Port Royal 1 0

Indigo Run 1 0

Long Cove 0 1

Sun City Net Gnats 0 1

Wexford 0 1

3.5 Senior Men's Interclub

Results 12/12.07

Indigo Run 3, Sun City Critical Hits 0

Port Royal 2, Dataw 1

South Beach 3, Sun City Aces 0

Spring Lake Mis-Hits 2, Sun City Spin Doctors 1

Sun City Nationals 2, SCYC 1

Wexford 3, Sun City Funatics 0

Sea Pines 3, Moss Creek 0

Long Cove 3, Belfair 0

Spring Lake Lakers 2, CCHH 1

Flight 'A' Standings Matches Courts

Club Won Lost Won Lost

Indigo Run 4 0 10 2

Spring Lake Lakers 4 0 9 3

Sea Pines 3 1 9 3

South Beach 2 2 6 6

CCHH 1 3 5 7

Moss Creek 1 3 4 8

Sun City Aces 1 3 4 8

Sun City Critical Hits 0 4 1 11

Flight 'B' Standings Matches Courts

Club Won Lost Won Lost

Spring Lake Mis-Hits 4 1 12 3

Long Cove 4 1 10 5

Sun City Nationals 4 1 9 6

Dataw 3 2 11 4

SCYC 3 2 9 6

Port Royal 3 2 9 6

Sun City Spin Doctors 2 3 6 9

Wexford 2 3 6 9

Belfair 0 5 2 13

Sun City Funatics 0 5 1 14

TENNIS E-News FootNote

ooooO New Words

( ) The definition: The glance given by someone who recognizes that someone else in his/her presence, say

( ) in an elevator, has just passed gas.

(___) The word: Flatuglance

-- Dennis Malick

"When things are happening,TENNIS E-News happens."