December 2009 USTA Florida
North/South Florida Notes

A round-up of miscellaneous news, happenings, and previews of upcoming events across the state:

NORTH FLORIDA

UF recruit Olivia Janowicz

ACES -- At the USTA Jr. Team Tennis National Championships in Mobile, Ala., Gainesville's Johnny Johnston, a Vietnam War veteran and seven-time winner of the US Open Wheelchair Championships, became the first wheelchair coach to lead a team to the USTA Jr. Team Tennis National Championships...

The University of Florida's Allie Will was the only seeded freshman in either the women's or men's draws at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's ITA Indoor in early November at Yale University...

Florida State Assistant Coach Matt Cloer successfully navigated the qualifying draw at the USTA Pro Circuit Bluewater Bay tournament before being beaten 6-2, 6-3 in the first round of the main draw by No. 1 seed Conor Niland of Ireland...

Gulf Breeze High School senior Jackie Kasler has signed to play at Auburn. "Everybody said to me that when you visit schools, you'll just have this feeling about one of them, and you'll know that that's it," she told the Pensacola News-Journal. "I had that feeling about Auburn. I just knew it was the school for me."...

Tennis advocate Tom Pinnock, 94, died on Oct. 27, 2009. Pinnock was the father of Cindy Harkins, supervisor of the Red Bug Lake Park tennis facility. Pinnock was instrumental in getting a bond referendum passed to build parks in the Seminole County/Orlando area. He found the land and proposed to the city which later became Sanlando Park, and insisted on a starting bank of six tennis courts. Pinnock was a World war II veteran and was buried at the National Cemetery...

Jennifer Pfeifler, a Gulf Breeze High junior, swept the girls 18-and-under singles and doubles titles at the Seminole County USTA Florida Section Championships in Altamonte Springs...

Tom Blackwell of Ponte Vedra Beach has signed a letter of intent to play for Nebraska.

AMELIA ISLAND -- Wildcard American teen Jack Sock won his first singles USTA Pro Circuit title at The Ravenswood Wine Amelia Island Futures Championships in November, defeating the tournament's No. 2 seed, Artem Sitak of Russia 7-6(5), 1-6, 6-3 in the final. Michael Venus of Orlando, who plays for Louisiana State University, lost to Sock in the semifinals 7-6(5), 6-4. "Venus was serving really well and placing his serves well," Sock said. "I felt I was also holding well and felt pretty comfortable. I felt really good when I broke his serve." Sock hails from Overland Park, Kan.

The Amelia Island Plantation resort, former home to the Bausch & Lomb Championships WTA Tour event, says it will continue to operate while it reorganizes under Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Amelia Island Co., which operates the Nassau County resort, filed for bankruptcy in November.

DAYTONA BEACH -- The Florida Tennis Center will host for the first time the USTA Jr. Team Tennis Summer Section Championships in August 2010. The three-day tournament drew 650 kids when it was held in Lakeland this year, and USTA Florida officials are expecting a 10-20 percent increase for next year. "It's grown so large, we needed to go to a larger facility," said Michelle Willis, team tennis coordinator for USTA Florida.

GAINESVILLE -- University of Florida women's tennis head coach Roland Thornqvist announced that in addition to signing Alexandra Cercone (Seminole, Fla.), he has also signed Olivia Janowicz (Palm Bay, Fla.) to a National Letter of Intent. They will both join the Gators for the 2010-11 season. "We are absolutely ecstatic to sign the two best players from the state of Florida to join our program," Thornqvist said. "Alex and Olivia continue the tradition of home-state products becoming Gators. Their addition makes for a bright future. Not only are they great tennis players individually, but they are great team players who understand the team concept."

Family Doubles winners Dave and Aaron Brown of Port Orange

HEATHROW -- Winners from the USTA Florida State Family Doubles Championships: Father-Son Doubles -- David Brown/Aaron Brown (Port Orange); Father-Daughter Doubles -- Steve Vaughan/Jordan Vaughan (Naples); Mother-Son Doubles -- Rita Gladstone/Paul Gladstone (Port Orange); Mother-Daughter Doubles -- Nancy Prelec/Evin Prelec (Deland); Husband-Wife Doubles -- Cornelius Brickhouse/Tokoloho Masiane (Wesley Chapel); Husband-Wife 45 Doubles -- Rick Workman/Mari Workman (Clearwater).

JACKSONVILLE -- The University of North Florida will host a women's USTA/ITA Campus Showdown on Jan. 9, 2010. Campus Showdowns are one-day, short-format tournaments open to juniors, college players, professionals, and adults of any age. These events give junior players a chance to compete against college and adult competition on a college campus. For more info e-mail rodrigo.puebla@unf.edu.

ORLANDO -- Registration ends Jan. 6, 2010, for the USTA Florida Orlando Winter Flex League, with play beginning Jan. 11 through March 15. Singles, doubles, and mixed doubles are all offered, plus Senior and Super Senior levels as well. "This league is very inexpensive and is only for great practice, fun, and meeting new people. Therefore, there's no points involved to stress over. You can practice and get better without worries," says Chelsea Maratta-Underwood, USTA Florida league tennis organizer for Orlando Flex Leagues. "You sign-up for your own NTRP level. You sign up at www.ustaflex.com, and the Flex league rules are on the site along with FAQs. I hope to see you having fun on the courts!"

PENSACOLA -- Pensacola Local League Coordinators Calvin and Tami Moore (Mixed), Terry Thrash (Mens and Combos), Diana Waters (Ladies and Combos) and Allison Randol (Seniors) hosted a Captain's Appreciation Mixer at the Roger Scott Tennis Center on Nov. 15, 2009. "It was our way of showing our appreciation for all the hard work these captains volunteer to do by organizing teams in each of our respective leagues for our area," Moore said. "We would not have successful leagues each year without their assistance and we wanted to let them know how much we appreciate their efforts. We had a great turnout, wonderful weather and everyone enjoyed themselves. We had about 30 people playing the round robin tennis and about 15 others that just came by to enjoy the food and festivities. It was fun hosting this event for them and we look forward to doing it for the 2009 captains next year."

TALLAHASSEE -- The Florida State men's and women's tennis programs did their part to help the community for the holiday season, on Nov. 20, 2009 hosting the Florida State Tennis Community Day, where both squads gave free tennis lessons in exchange for a canned good. Fans took part at the Scott Speicher Tennis Center, and all goods collected went to the Second Harvest Food Bank. "It's always great to get together with junior players of all ages and levels from the community, especially when it is for a greater purpose than tennis itself," FSU women's head coach Jennifer Hyde said. "We all are so fortunate with the lives we have, and to have an opportunity to give back to a charity such as Great Harvest is one our responsibilities as a community."

Blue Whitaker has been named the USTA Local League Coordinator for the Seniors and Super Seniors Leagues in Tallahassee. Whitaker grew up in Tennessee and is a semi-retired licensed building contractor. He was first introduced to tennis in Lakeland, Fla., when he was in his 30s. He moved to Tallahassee in 1980, and about five years ago he and his wife Gloria took up tennis again. "Blue is committed to putting all of his efforts into the USTA Seniors and Super Seniors Leagues in Tallahassee," said George English, USTA Florida tennis program coordinator for the Panhandle region. "This, along with his love of tennis and familiarity with the players should result in an increase in participation in the leagues."

SOUTH FLORIDA

ACES -- Promising Bradenton junior Christian Harrison is off the junior circuit recovering from surgery. His father Pat Harrison posted on zootennis.com in November, "Christian had surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota just over two months ago for a bone infection in his left femur. He is off crutches and began riding a stationary bike [in early November]. We have an appointment in December to see how it is progressing but no set time for when he will return to tournaments. He is getting ahead in his schoolwork and doing plenty of fishing though."...

Bob and Erik Luxembourg won the National Ultra Senior (80-and-over) Father & Son Championship at Palm Aire Country Club in Sarasota on Dec. 15, 2009, in the final defeating Joe and Michael Pizzat of Bluffton, SC, and Savannah, Ga., 6-2, 6-0. Glen and Rick Workman defeated Joe and Michael Pizzat 6-7, 6-4, 6-4 for second place...

Weston's Rocio Portela-Berrios has signed a letter of intent to play for Seton Hall beginning in the fall of 2010...

Boca Raton's Zachary Katz has committed to play for the Pennsylvania Quakers...

West Virginia University tennis coach Marc Walters announced the signing of Bradenton's Mary Chupa of Manatee High School...

Vero Beach's Andrew Butz has signed a letter of intent to play for the University of Florida. The 6-foot-3 right-hander finished 19-0 last season, winning the state high school title...

Coach Bill Macom at the Florida Institute of Technology was honored with the USTA/ITA Community Outreach Award for the USTA Florida section by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The award honors an ITA coach for significant contributions in developing community-based tennis programs through community centers, schools, parks, community tennis associations, inner city, suburban or rural programs...

Coach Chi Ly of Palm Beach Atlantic University was honored with the USTA/ITA Campus Recreation Award for the USTA Florida section by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The award honors an ITA coach who has done an outstanding job implementing recreational tennis programs on campus in an effort to grow tennis participation...

Part-time Miami resident and U.S. Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez was the recipient of the 2009 Fed Cup Award of Excellence. Presentation of the Fed Cup Award of Excellence was made on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009, in Reggio Calabria, Italy, during the Fed Cup World Group Final presented by BNP Paribas and contested between the United States and Italy. The Fed Cup Award of Excellence is presented to a person who represents the ideals and spirit of the Fed Cup competition and must be a member of a past or present Fed Cup team. Fernandez was a member of the 1996 winning U.S. Fed Cup team...

Raymond Sarmiento, who has spent the last two years at the USTA Training Center in Boca Raton, has committed to play for the University of Southern California...

University of Miami women's tennis senior Laura Vallverdu won the consolation singles title in November at the ITA National Indoor Championships hosted by Yale University at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center in New Haven, Conn...

Stu Winston, a long-time tennis official, died on Oct. 23, 2009. He was president of the South Florida Professional Tennis Officials Association for five years. "He always tried to get the best for the umpires no matter what it took," said USTA Florida Volunteer Development and Meetings Manager Lynne Salus...

Brooke Bolender, who has trained at the Evert Academy in Boca Raton since moving from Ohio at age 13, has committed to play for the University of Michigan. "I think the fact that I serve and volley every point helps me do well in doubles because a lot of girls aren't used to that, so it throws them off a little," Bolender told TennisRecruiting.net...

Vero Beach's King Van Nostrand was a member of the Bitsy Grant Cup-Men's 75-and-over team that beat Australia 3-0 in the final to win the title for the U.S. at the ITF Super-Seniors World Team Championships in Perth, Australia. His wife Yvonne was on the U.S. Queens' Cup-Women's 75-and-over team that lost to Australia 2-1 in the final. Clem Hopp of Sarasota was on the U.S. Gardnar Mulloy Cup-Men's 80-and-over team that lost to Australia 2-1 in the final...

Bradenton's Sekou Bangoura and Denis Kudla of Virginia lost to top-seeded Tigran Martirosyan of Armenia and Artem Sitak of Russia in the final of the Bluewater Bay (Niceville) USTA Pro Circuit event in November...
 

St. Pete/Clearwater Captains' Appreciation Party

CORAL SPRINGS -- The Tennis Center of Coral Springs was named the national Tennis Welcome Center of the Month in November 2009. "The Tennis Center of Coral Springs likes to celebrate just about every holiday at their facility," wrote GrowingTennis.com. "From Halloween and St. Patrick's Day to the 4th of July, these festivities just give the players at the tennis center another reason to get on the court and have a good time." Kevin McCarthy is the tennis director at the 16-court public facility located about 30 miles northwest of Fort Lauderdale. "Everyone loves to eat, drink, and play tennis," McCarthy says. "So if you combine those three things together and add dressing up in costumes, prizes, and games to the mix, it makes it even that much more fun for members. Events like these just help build camaraderie between the members and get more people playing tennis."

MIAMI -- Butch Buchholz, founder and tournament chairman of the Sony Ericsson Open, is resigning his position following the 2010 tournament to pursue other opportunities. "It's time," Buchholz told the Miami Herald. "I don't want to be just a figurehead handing out trophies. I'm going to be 70 years old soon, and I stayed five years longer than I had planned. This just feels like the right time to move on. I feel at peace because I'm leaving the tournament in very capable hands, with [Tournament Director] Adam Barrett and the same staff we've had in place a long time." A former player and executive director of the ATP before it became the ATP Tour in 1990, Buchholz founded the Miami event, known as the "Fifth Grand Slam," and the first event outside the Slams to offer equal prize money to male and female players. The Herald reports he plans to become more involved with First Serve, a charitable arm of the USTA that empowers underprivileged youth through tennis. The program, which he chairs, is expanding from 19 cities to 45 next year.

NAPLES -- The United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Competitive Player Development Conference will take place in Naples from Dec. 10-12, 2009, at the Academia Sanchez-Casal. Emilio Sanchez Vicario and Luis Mediero will be featured speakers. Sanchez Vicario is the former captain of the 2008 championship Davis Cup team for Spain and a former tour player ranked No. 7 in singles and No. 1 in doubles. "This has been one of the most popular and well-attended education programs that the USPTA has ever held," said USPTA CEO Tim Heckler. "It enables tennis teachers to become familiar with the playing systems that are dominating most parts of the world." For more information, call (800) 877-8248 or visit www.uspta.com.

Totally Tennis magazine

OLDSMAR -- The St.Pete/Clearwater Captains' Appreciation Party was held this fall at the Eastlake Woodlands Country Club, where 100 area captains gathered to celebrate the season. Area league coordinators, led by local league coordinators Ruth Ann Ott and Carol Levin, invited captains and co-captains from adult, senior, super senior, super 70's, senior and adult mixed doubles, and men's and women's combo leagues. Coordinators Sandi Delosh, Clark Higgs, Dave Foster, and Tom Johnson assisted in contacting invitees and organizing the event, and mugs with the USTA logo were provided to all participants. Attendees also were grouped into eight teams for tennis, overseen by Eastlake Woodlands Country Club Tennis Director Jake Bryan. Reginald Roundtree from Channel 10 Tampa Bay news was taking pictures of players, and a segment on the event was aired on the local news. A light dinner followed, and placing teams were recognized with an award. There were 36 donations by the area clubs that were raffled off, with the grand prize a night's stay at the Renaissance Vinoy. USTA Florida and the Suncoast Tennis Foundation assisted in the festivities, including Suncoast Director Judy Foster.

SARASOTA -- Totally Tennis is a new full-color magazine celebrating the joy of tennis, targeting tennis enthusiasts throughout the Sarasota Gulf Coast region. "We print six editions annually which are widely distributed to more than 300 high traffic locations including all 26 tennis clubs in the region," says Editor Kathy Whyte. "Totally Tennis is also mailed directly to businesses and homes as part of our convenient subscription service." Totally Tennis was founded by Bob Luxembourg who has been running tournaments and promoting tennis for several decades. For more info go to www.totallytennismagazine.net.

The Pine View Middle School boys tennis team and Sarasota Middle School girls team won the Sarasota County Middle School Tennis Championships. The Pine View boys beat Brookside in the final, while the Sarasota beat the Pine View girls in their final.

Got Florida tennis news? E-mail to news@florida.usta.com.