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TENNIS COMMUNITY
Schaefer enters Texas Tennis Hall of Fame
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Schaefer is in front row, center. Pictured also in the group are other Houstonian Hall of Famers Chuck Sanchelli, Cindy Benzon and Beverly Taylor.
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Guests, leaders and friends celebrated the induction of four new members, including HTA’s Executive Director Emily Schaefer, to the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame in Waco last month.
Also inducted were David Davis, Kimm Ketelsen and Ken Sumrow.
The evening was full of tributes, the introduction of new galleries and a reception and dinner. Enjoy a full description of the evening.
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TENNIS SPOTLIGHT
New Directors for Husband-Wife Tournament
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From left: Gavin Ybarra, Andrew and Lena Lahasky, Brenda and Dan Blanchard, Alexandria Ybarra
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The 67th Annual HTA LeMaster Husband & Wife tournament will introduce new tournament directors Alexandria and Gavin Ybarra, who have worked with the committee for several years. Brenda and Dan Blanchard and Lena and Andrew Lahasky, tournament directors for the last seven years, will continue to play in the tournament.
The tournament holds a special place in the hearts of the Lahaskys and Blanchards. Brenda and Dan started playing the tournament in the 1996, the year they were married. Lena and Andrew entered the event the year they began playing tennis in 2003.
The couples played off and on through the next year because of busy schedules and family obligation, then became fulltime participants when they joined the committee in 2014 and took over as chairmen in 2018.
The Blanchards’ and Lahaskys’ favorite part of the tournament was working towards an HTA scholarship fund in memory of the founders, Chuck and Roberta LeMaster.
“Being able to present those hard-working, tennis-loving high school seniors with funds needed for college is an honor we will never forget,” Brenda and Lena said.
The tournament raised scholarship funds for five students in 2025.
Entries in the tournament, which is November 22-23 at Walden Racquet Club in Montgomery, total 118 players.
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CAPTAIN’S SPOTLIGHT
John Blumenthal
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From left: Jessica Blumenthal, Kegan Blumenthal (son), Max Blumenthal, Pam Blumenthal (wife) Wes Blumenthal (grandson), John Blumenthal, Jonah Chalet, Michelle Chalet (daughter), Elias Chalet
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I captain the 4.5 JCC Dudes out of The Jewish Community Center. I have been a Captain for…let’s just say 30+ years. I only captain this team; (who would be crazy enough to captain multiple teams!!).
My days of playing started back in 1973 at Westwood Country Club when I was 13. I would hang all day at the club playing golf. The tennis pro at the time was Tim Heckler, and he asked me if I wanted to play tennis one day. I was hooked after that. Then Paul Christian got me involved after Tim left the club.
I play tennis for the exercise as well as for the camaraderie. The friendships I have made over the years are present to this day! I still play golf as well as tennis, but, I must admit that my golf game is in much better shape lately. I shot 79 two weeks ago at Memorial.
My biggest challenge is always getting bodies to play every week — like herding kittens! My team is a good mix of young and old — the old guys find themselves traveling more and more, and the young guys have small kids, which is a challenge to take time away from family.
Three words of advice for other captains: patience, Patience, PATIENCE!!
I got my son Kegan involved in tennis when he was a young teenager (after baseball), and we traveled around Texas doing USTA tournaments — fun times! My son also played three years for Bellaire High School on the tennis team. Once he went off to college other things occupied his time. He is now back into tennis, playing leagues in Austin. I’m now working on the next generation with my five-year-old grandson, doing soft tosses to him!
Sport of a lifetime!
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The USTA Foundation provides accreditation and unique resources for high-quality education and tennis programming.
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LEAGUES
NoHo team wins Combo Team Sectionals in Corpus
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The NoHo team won the 6.5 Combo League Sectionals at Corpus Christi. The team, captained by Claudia Fernandez, consists of Jaclyn Babcock, Gabriela Boock, Elisa Coll, Valerie Eissler, Claudia Fernandez, Maria Gilroy, Orfelinda Gomez, Alejandra Guerrero, Adriana Hernandez, Saba Kenny, Jannine Sotomayor, Dunia Sires, Jennifer St John, Eleonora Tonti and Kristin Valicevic.
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For questions or additional information, please contact Ann Wilde
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For players looking for a team, please contact Melinda Hampton
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Looking forward to a tennis-filled 2026!
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ON & Off the Court
National Finalists
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The Houston 40 & Over 4.5 Women’s team, captained by Melissa Stryker and Sarah-Jane Jackett, were national finalists in the 40 & Over Women’s competition. Team members are
Berklee Baay, Valerie Behne, Cynthia Blust, Lisa Cohen, Chiara Combs, Cristin Dickerson, Linnie Ford, Geraldine Haas, Sarah-Jane Jackett, Donnetha Johnson, Sachiko Jungbluth, Melissa Massey, Tammy Nasse, Sarah Pletcher, Melissa Stryker, Amanda Thompson, Diana Tully, Kendall Vincent, Louise Vorster and Thao Westenhaver.
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AFFILIATIONS AND SPONSORS
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