Junior Community Tennis Calendar for January – February 2016
There are a number of local tennis tournaments in January and February for our junior players.
USTA Junior Team Tennis is Back for Spring 2016!
The Fall Season of Junior Team Tennis is Starting: SCHEDULES
Oct. 4: JTC-Smashers @ Haile
JTC-Porter/Bethea @ Westside
JTC- Aces @ DB
Oct. 11: Haile @ Westside
JTC-Aces @ JTC-Porter/Bethea
JTC-Smashers @ DB
Oct. 17 DB @ Haile
JTC-Porter/Bethea @ JTC-Aces
Westside @ JTC-Smashers
Oct. 18 Haile @ JTC-Aces
JTC-Porter/Bethea @ JTC-Smashers
Westside @ DB
Oct. 25 Haile @ JTC-Porter/Bethea
JTC-Aces @ Westside
DB @ JTC-Smashers
Nov. 1 JTC-Smashers @ Haile
Westside @ JTC-Porter/Bethea
DB @ JTC-Aces
Oct. 4: DB @ Haile
JTC-Beck/Phillips @ Westside
Oct. 11 Haile @ Westside
DB @ JTC-Beck/Phillips
Oct. 17 Haile @ JTC-Beck/Phillips
Westside @ DB
Oct. 18 JTC-Beck/Phillps @ DB
Haile @ Westside
Oct. 25 JTC-Beck/Phillips @ Haile
Westside @ DB
Nov. 1 DB @ Haile
Westside @ JTC-Beck/Phillips
Porter @ 300 Club
Oct. 11 Haile @ 300 Club
Jordan Glen @ Porter
Oct. 17 Porter @ Jordan Glen
300 Club @ Haile
Oct. 18 Haile @ Jordan Glen
300 Club @ Porter
Oct. 25 Haile @ Porter
Jordan Glen @ 300 Club
Nov. 1 300 Club @ Haile
Porter @ Jordan Glen
Gainesville, Jacksonville Repeat at 2013 USTA Florida Jr. Team Tennis Section Championships
Excerpted from USTA Florida: http://www.florida.usta.com/news/gainesville_jacksonville_repeat_at_2013_usta_florida_jr_team_tennis_section_chps111/
Junior tennis teams from Boca Raton, Gainesville, Jacksonville and Rockledge captured Florida state titles over the weekend at the 2013 USTA Florida Jr. Team Tennis Section Championships, held Aug. 2-4 at the Florida Tennis Center in Daytona Beach.
All four teams now advance to represent the USTA Florida Section at the 2013 USTA Jr. Team Tennis National Championships, to be held Oct. 17-20 for the 14-Under divisions, and Oct. 24-27 for the 18-Under divisions at the Cayce Tennis and Fitness Center in Cayce, South Carolina.
It is the second consecutive year that Gainesville and Jacksonville send teams to the USTA Jr. Team Tennis National Championships.
14-Under Intermediate Division
Final: JETA 14 (Gainesville) finished ahead of Topspin Terminators (St. Johns) 134-107 in round robin play
Championship Team Members: Captain Hayes Milani, Ethan Cockey, Ivan Esguerra, Abugail Foster, Daniela Ifju, Cassidy Lear, Charlie Meyerson, Lorna Milani, Marcus Milani
14-Under Advanced Division
Final: Certified Angus (Jacksonville) d. Westside Wallopers (Gainesville) 32-25
Finalist Team Members: Captain: Robert Taylor, Players: Zach and Ben Brandt, Quin Whittaker, Madison Sagas, Sara Michal, Sophie Papa
Gainesville, Indian Harbour Beach, Jacksonville, Melbourne, Teams Advance to 2012 Jr. Team Tennis Nationals
Blog From USTA Florida at the 2011 Jr. Team Team Championships
Thank you to Mi Young Lee, who wrote these blogs after long days at the Arizona courts. The following is the final blog from Arizona. Click on the link above to read the whole series.
Sunday, October 23rd
Championship Day
Cockle-doodle-doo! We were greeted at the courts by a sun thinking about rising and a rooster from a nearby backyard. It was chilly again, but the kids quickly warmed up on the courts. The spectators huddled with cups of coffee and whatever extra clothes they could find in the car. The ever-so-efficient USTA officials called the coaches to line up the teams at 7:15 am, 15 minutes ahead of schedule. The surprising thing is everyone was already ready to go. This was the final battle of the tournament. The kids were revving their engines, waiting for the checkered flag to let them loose.
Our final battle was against the advanced team from Hawaii. (In a sign of friendship and spirit of the games, we presented their coach with a Gator lei. Never had the Hawaiian coach been presented with a lei before by a non-islander!) This would determine the winner of our flight. Our own little championship battle for 13th place nationally. Out of 12,615 teams nationally. Not bad.
The doubles and singles courts went on simultaneously. Hyunsoo Ryan Joo played the boys’ singles court for this match. He is known for his strong, steady style of play. He exhibited his skills on the court today as he relentlessly ran his opponent from side to side, angle to angle, shot after shot. His tenacity and concentration were evident throughout this grueling match. Kendal Wilby was our girls’ singles player for the day. She is a determined warrior on the court, more focused and more heavy-hitting when she faces controversies and pressure. She was forced to play at a very high level for a very long, contentious match today, and she delivered. Harry Cacciatore and Jared Lee played boys’ doubles together for the first time in this tournament. (For each match, we had different line-ups with different combinations, requiring our players to be versatile and flexible enough to play with any other player on the team on a moment’s notice.) Their opponents looked semi-professional with extreme angle shots, perfect lobs and penetrating groundstrokes. And yet Jared and Harry encouraged one another through challenging rallies and situations to somehow emerge as the victors.
Emily Louie-Meadors and Lillie Mehan represented our team on the girls’ doubles court. One of the Hawaiian girls hit the ball so hard that it was difficult to even track the ball as an observer. We could only flinch. Despite that, Lillie and Emily not only returned her bullets as effective groundstrokes but took them as volleys, never giving up any ground. They didn’t give up much ground in points either and claimed victory for their court. Grey Cacciatore and Ellie Wright played mixed doubles on the final court. Ellie was on fire with her sizzling groundstrokes, and Grey added every variation of shot imaginable to the partnership. They fought their way to a third-set tiebreak and never gave up.
Each court sported a mighty battle to the finish. There were no easy matches, no weak competitors. Not even close. The will to win was strong on both sides of the net. No one won or lost for lack of skill, resolve or effort. This was not a match won by individual effort. The match came down purely to team effort. Every player had to bring it on the court today. And it took the mixed doubles team once again to determine the fate of the championship. This time, they delivered those final points necessary to seal the victory! We were victorious over Hawaii.
To place the competitive nature of this tournament in perspective, we had lost to the ultimate 4th place team from Virginia Beach by a mere three games. Talk about tight competition!
At the closing ceremonies, we were doubly surprised to be awarded the prize for Best Team Banner. All our kids filed out onto the stadium floor to receive their awards. Smiles lit their faces as they proudly represented their beloved Florida.
Whatever place we finished at the end, we were already a championship team in our hearts. Every single player tasted the thrill of victory, every single player tasted the bitter agony of defeat, and every single player played every single match. We started off as a team, and we walked out of the tournament as a team. More importantly, we stayed as a family. The defeats made us stronger and more determined. The victories sweetened the memories. This nationals experience will live on in our memories forever.
Mehan Family of Gainesville Readies 3 for USTA League and JTT National Chps.
September 15, 2011
After playing USTA League tennis for more than 25 years and never advancing to nationals, Gainesville’s Bobbie Mehan suddenly has a family full of national championship contenders in 2011. In the same year Mehan, her sister and her daughter are all advancing to USTA League National Championships in Arizona.
Mehan, the QuickStart 10 and Under Tennis director and assistant pro at the Jonesville Tennis Center in Gainesville, Fla., began playing USTA League tennis out of college in Kansas City. Then it was league tennis in Chicago, Atlanta, and for the last 10 years in Florida.
“Altogether I’ve played forever and never gotten to a nationals,” she says, laughing. “That doesn’t seem possible does it, after playing that many years.”
Her women’s 45-and-over team, including sister Bonnie O’Brien, were unlikely USTA Florida Section champions until enduring a series of tiebreak wins during a rainy weekend at the USTA Florida Adult League Championships in July at the Florida Tennis Center in Daytona Beach.
“We were not favored by any means. We were just excited to [advance to] play on Sunday, much less play in the finals,” Mehan said. “It came down to a third-set tiebreaker on the last court for us to win on a Sunday at about 11 o’clock at night [after rain delays]. All the tiebreakers went our way, it was really perfect, it was really close. I think we were taking our [championship team] pictures at 11:15 p.m. that Sunday because of the rain, it was just crazy. There’s not too much of a fanbase around at 11:15 on a Sunday night, but that didn’t matter.”
The sisters Bobbie and Bonnie have played tennis together since high school when their team won the state championship. Bonnie will be the lone player on the team with previous USTA League National Championship experience.
“She did go to nationals one time out of [USTA] Missouri Valley, she got to go to Key Biscayne,” Mehan said. “There’s actually people on the team that have played longer than me — there is one lady on the team who says she has played league tennis for over 40 years and never had gone to nationals.”
One tradition for USTA teams advancing to league nationals is to present the other teams with a gift, and the Gainesville resident is attempting to keep her Florida Gators football passion in check.
“We’re going to come up with something great to represent Florida — I think we should give something ‘Gators,’ something Gator-ish, but we are representing Florida and not just Gainesville,” Mehan said, laughing.
The team roster also includes Ekanong Van Roy, Larissa Williamson, Mary Cribb, Elizabeth Amdur, Jean Vaughn, Kar Yee Fransham, Preetika Pai, Barbara Rozboril, Kathy Bevis, Margot Markowitz, Deborah Hubbart, Zhoe Solaun, Sierra Solaun, Debbie Bowers and Sandra Phillips.
Also advancing to USTA Jr. Team Tennis Nationals in the 14-Advanced division is Mehan’s daughter Lillie.
“I had the additional pressure, because my daughter had already won her sectional weeks before, and I knew she was going to nationals so I had the pressure,” Mehan said. “I thought, ‘Okay! If she gets to go to nationals, maybe this is my year.’ It’s just weird that they’re both in Arizona a week apart.”
For the 14-year-old Lillie it’s also a first-time trip to nationals after much of her team recently moved up from the 12-Advanced division.
“This will be the first time going to nationals for everyone on the team,” said Lillie, who adds the team has already planned their wardrobe changes.
“We’re all planning on wearing the same uniform for every day — like, on the plane we’ll all wear Jonesville or DB [Racquet Club] tennis shirts, and for like the first day we’re wearing black and yellow, and the next day we’re wearing black-out, like black shirts and shorts or whatever, and the next day yellow and navy,” Lillie said. “It’s really exciting, because it’s our first time ever and it’s really fun.”
Now all that’s left for the family is figuring out flights and stay-overs in Arizona to support one another. The 2011 USTA League 4.5 Adult National Championships will be held Oct. 28-30, 2011 at the Reffkin Tennis Center in Tucson, Ariz., while the 2011 USTA Jr. Team Tennis 14-U National Championships will be held Oct. 20-23 at The Surprise Tennis and Racquet Complex in Surprise, Ariz.
Junior Team Tennis Summer 2011 Season
It is time to start planning for the summer season of Junior Team Tennis.
Here are some important dates:
5/11 Team numbers will be issued by and registration will begin.
5/25 Deadline to have at least 4 players on team roster. Teams should try to have 6-8 players on their rosters.
6/4 Match play will begin
6/14 Deadline for player registration for the summer JTT season.
7/22 – 7/24 12& under and 10& under sectional championship (Daytona Beach)
7/29 – 7/31 14& under and 18& under sectional championship (Daytona Beach)
Those of you with teams in the 14U and 18U intermediate or advanced divisions who want to be eligible for the national championship need to be aware of the rules for the summer championship division.
There are a few changes that have been made to the program. First, the fee will be $30.00 instead of $35.00. The Nike dri-fit team shirt has been replaced with a regular t-shirt—it’s white with colorful tennis balls on the front. The shirt size will not be captured during online registration. I’ll have to gather this information from team captain. We can print team names on the back of the shirt—so pick a name early if you plan to do so!
For more information, please contact Linda Green at:
Linda G. Green
USTA Florida Jr. Team Tennis
Local League Coordinator
Region 2 (Alachua County)
352-870-6134
Gainesville, Pinellas Co., Seminole Co., Volusia Co. Win USTA Florida Jr. Team Tennis Fall Section Titles
The USTA Florida Jr. Team Tennis Fall Section Championship drew 62 teams to the Florida Tennis Center in Daytona Beach on Dec. 11-12, 2010. The Gainesville area sent seven teams, who competed in beginner to advanced divisions, and Gainesville teams won two of the six division titles (12 and Under Advanced, and 14 and Under Advanced). Congratulations to all who competed!
“Saturday was a beautiful day of tennis,” said USTA Florida Team Tennis Coordinator Michelle Willis. “Sunday was halted around 11:30 a.m. when the rain, 20 m.p.h. winds and cold front came in. The matches had to be called and the tournament cut short, with division winners determined by game-winning percentage.”
In the 12-and-under division, Pinellas County’s “Largo Hulk Smash” finished ahead of Dade County’s “Ocean Club Int.” (a first-time team) for the Intermediate title, and Gainesville’s “G-Power”, coached by So-Mei Louie, won the Advanced title, edging runners-up “Daytona Heavy Hitters” from Volusia County.
12 and under advanced division winners
In the 14-and-under division, the Volusia County “Punishers” won the Intermediate title, finishing ahead of runners-up “Sanlando Smash” from Seminole County. “GLB”, coached by Bobbie Mehan, from the Gainesville area won the Advanced title, finishing ahead of “HP Seminoles” from Leon County, a first-time team.
14 and under advanced winners
QuickStart Tennis Notes: Bobbie Mehan
After a successful summer season, Bobbie Mehan organized a QuickStart Tennis league for the fall. QuickStart Tennis is a form of tennis in which smaller rackets and nets are used on smaller courts. This format makes it easier for young kids to be successful at tennis and to start playing matches at an earlier age.
Match play for 8 yrs and Under (boys and girls) began in late September. Matches are played SUNDAYS at 4:00. For more information on QuickStart Tennis, go to http://consumers.quickstarttennis.com or www.10andundertennis.com
Quick Start Tournaments
The first USTA-sanctioned Quick Start tournaments in the area were held at the Jonesville Tennis Center on May 20th , June 24th, and September 19th. Each tournament had approximately 20 participants and almost an equal number of volunteers, to insure that the matches ran smoothly. Players came from as far away as Tarpon Springs, St. Augustine, and Belleview.
Players can register at Tennislink at www.usta.com.
Please contact Bobbie Mehan if you have any questions or would like to sign your child up for a Quick Start league or clinic @ curlym1@nullaol.com.