November 2024 Newsletter

AD All tournament returns to KInkaid

Gus Pielop, a junior at the Kinkaid School, master-minded his second AD ALL tournament at the Houston school this semester.

The tournament features cognitively disabled athletes pairing with able-bodied player volunteers in a doubles-styled round robin tournament. Gus conceived and executed the idea for the event in his pursuit of his Eagle Scout badge, which he earned this year.

“I think the event was a success, and I hope to do it again next year,” Gus said.

“It’s a lot of fun to watch the athletes, regardless of skill, have the best time out of all of us with no negativity whatsoever…I hope I can work together with the HTA to do this next year.”

Gus manages and directs the tournament and recruits the able-body players, many who are his fellow Kinkaid tennis teammates. USTA Texas liaison Cindy Benzon recruits the cognitively disabled players, and HTA Board Member Rafael Chapa assists with tournament details. HTA also donated some sportsmanship pins.

 

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October 2024 Newsletter

Advantage NJTL: Early involvement brings dividends

Rafael Chapa’s mother spied a flyer at the BakerRipley House advertising free tennis lessons at Haviland Park in southwest Houston.

Since the family’s apartment complex was near the park, she enrolled her four children–Rafael, Brenda, Beatriz and Renato–in the HTA National Junior Tennis and Learning sessions.

Little did the Chapas know how that early introduction to tennis via NJTL would influence and benefit 8-year-old Rafael’s future.

“We lived in a small apartment, and the lessons gave us a chance to get outside and play,” Rafael explained.

“I also got to meet a lot of people and other players,” he said. “It gave me a sense of motivation to do better and learn things. There was always something mental, too. You had to plan what your shots should be and what to do next on the court.”

Rafael, or Rafa as he called by his close friends later joined the Zina Garrison Academy, further improving his tennis and social skills. He played on the varsity team at Westbury High School.

When he graduated from Westbury, he enrolled in the University of Houston and majored in applied economics, later earning a masters in data analytics. Rafael met Alyssa, his wife of four years, at the university.

Rafael continues to play tennis, primarily at Chancellors Family Tennis Center. When asked how well he plays, he acknowledged he plays well enough but modestly wouldn’t elaborate.

HTA NJTL supported Rafael while he was attending the University of Houston with HTA NJTL scholarships. The investment has generated dividends for his benefactor and for the community.

Today, he is a base analyst at Northwest Assistance Ministries, a nonprofit, community-based social service agency. He has been an HTA board member for three years and plans to sign up for another three. 

At NAM he helps with donations and interacts with people who seek assistance at the organization. He volunteers at HTA events and tournaments, donating money as well as his time. His fluency in Spanish is beneficial to both organizations.

Rafael is not merely an armchair analyst, crunching numbers all day long. His experience with NJTL taught him the value of sharing the benefits he himself received.

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September 2024 Newsletter

Public tennis is his passion

“I would not be the person I am today if it weren’t for tennis,” Ed Emmett stated.

“Being on a tennis court builds confidence, shapes your ability to think fast and to handle difficult situations. It also teaches you how to lose,” he continued.

An avid player at age 75, he wants to make sure that others can have the opportunity to benefit from the game and has spearheaded the creation of the Public Parks Tennis Foundation to support the development and maintenance of tennis facilities and services in the Houston area’s public parks.

The foundation’s goal is to help local governments make a high-quality tennis experience available to the widest range of residents so they, too, can develop a love of the game that will last a lifetime.

In addition to Emmett, board members are Zach Davis, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Cheniere Energy; Janis Burke, chief executive officer of the Harris County/Houston Sports Authority; Marian Harper, vice president of foundation development and player engagement and family relations for the Houston Astros; and Dennis Pullin, president and chief executive officer of Virtua Health.

The foundation is in its nascent fund-raising and development stages, sending out solicitation letters to known donors and is planning a major event in the near future.

“We certainly want to help improve the major tennis centers,” Emmett said, “but my personal interest is in improving the many neighborhood parks with things such as better nets, backboards and courts reserved for tennis only.”

Emmett’s passion for the public courts stems from his own introduction to grassroots tennis and his growing appreciation of its life lessons.

He grew up in Tyler, Texas, playing pick-up games with friends on the public courts there. “And I must have hit a thousand balls a day off the neighbor’s brick wall.

“When I was 12, I read about the East Texas Open coming to Tyler. I thought I knew how to play so I entered, showing up in blue jeans and a T-shirt. My first opponent was a kid from Shreveport with multiple racquets and a coach in the stands. He, of course, annihilated me.”

Texas Tennis Hall of Famer and coach Bill Lust, who helped develop the Tyler tennis program, was in the stands observing the game and told Ed not to quit.

He didn’t and got to be, in his own words, “a decent player.” When the family moved to Houston, Ed found time to hit on the long-gone courts at Hermann Park with anyone who showed up. Later, he worked with the legendary Lee LeClear at MacGregor Park. Ed improved enough to make the Bellaire High School tennis team where he won a district championship in doubles. 

When he entered Rice University he qualified for the Rice team as the last player.

“But I never got to play for the team because those were the years that guys like Mike Estep and Zan Guerry were dominant. Just being able to practice with them was a joy.”

He served as the head pro at Golfcrest Country Club for a year and a half before entering graduate school at the University of Texas for a degree in public affairs, which developed into service in the Texas House of Representatives, as Commissioner on the Interstate Commerce Commission, as Harris County Judge and currently as a Fellow at the Baker Institute at Rice University.

As a product of the public courts himself, Emmett understands the necessity of easy access to the sport and to its lifetime benefits. He continues to play and compete in his age group and is working toward obtaining an ITF ranking.

For more information about the foundation visit publicparkstennis.org.

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August 2024 Newsletter

The University of Houston has added a new Cougar to guide its women’s tennis program, and she is definitely not a cub.

Back-to-back WAC (Western Athletic Conference) tournament champion and 2024 WAC Coach of the Year Katarina Adamovic has succeeded Helena Besovic as the eleventh coach in the university’s history.

Adamovic comes to Houston after spending two seasons as the head coach at Grand Canyon University where she led the Lopes to the 2024 WAC regular season championship and back-to-back WAC tournament crowns to advance to two straight NCAA tournaments for the first time in its program’s history.

Adamovic, a native of Cacak, Serbia, stated that she is thrilled to be back in the Big 12 Conference “and can’t wait to help the school become the next big destination in college tennis. I look forward to building a strong, competitive team and contributing to the legacy of excellence at the University of Houston,” she continued.

Her coaching career before Grand Canyon includes assistant coaching positions at Cincinnati and Missouri. As a player at Oklahoma State, she was a top 20-ranked player and named the 2016 NCAA Tournament Most Valuable Player.

As a youth Adamovic was a Serbian national champion in the junior and senior divisions.

She has wasted little time in building a competitive women’s team for the Cougars in the upcoming season, recruiting four Grand Canyon and one McNeese transfers.

Santa Strombach, Valeriia Krokhotina, Iva Sepa and Elizaveta Morozova have transferred from Grand Canyon, and Heta Nuutinen has signed on from McNeese State University.

 

 

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July 2024 Newsletter

Thank-you letters spark scholarship donations

Despite an oil spill which backed up traffic on I45, Margaret Wolford, who lives in The Woodlands, arrived at Beck’s Prime in Memorial Park in time to meet three of the six scholarship recipients of this year’s Steve Wolford Scholarship Fund.

The occasion was HTA’s annual scholarship gathering, where the designated scholarship winners are treated to lunch and recognized for their achievements.

Margaret established the scholarship fund in 2011 in honor of her late husband Steve Wolford, an avid tennis player and a member of several USTA teams.

“We have the barbecue in Sawmill Park, either during the fourth week in April or the first weekend in May, so that we avoid competing with any Sectional events,” Margaret explained.

“It’s a fun, social family day, with food and tennis, consisting of my friends, Steve’s friends and former tennis partners and sometimes just people who have heard about it. Everyone is welcome.”

That fun family social has generated $71,000 over the years, enough to provide scholarships for 58 high school seniors.

Guests at the barbecue are tuned in to the purpose of the event and are even more motivated to contribute when Margaret shares some of the thank-you notes that the students have written.

“That’s the best part of the day,” she says, “It’s so emotional and really touches everyone’s heartstrings.”

Margaret, an avid tennis player herself, has been playing since she was six years old. She plays women’s doubles in two leagues and on a USTA mixed doubles team. She and Steve met on the tennis courts as kids.

“Steve really loved tennis,” she said. He had a T-shirt which said ‘Tennis Is Life.’ He thoroughly believed in education, and this is such a good way to honor him.”

A frequent guest at the group has suggested a way to raise more money for the scholarships. He will book his band at a venue and donate the cover charge. Plans are in development.

Margaret, a senior vice president at Solomon Edwards, forwarded excerpts from some of her favorite thank-you notes.

From Melida: “Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” You have given me the gift of an education and that cannot compare to anything else in the world. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to achieve my dream of becoming a petroleum engineer. a dream I can achieve with your scholarship.”

From Sonya: “Thank you so much for your generous scholarship…I plan to work for a company as a financial analyst and may even create my own company.  Thanks to you I am one step closer to that goal…I hope one day I will be able to help students achieve their goals just as you have helped me.”

From Michelle: “…I would like to thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. I just finished my senior year in high school…When I received the call that I won I was SO HAPPY! My mother is a single mother so it’s a little difficult to get money for college, but because of your generous gift it will help me tremendously paying for college…I am truly grateful for this scholarship and I will not forget it. I hope God keeps blessing you and your family.”

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June 2024 Newsletter

                      Above left: Crystal Fain, left, and Kimberly Elliott; Above right: Pat and Wayne Alexander; Bottom: Donnetha Johnson, left, and Anjali Iyer

Six Houston players brought back medals and bragging rights from the NTRP National Championships.

Crystal Fain and Kimberly Elliott won the NTRP 18 & Over women’s doubles, and Anjali Iyer and Donnetha Johnson won the NTRP 40 & Over 4.5 women’s doubles.

Pat and Wayne Alexander captured third place in the NTRP 18 & Over 3.5 mixed doubles.

Crystal and Kimberly were defending their national championship title in the 18+ 4.5 ladies doubles.

Crystal reported, “Sunny San Diego was the perfect place for Kimberly and I to defend our national championship title, and we did just that!  Back-to-back national champs 18+ 4.5 ladies doubles! The road to the title defense was a bumpy one, including a broken finger in February for me and a shoulder injury for Kimberly, but we fought hard to get back to the levels we know we are capable of, and it paid off!” 

Anjali and Donnetha won their national title in Pelham, Ala. Anjali confirmed that, “the tournament was a wonderful experience; meeting players from all over the country and representing Texas was truly an honor!”

The Alexanders, who are ranked No. 1 in Texas and the United States, described having a terrific experience at their national competition in Surprise, Arizona.

“The Tennis Center in Surprise is a beautiful venue for the championship tournament!,” Pat reported. “The competition was very well run. We all were given a Texas hat from our section so we felt the camaraderie and could cheer each other on. There also were a lot of places nearby for hiking and other touristy activities to do during down time.”

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May 2024 Newsletter

University of Houston wins national championship

The University of Houston team was crowned national champions at the 2024 ITA National Wheelchair Tennis Championships, the premier competition in collegiate wheelchair tennis.

In a remarkable display of skill, determination and teamwork, the No. 3 Cougars defeated No. 1 San Diego State in a three-hour match at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Fla., to win the school’s first wheelchair tennis national title.

The U of H team of Jose Arriaga and Nicholas Tijerina won the doubles match 8-6, and Arriaga clinched the title with a 6-2, 5-7, 10-6 victory in the first singles match.

HTA Advisory Board Member Harold Graham interviewed the winning players Nicholas Tijerina and Jose Arriaga and their head coach Gabriel Gutierrez for the HTA newsletter.

HTA – First off, a big congratulations to each of you for winning the 2024 ITA Wheelchair Tennis National Championships. That is a very big deal for each of you, your team and program and for the University of Houston.

Gabriel, congratulations to you for being named Coach of the Year. Gabe, as coach and being the guy who has worked with the program for years, what did you feel when Jose clinched the second point and the championship in his third set tiebreaker?

Gabriel – Thanks Harold, it was a mix of emotions to be honest. We went with one goal to the championship—win– and when Jose won his last point and we started celebrating the realization that we did, it started to hit me and it was very emotional. It was a tough match against SDSU, but I had my complete trust in both Nick and Jose. We had trained for this and we did it.

HTA – And, Jose, what went through your mind during and immediately after that last point?

Jose – After I went up in the second set 5-4, my mind was thinking many things, but at the same time I was feeling relaxed and confident. I felt I was overthinking the situation and that affected my performance and as a result I ended up losing that set 7-5. During the tiebreaker, I decided to change my mindset, concentrate and enjoy the situation. I felt adrenaline rushing through my heart and I could feel every single beat. After that adrenaline rush, a calmness filled my body, and I started to focus in on one point at a time. I was so concentrated on each point that I lost track of the score. Immediately after the last point I just heard my teammate celebrating the win so enthusiastically and I realized at that point I Won. I was so surprised, shocked and amazed. I won and that win gave us the title and the 2024 ITA Collegiate tournament championship[. I feel so happy to know that with hard work and dedication your goals can be met. You just have to believe in yourself!!!!!!!!!

HTA – Nicholas, what wasn’t clear to me, from reading the accounts, I wasn’t sure where you were, if you were on court playing or watching courtside. I mean, you partnered with Jose to get the crucial first point in doubles. Please describe where you were and the first thing you did when the championship got wrapped up.

Nicholas – The team format to win is the university team must win two out of three matches in order to advance/win the overall university vs. university match-up. The format is a team doubles match, then two singles matches to decide the winner of the match-up. After playing and winning the doubles, I had to play my singles vs. San Diego’s player Ryotaro Sakaguchi. I unfortunately lost my singles making the match count 1-1 with Jose heading into a 10-point tiebreaker for the third set. I watched with anxiety and stress as Jose was playing and I was cheering him on to let him know that we supported him. As soon as we won the championship I raced to Jose and celebrated on the court! I got really emotional as this had been a dream since I went to my first collegiate nationals two years ago. For it to become a reality really made me happy and emotional. We immediately went to dinner to celebrate after a long day of playing tennis in the sun!

HTA – And Nick, you are one of the top four singles players and will be traveling to Stillwater, Okla., during the NCAA Championships to play in the Final Four Shootout. So, congratulations on that, and I guess your training doesn’t stop now. What are you doing to prepare for your trip in May?

Nicholas – First off, I’m getting caught up with school! I spent four long days playing and training in the sun and passed out when I got back to the hotel. It was both a tremendously fun but exhausting week of travel and play. I took a small break to let my body rest after playing 15 matches, but I’ve already started working with Coach Gabe to start training to improve my game and be ready for Stillwater. I also work out in my free time to build up my strength and endurance to play my best tennis and leave it all on the court with no regrets!

HTA – Gabe, it has to be immensely satisfying to see these results for your student/athletes and the growth of the Adaptive Sports Program at the U of H. What are your wishes and hopes for the sport at the collegiate level, both on Cullen Boulevard and beyond as well as what can we do to help build Wheelchair Tennis at colleges and universities and the community as a whole?

Gabriel – Well Harold, from the beginning the goal has always been the same, to help grow wheelchair tennis nationwide. We start one step at a time, first with the community program, then the collegiate program, and little by little with the idea is to help those around us create more programs to make wheelchair tennis more accessible to everyone. With this win we hope to grow more at the University of Houston and be able to provide more resources and support for the current and future athletes coming to our program.

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April 2024 Newsletter

Gearon provides runway magic at Gala

The fast-paced fashion show at the Game Set Match Gala lasts about eight to nine minutes, but the prep time consumes considerably more.

That’s where tennis coach and volunteer Shirley Gearon comes in with her organizing and motivational skills. This is her 11^th year to help put the show together.

Preparation begins with the selection of the 18 to 22 young models, chosen from the HTA NJTL ranks and from other players in the community. She then connects the models with Tennis Express for their fittings in the trendiest outfits, finds hair and make-up stylists for the models and coordinates their photo shoots.

Backstage that evening, the young models go through a dry run.

“We’re listening to music, talking, cutting up. Everyone is having fun,” she described.

“Then suddenly it’s SHOW TIME!”

Some models admit to a sudden onslaught of the jitters, but the audience sees only young energetic and confident teens in the spotlight. The kids strut, smile and keep pace to the music and script while the moderator describes their outfits and says a few words about each boy and girl.

Fashion knowledge comes naturally to Shirley, who managed her own tennis company, K-Claw Sport, for more than ten years. She currently teaches tennis at the Houston Racquet Club and is the tennis coach at Duchesne Academy.

She and husband Rowan have two children—daughter Riley, 11, and son Callan, 7.  Riley is showing an interest in tennis now, Shirley happily acknowledges.

In addition to her help with the Gala, Shirley has often volunteered with wheelchair and special needs tennis.

“I love doing volunteer work with all the different aspects of tennis,” she said.

Shirley has observed that the Gala models come to realize that their participation is part of something bigger than their own roles as individual competitors.

“It’s rewarding to see them working as a team and forgetting about their UTR points for the moment,” she said.

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March 2024 Newsletter

Showcasing our Western heritage

Every March four avid tennis players tuck away their tennis shoes and visors and trade them for boots, denim and cowgirl hats.

Karen Meldrum, Taylor Trncak, Katie Molina and Kellie Laurion are among the 35,000 volunteers at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, now in its 92^nd year.

Rodeo officials consider the volunteers essential to helping the organization maintain its charitable purpose year after year. In addition, the volunteers act as goodwill ambassadors to the more than 2.4 million visitors who come locally and from all over the world.

Taylor and Kellie work on the Directions and Assistance Committee, which is responsible for assisting attendees and exhibitors with information and directions around the show grounds. The committee is also responsible for the care of lost children, for the operation of the lost and found room and the distribution of the Show’s Visitors Guide and RODEOHOUSTON® Day Sheets.

This will be the 13^th year that Taylor, who is the captain of the Directions & Assistance Committee, has volunteered. She reports that she enjoys helping people experience a safe and enjoyable rodeo.

“The rodeo brings our great city together while donating to the youth of Texas and their education,” she explained.

“Volunteering gives me the opportunity to work with my wonderful team members to help others.”

Post rodeo, she’ll be back playing with her 4.0 Lost Forest ladies night league Trash Panda team.

Kellie, who has volunteered for seven rodeos, enjoys meeting attendees and showing them around the stadium.

“Everyone is in a great mood,” she noted, “and are excited to see the Rodeo. That makes it fun.

“The most important reason I volunteer is to help kids earn scholarships. I enjoy watching the kids work hard and have their work recognized. I like that HLSR couldn’t do what it does without the vast network of volunteers. It’s a well-oiled machine run almost entirely by volunteers,” she added.

Kellie is a member of the Downtown Club at the Met and Life Time Galleria Tennis & Athletic Club and is on two ladies 3.5 leagues and a Sunday afternoon league called HSTA.

If you’re planning to purchase rodeo and entertainer merchandise at NRG Stadium, Karen and Katie can help you out.

“If you need a small, medium or large T-shirt,” Karen promises, “I’ve got it. If you need a rodeo pin, earrings or a belt buckle, come see me.”

Karen is going on her 11^th year as a volunteer. Watching the cowboys and cowgirls competing, building memories with her Rodeo friends and raising funds for the kids motivates her to return each year.

She plays on leagues at Missouri City Recreation and Tennis Center, Memorial townhomes, AD-IN and Walnut Bend Recreation Center and is on six leagues this spring.

Katie, now in her eighth year as a volunteer, reports that on a given evening the Merchandise teams can sell anywhere from $250,000 to $2 million in concert T-shirts, hats and koozies.

“And even though lines are long,” she says, we move them through fast with lots of friendly smiles. I’ve never had an unhappy customer or one who complained about the wait. It’s a very upbeat and fun welcoming atmosphere.

“We are a very large committee with over 1,000 people who have bonded together in friendship and teams to work shoulder to shoulder for a good cause. It’s a fun time to get in the spirit and dress up to help host the local public and families from near and far showing their animals. We’ve enjoyed many sold-out concerts, including George Strait’s special performances, Garth Brooks’ shows and Willie Nelson’s final appearance.”

Katie plays league tennis five times a week out of AD-IN and Green Trails, including HLTA, WHLTA, USTA, ATL and Friday Indoor. She previously played mixed and still participates in some fun drills.

J.R. Garcia, director of tennis at Hearthstone Country Club, is active in Prime Time Cookers, a family oriented BBQ team, which participates in the Rodeo Cookoff.

This year’s rodeo continues through March 17.

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February 2024 Newsletter

Retirement brings benefits to HTA

When Margaret Graham retired from her job as an analyst for Shell Oil, she added a new source of energy to her life.

“I was pretty non-athletic,” she admitted, “and wanted to get more active.

“I thought tennis might be easier than golf and wouldn’t take up so much time, so I signed up for lessons at Sweetwater Country Club.” (She currently plays at Lifetime Tennis & Athletic Galleria Club, the Houston Racquet Club and Memorial Park Tennis Center with a variety of friends.)

She’s also added archery, running and pickleball to her sporting endeavors.

“I even did a half marathon,” she said.

And she threw herself into volunteer work. She’s been on the HTA board since 2022 and serves on the USTA Texas Black Engagement Committee.

She has volunteered time for a wheelchair tournament, the American Tennis Association national tournament at Memorial Park and NJTL events in the past year.

The native Houstonian, who graduated from Phillis Wheatley High School and Texas Southern University, belongs to Facebook’s Houston Foodie Friends and likes to travel. 

Margaret encourages people who have the time to volunteer for tennis events. Part of her motivation to volunteer is to ensure that minority children see someone who looks like them. 

Her membership in the Shell Retirees Club has provided monetary benefits for HTA.

“If I volunteer 25 hours a year, Shell will contribute $500 to the charity of my choice,” she said.

“It’s been very easy to accumulate those hours, and I suggest that everyone check with their companies for similar arrangements.”

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January 2024 Newsletter

Giving back to tennis

Jo Lightsey was a tenth-grade student at Stephen F. Austin High School in Austin, Texas, when Betty Gray Washington, the physical education and tennis coach there, spotted her tennis abilities and suggested she join the tennis team.

Jo joined the team and began a lifetime of playing, teaching and training students and dedicating her career to improving the experience for all the juniors and adults with whom she encountered.

The former Spring Woods High School physical education and health and tennis coach combined her 33 years there with volunteer hours for the Houston Tennis Association and USTA Texas. She has been a member of the USTA Texas Discipline and Grievance Committee member for many years and formerly coordinated the junior team tennis program for HTA.

“I was asked to help,” she modestly explained, “and tennis has been so good to me that I felt I needed to give back and serve. I appreciate what tennis has done for me.”

In the mid-1960s Jo was the physical education, health and tennis coach at Houston’s Marshall Junior High School. Gray Washington, who had moved to Houston as the tennis coach at Spring Woods, was resigning her position because she and her husband were moving away and recommended Jo as a replacement. Jo began her years at Spring Woods, where she “taught the students tennis and slapped them into shape” until her retirement in 1997. During those years she earned her masters in education. Brad Blume and Daryl Gralka Lerner are familiar local names among her former students.

But “retirement” isn’t really a descriptive word for the years since 1997.

She spent three years at Houston Baptist University (now Houston Christian University) and the University of Houston teaching physical education courses, driving a school bus for Spring Woods High and teaching private tennis lessons.

“I guess I thought I was a super woman,” Jo laughed.

“Someone told me that I ought to learn to say ‘no.’”

The USPTA Pro 1 has earned many awards and honors from the tennis world, among them induction into the Texas Tennis Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the USTA Texas Senior Spirit of Tennis Award, the USTA Texas Best USA Junior Team Tennis League in Texas, as well as many educator awards.

Her playing days ended six years ago when she had to have an ankle replacement. “It affected my balance,” she said.

But apparently she never learned to say “no.”

She has been president of the Old Spring Branch Civic Association for most of the years since 1997 and is responsible for writing six to seven articles for its monthly newsletter, “The Bugler.”  And on occasion she volunteers in the pro shop and helps mow the lawn at a nearby golf range because the owner is a friend.

And this February she will travel to Irving for another USTA Texas Discipline and Grievance Committee meeting and continue contributing her time and knowledge to tennis.

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December 2023 Newsletter

Justin Hensley has joined the HTA family as a community tennis intern and is coordinating the HTA Junior Team Tennis program.

It’s a program the recent Texas State University graduate is well familiar with, having grown up here playing Junior Team Tennis and local tournaments.

”It’s such a wonderful privilege to help do something I used to do,” Justin said.

His mother and grandfather played tennis and were among the first members of Copperfield Racquet & Health Club in the 1980s. New Texas Tennis Hall of Fame member Cindy Benzon taught Justin’s mother, and John Kudrick was Justin’s coach.

Justin played on the Cypress Ranch High School team, which won second place at the State 6A tournament in his senior year, and when he graduated he played on the Texas State Tennis on Campus team.

At Texas State he was president of the TOC team for three years. That position taught him valuable information about organizing tournaments, facilitating travel for the team and managing player needs. He’s used this experience wisely, and it has helped with his JTT duties.

This summer he helped run the six one-day Gran Prix tournaments organized by Gloria Dial at various clubs. He and Ara Schmaltz, tennis coach at Riviera Tennis Academy, accompanied a group of JTT players to the state championships at Newk’s. The Houston team didn’t win the championship, but Justin said the kids had a lot of fun and enjoyed the competition.

And Justin and Ara were recognized by the tournament for their part with the “Most Valuable Professionals Award.”

This first weekend in December Justin accompanied seven Houston area JTT teams to the Sectionals in New Braunfels.

While tennis is Justin’s main focus, he finds time to indulge in two other passions—antiquing and writing poetry.

“I have such an old soul,” he confessed.

“I usually look for vintage paintings and posters. I’ve moved into a new apartment and will probably be looking for furniture soon.”

He loves to bargain with vendors and admits that he is quite good at it, telling them that “I know you want to get rid of this, “so why don’t you let me have it for…”

Justin earned a bachelor’s in marketing and professional sales at Texas State, and he is using what he learned and his contagious enthusiasm to showcase the opportunities and benefits of tennis to people of all ages and backgrounds. 

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November 2023 Newsletter

Today, they work on their service techniques as competitive tennis players. But years ago they worked on their service to our country. This coming Veterans Day, November 11, we salute the many who have sacrificed their personal time and lifestyles protecting our freedom. We met a few veterans at the Senior and Super Senior Fall Festival and at the local tennis centers and want to share their experiences here.

Al Gaidys of Porter served in the Army in Vietnam in 1967-68. Gaidys, a self-taught tennis player at age 77, has played in USTA tournaments since 2006, and is ranked among the top five in the country in 3.0 55+ singles.

Larry Carroll of Houston was in the Army from 1965-68 in Vietnam. Carroll won the men’s 75 singles in the Fall Festival.

Richard Griffin, finalist in the men’s 70s, was in the Navy in 1970-72, stationed in Rhode Island.

Willie Brantley, Jr., served three years of active duty from August 1977 to August 1980 in the U.S. Marine Corps. His base station was Oceanside, Calif., with additional duty in Asia, Okinawa, Japan, the Philippines and Korea. After active duty he served three years in the active Army Reserve in his hometown of Greenville, Miss. Willie is a referee with the Houston Tennis Umpires Association and plays locally.

Sebastian Gilder of San Antonio, who won the men’s 55 singles at the Fall Festival, was an Air Force flight medac on a C5. He is now retired after 27 years of service.

George Jugo, the finalist in the men’s 55 singles, spent 8 1/2 years with the Department of Defense building tactical medium size vehicles.

Bob May, 84, in the Army from 1961-63 spent a year in Korea. He plays three times a week at Memorial Park and elsewhere on the weekends. He and his son Mike May were No. 1 in Texas in 1987 in father-son doubles.

Charles Boyd, NJTL instructor and player, is a Navy veteran who served during the Vietnam War. His tour took him on two Mediterranean and one Western Pacific trip.

John Wilkerson, legendary tennis coach, joined the U.S. Army Airborne Brigade and served two years in Germany in the late 1950s.

Veterans Day is celebrated on November 11 because it was on this day at 11 a.m. that World War I ended in 1918.

To the many players who are not included in this online tribute, be assured that we also extend our admiration and gratitude for your years of service and dedication.

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October 2023 Newsletter

AD All Tournament debuts at Kinkaid

The idea for Kinkaid sophomore Gus Pielop’s Eagle Scout project was a natural. As a member of the school’s team and a junior tournament player, he picked tennis as his theme.

His inaugural half-day Unified Tournament for players with an intellectual disability debuted September 9 on the Kinkaid courts and involved able-bodied volunteers, including some of his teammates, pairing with disabled players, for the 16-team tournament.

“I was so happy to have the opportunity to have my Eagle Scout Project involved in something I love so much, and I hope to have the opportunity to run this tournament in future years,” Gus said.

Gus conceived the idea and consulted with his mother, who suggested that he get in touch with the HTA. He contacted Cindy Benzon, USTA Texas Community Tennis Coordinator/Adaptive and Wheelchair, and HTA Executive Director Emily Schaefer, who encouraged him and offered advice and assistance. During the tournament, HTA Board Member Rafael Chapa helped with timing and scheduling.

Gus and his mother Josie Pielop designed the tournament’s AD ALL logo and created logo towels for players. They obtained snacks and trophies for all the players.

“I had never run a tournament before,” 15-year-old Gus said, “and I realized I like it more than playing in tournaments. And I really enjoyed talking to all the athletes.”

Schaefer congratulated him for his hard work and thanked him, noting how important it is to integrate disabled athletes into healthy activities like this tournament.

For those who don’t know, achieving the badge of Eagle Scout is a big deal. Since its inception in 1911, only 4% of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. Requirements include earning at least 21 merit badges, 14 of which are mandatory for the award.

Being an Eagle Scout is a big deal to colleges. Many schools value Eagle Scouts because they know they’ve learned specialized skills, display positive character traits and are capable leaders.

Gus is a member of BSA Troop 354.

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September 2023 Newsletter

The USTA Texas Sportsmanship Committee has updated its sportsmanship pledge, which was rolled out at the Texas Slam.

It reads:

I serve… when I play fair and by the rules.

I serve… when I act with integrity.

I serve… when I treat my opponent with respect.

I serve… when I value the opportunity to compete.

I serve… when I acknowledge and thank those who support me.

I serve… when I am responsible for all my actions.

I serve… when I shake hands and accept victory or defeat with dignity.

According to Committee Chair Debra LaPorte, the former pledge was outdated and too verbose.

“The new pledge is succinct,” she explained. “It allows players to take a moment to understand what they have read, and to resonate with the intent. It is an affirmation that an athlete is disciplined enough to have perspective, maintain poise and do what is best.”

We asked several players at the HTA Level 5 tournament in August about what they think a good sport is and how they react when they play a bad sport.

Makenzie F., age 9, describes a good sport as “someone who calls the lines right and says it’s a good ball and someone who doesn’t smash their racquet on the ground.” She has played against a bad sport before, but she says “It really didn’t affect me much, because it (their behavior) is a reflection against them and not me.”

Natasha R., 12, defines a good sport as “someone who is nice to you and hands you the balls and says thank you.” She has played against a bad sport who yelled at her and said she was cheating. “It was not fun,” she admitted. Her doubles partner Sophia Preng, 13, appreciates the player who respects your calls and complements you when you make a good shot. She says it’s not fun to play with people who don’t play by the rules.

Damian A., 11, likes the good sport who, even if he loses, shakes hands and says it was a good game. “It’s pretty bad to play against someone cheating.”

Giocarlo T., 13, says a good sport doesn’t raise a fuss and tells the truth about line calls. He recently had to call for an official because his opponent kept cheating. “I feel like he (the opponent) disrespected me and that he thought he was  always right.”

Sourya G., 10, loves a good sport who is honest about line calls and the score and passes the ball to you properly. While playing a bad sport recently, she admitted he got a little frustrated but tried to stay calm. “I asked him if he had changed her mind but finally had to call the referee.”

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August 2023 Newsletter

By Willie Brantley

I became an official for a number of reasons, but the number one reason, “LOVE” of the game. I started playing tennis in Greenville, Mississippi, in the mid 70s. By the 80s I was competing in local leagues and traveling state to state to play tournaments. I moved to Houston in November 2012 and decided that I wanted to be an official. I felt that being an official would give me the opportunity to teach children the rules and to practice fair play and help grow the game.

I obtained my certification in January 2013 and have been officiating ever since then.

As an official, my days usually start at 7:30 a.m., and depending on the tournament, can last up to 12 hours or more. This makes for some long days, especially in extreme weather. But I love being out on the courts. The best part of officiating, by far, includes those teachable moments. But it’s not all fun and games, because it can get pretty taxing when dealing with unruly spectators.

Since I am still employed, I only make myself available for local weekend tournaments for USTA/HTA. My plan is to extend my availability beyond weekends once I retire. When I’m not officiating, I play tennis four to five days a week, work, travel, volunteer and hang out with my family.

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July 2023 Newsletter

Meet HTA’s 2023 Scholarship Recipients

HTA has many reasons to be proud of the 14 high school students chosen as its 2023 scholarship recipients. They’re smart, ambitious, active in their school activities and talented. All have been active in either school, NJTL and/or USTA tournaments. Their future plans range from medicine to telecommunications to IT and engineering. They and the community will benefit from these scholarships.

Many thanks to Scholarship Chair Claire Goosey and her committee for their choices and to our loyal scholarship funders.

HTA has awarded more than $415,000 in scholarship funds to deserving high school seniors since 1992.

From left: Valeska Alvarado, Teymur Azimov, Taryn Bathurst

Valeska Alvarado, Spring Woods, Austin College, Paul Christian Memorial scholarship

Valeska and her family came to the United States in 2022 from Venezuela, where she learned to play tennis. She managed to maintain all As and Bs at Spring Woods despite having to learn a new language, English. At Lone Star College, she plans to study subjects related to health, especially nursing.

Teymur Azimov, Cinco Ranch, University of Houston, HTA NJTL/USMCCC scholarship

Teymur, a talented musician and violinist, will major in computer science at the university. The Summa Cum Laude graduate is passionate about using his technical skills in computer science to solve the day-to-day problems that people face. He intends to become an IT project manager responsible for developing ideas, monitoring the project’s deadlines and ensuring the team’s success.

Taryn Bathurst, Kingwood, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, West Houston Ladies Tennis Association scholarship

Taryn will study biology on the pred-medicine track at Mary Hardin-Baylor. She plans to become a doctor “because I not only want to save lives and help others but to develop new research to advance the medical field as well.” Taryn has also been recognized for her musical talent and was selected for Region Orchestra six times and qualified for state Solo and Ensemble three times.

From left: Kelsey Cornell, Jimena Escamilla-Reyes, Harry Haskin

Kelsey Cornell, Magnolia, Texas A&M University, National Senior Women’s Clay Court Championships scholarship

Kelsey will major in telecommunication media studies at Texas A&M. She is recognized as talented in A/V production and as an outstanding actress. She is also active in the Girl Scouts and was a Thespian National Qualifier.

Jimena Escamilla-Reyes, Milby, Wellesley College, West Houston Ladies Tennis Association scholarship

Jimena wants to pursue art as an art director ”to keep transforming lives through the gift of entertainment and gain the skills to bring joy to the families, children, war heroes and dreamers.” In addition to her tennis activities, she is a lifeguard and swim instructor, enjoys acrylic painting and received a ribbon of excellence from the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo.

Henry Haskin, Klein, University of Texas at Austin, HTA/Grasselli Foundation/Harry Fowler scholarship

Henry’s goal is to be a global leader in designing and building beautiful structures that can withstand the ever-increasing natural disasters brought on by climate change. He is motivated in part by experiencing severe flooding and damage to the family’s home from the Tax Day Flood and Hurricane Harvey. He has been admitted as an architectural engineering major in the Cockrell School of Engineering at UT-Austin.

From left: Zakharias Joseph, Ayush Kothari, Evan Muckleroy

Zakharias Joseph, Clear Springs, University of Texas at San Antonio, Steve Wolford College Scholarship Fund

Zak’s major is cybersecurity. One of his professors noted his keen interest in and talent for problem and logical analysis and has watched him grow as an outstanding and dedicated programmer. Zak has participated in various cybersecurity challenges, learning web development and terminal commands along the way.

Ayush Kothari, Memorial, University of Texas at Austin, Harriett Hulbert Memorial scholarship

Ayush, valedictorian of his class, is interested in business and finance and is fluent in English and Spanish. He spent an internship at Tekmetric, a company that creates software for the automotive repair industry. Ayush is eager to take on the world and new challenges and believe personal growth is achieved by engaging himself with new challenges and opportunities.

Evan Muckleroy, Ridge Point, University of Arkansas, Steve Wolford Scholarship Fund

Evan was raised in a tennis household, and the scholarship honors the roots and legacy the family provided throughout his tennis career. One of his professors told how Evan consistently demonstrated strong leadership skills, discipline and a passion for learning, describing him as a confident you man respected by his peers. Evan has worked at several small businesses and is skilled in customer service.

Charlotte O’Hair, Cypress Creek, University of Texas at Austin, HTA Grasselli Foundation/Harry Fowler Scholarship

Charlotte will major in civil engineering and after graduating plans to join a consulting firm to gain experience and work her way up to become a project manager while working with other engineers. She says that growing up, math came naturally to her. Instead of being intimidated by complex math problems, she became more engaged.

Eliana Remtulla, Clear Falls, University of Texas at Austin, Steve Wolford Scholarship Fund

Eliana, a Summa Cum Laude student, plans to work toward a career in the medical field as a physician. She has done extensive volunteer work in the healthcare field at HCA Houston Health Care in the Emergency department and has interned and developed research project at UTMB’s ENT department.

Sydnee Strohm, Cinco Ranch, University of Texas at Austin, Chuck & Roberta LeMaster Scholarship

Sydnee is studying for a civil engineering degree, which will help her reach her long-time career goal of learning the information necessary to protect natural resources, maintain infrastructures and design structures to improve people’s quality of life. Her “craving” for helping others has stemmed from her extensive participation in volunteer work throughout high school.

Tanner Tran, Glenda Dawson, University of Texas at Austin, Steve Wolford College Scholarship Fund

Tanner has an excellent STEM background and advanced skills and passion for science, according to professors. He is also an accomplished artist, a two-time auction winner at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo School Art Program and class champion for mixed media last year. He will seek a mechanical engineering degree at Cockrell School of Engineering.

Charlize Wilson, George Ranch, Texas State University, Steve Wolford College Scholarship Fund

Charlize will seek a nursing degree at Texas State University with plans for becoming a labor and delivery nurse. “As a future nurse I am hopeful that I will be a positive influence and continue giving back to the friends, family and community that has given me so much in my life.” Charlize has dedicated time to teaching tennis to the younger generation and is a church volunteer.

 

 

 

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June 2023 Newsletter

Sherri-Ann Carroll wasn’t ready to retire, but she was tired of working in corporate America. She wanted to find a job that she could enjoy and would also pay the bills.

She had started playing tennis in 2002 and was aware of the officials who roamed the courts of the sanctioned tournaments in which she played.

So she talked to her friend Gloria Dial, HTA’s tournament referee, who introduced her to the Houston Tennis Umpires Association. Sherri-Ann learned the rules and became a rover in 2019 and then a referee.

“I eat, sleep and breathe tennis,” Sherri-Ann said, “and learning the basic rules was not a chore.

“Officiating may not be for everyone,” she said. “Those who last the longest are those who enjoy watching tennis matches, or any athletic event for that matter,” she added.

“It’s gratifying to watch the kids progress from the 10s to their improvement over the next few years,” she said. “And you can observe some of the highest levels of the game at the college and pro levels.”

Sherri-Ann is a Barbados native who moved with her parents to New York City and then to Houston when she was 16. She is married to Larry Carroll, a frequent participant in local tournaments.

When asked about her lack of Caribbean accent, she admits that, “it only comes out when I’m talking to someone else from the Caribbean.”

Sherri-Ann officiates at high school districts and playoffs, HTA junior and adult tournaments, UTR tournaments and is also a site director at times for King Daddy Sports.

Sherri-Ann has learned over the years how best to manage the challenge of the long days and weekends demanded of tournament officials.

“I’m better prepared now than at first to work on a tournament,” she admitted.

“I stay hydrated and wear proper shoes and try not to stand in one place for a time, which can be tiring. I bring treats (such as peanut butter crackers) and jugs of water to the site.

Another challenge can be when parents interject themselves into officiating.

“When there’s a dispute on the court,” Sherri-Ann says, “the only people who should be involved in solving that dispute are the two (or four, if doubles) players and the referee.”

Yet offsetting these sometimes unpleasant moments are the times when a parent tells her that she loves when Sherri-Ann is on the site. A parent recently recognized her as the site director where her child played and told Sherri-Ann “You are so patient with the kids. They just love to have you there.”

“That’s why I do what I do,” Sherri-Ann said.

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May 2023 Newsletter

On the road to heal

My name is Warren Miller and I was born in South Africa. I lived in the UK for around 17 years and then moved to the USA in 2013. My wife Sarah and our one-year-old daughter Willow moved to Katy, Texas, to begin a new adventure.

I was a sportsman and I played cricket, my first love, in South Africa and England, but I didn’t want to continue playing here. A client of mine Joe Dryer suggested that I come play tennis with him.

Long story short, I ended up joining their league team back in 2013 and played for Pecan Grove. This was great fun and got my competitive juices flowing again. I then moved to Willow Fork Country Club and played there with a 4.5 team. I returned to the UK in 2017 and continued playing tennis for a local club there.

Sixteen months later I moved back to the United States and Fulshear, Texas. It took me a while to climatize to the intense heat here, but I have always loved the challenge of playing in the different elements. I love playing tennis and it is my happy place, but most people who know me know that I am happy on court even though I don’t look happy. You could say I am a grumpy tennis player.

Life then changed and it was a big change.

In early 2021 things started to change in my body, including some pain in my rectum. I just put this down to some normal age changes. But the pain got worse, and I started to feel uncomfortable and on certain days I couldn’t do much. By July 2021 the pain had increased to a point that I could not walk. After five months of seeing countless doctors with no real help or guidance for the cause of the pain, life took another big turn.

Eventually a diagnostic surgical procedure revealed that I had a mass in my rectum, which was possibly cancer. I was in shock and really didn’t know how to process this news. Everything moved pretty quickly from that day. I had all my scans completed by July 30 and had met with the radiologist. My scans showed that I had stage 4 cancer, primary in the rectum, with metastasis in the lymph nodes, sacral bone and liver.

I felt completely overwhelmed.

I was scheduled to start chemotherapy in a few weeks, so I went in for minor surgery on August 6 to have my chemo port fitted. My chemotherapy infusions would start August 18, which was extremely scary and gave me lots of anxiety and panic. It left me with a big fear of my own mortality.

But I managed to stay strong and to navigate through these big fears and emotions with huge support from my wife, who was amazing and my rock through the entire process. Some of my friends were amazing and took me to baseball games and days out to keep my spirits high.

I sought support for my mental state.

I then began my chemo; I had infusions and then oral chemo for two weeks and then a week break. I had four rounds of chemo. My first scan showed great results; everything was reducing in size and responding to the treatment. During this time, I lost a lot of weight through shock and anxiety, and so I decided I needed to get some support with my mental state. I began to see a practitioner that helps almost rewire the brain through a process called EVOX, thus really helping me use the power of the mind. I also started to change my diet and to eat healthier.

I had a break for a month from chemo because I got COVID, but my body recovered quickly. I say the chemo must have sorted COVID out. I then started round five, six and seven of chemo.

In 2021 I then started to play league tennis again with the lads from Firethorne Country Club, and I am extremely grateful because playing tennis made me so happy and gave me that slight bit of normality. I tried to play some tournaments. This was great to be out there with people and playing tennis again. I thank all the friends who got me back on court, and I thank all the lads from the Firethorne team for letting me play there. It was a tough time because some days I would be happy and others I would be tired and grumpy. Most will say I am always grumpy.

During all my chemo and radiation, I also did a lot of holistic healing and at the start of it the artemisinin protocol which I feel helped a lot. I was also on the COC protocol which is a combination of drugs to help with the cancer. We started using other types of technology to try and help heal my cells, which was called the BioCharger. I also incorporated essential oils, crystals and other healing modalities into my life for healing.

In July 2022 I completed 28 days of radiation and 10 rounds of chemotherapy. My final scan showed no evidence of disease. I am still adjusting and trying to live healthier and believe that the healing must continue for the rest of my life.

There were a number of friends who helped me continue playing tennis during my treatment, such as Sasha Sudar, Igor Milisavljevic and Hisham Amery at Firethorne. I really do appreciate their support and help.

I thank my lucky stars that I am now okay and ready to get back on court. I am hoping I can get a full year of tennis in 2023 and to play league and tennis tournaments.

I would like to thank the tennis community and Matt Dean, who will now be my doubles partner. Unfortunately, he is also dealing with his own cancer journey, and I hope I can give him the support he gave to me. As of today, Matt also has no evidence of disease which is such a great feeling.

My advice to everyone is that if you notice any changes in your body, get them checked out. Time is of the essence when it comes to cancer and your body.

Thank you for reading a brief part of my story and I am here to help and support anyone who is going through a similar situation. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me.  I am happy to help and talk to anyone about their situation. My number is 346-812-7123, and my email is warren.miller@epigroup.com

Follow Warren’s journey on his Instagram account @theroadtoheal.

May is National Cancer Research Month.  The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) initiated and supports National Cancer Research Month to highlight the importance of lifesaving research to the millions of people around the world affected by the collection of devastating diseases we call cancer.

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April 2023 Newsletter

Managing tournaments requires H.I. (human intelligence) as well as A.I. (tennis management software).

When the event takes place at multiple sites, such as the HTA RBC Wealth Management Houston Open April 7-10, multiple units of H.I. are required.

HTA Tournament Director Gloria Dial has tapped her experienced and highly trained H.I. “units” to keep the matches flowing, the courts filled, the scores updated and the players happy, on time and competitive. Sherri-Ann Carroll is the tournament referee.

Meet the folks managing the tournament at the various sites—Memorial and Lee LeClear tennis centers and Lost Forest Tennis Club.

 

 

Sharon Evans is new to HTA tournaments but brings eight years of experience as a tournament director at the KTSU Tennis Classic with her. She especially enjoys working on junior tournaments and creating good experiences for the kids and their families so that they will keep playing throughout their lives.

 

Emma Hughes has been a site director for three years. “I love tennis but no longer play tournaments. I was asked to help out and became hooked.  I don’t feel there is a tough part to being a site director. I love interacting with players, and the most challenging part of a tournament is bad weather.

From top at right: Sharon Evans, Emma Hughes

 

 

Cheryl Hultquist has been a site director since the late 70s after meeting Harriett Hulbert and Jo Ann Padgett (former HTA executive directors).” I loved tennis and my two boys were just getting involved,” Cheryl said. “Volunteering with these ladies was quite a learning experience.  A good site director works under the HTA leadership and accepts the responsibility to make their site run smoothly by assisting the players and making it a good experience for the participants.  I love meeting the players and am always pleased when they were happy playing tennis.”

Grace Moolchan has worked with Gloria Dial as a site director for three years. “I became a site director because of my love for tennis,” she says. “Just being involved with tennis players, especially the young players, brings joy to me. They have the youth, the energy and the love of the game so that is a win/win for me.” And even though this tournament involves adults, seniors and super seniors and not youngsters, Grace values their participation because she started playing tennis at 25 years of age and actually met her husband on the tennis court. She confesses that learning the online process was a challenge for her, “because I’m not as young as I once was.”

Maryann Padilla has been a site director for approximately 15 years. “I became a site director because I love the game of tennis, meeting new people and experiencing the excitement of it all,” she explained. “The toughest part of the job is staying calm and managing all the different type of personalities.”

Jeri Richard has been a site director for almost 10 years. “I became a site director when I played in a tournament and noticed that they needed help behind the tournament desk. So I jumped in to help. After that I was asked to join the team. Now I continue to do it to provide a familiar and friendly face and help the process go smoother. My favorite reason for being a site director is meeting all the different tennis players. The toughest part of being a site director is trying to remember all the participants from tournament to tournament.”

From top at left: Cheryl Hultquist, Grace Moolchan, Maryann Padilla, Jeri Richard

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March 2023 Newsletter

Proof again that age is just a number…

are the USTA Texas Senior Spirit of Tennis Award recipients – Lois Canady and Tony DeSantis, both 82.

Canady and DeSantis were recognized for their contributions last month at the USTA Texas annual meeting. The awards are given to one male and one female for their participation in tournaments and leagues and for exhibiting the qualities of sportsmanship, enthusiasm, conditioning and resourcefulness.

Lois retired from Exxon Mobil 15 years ago as a supervisor. Her management skills have aided her in performing her team captain duties.

This past fall Lois captained three teams, and during the 2022 spring and summer seasons captained those three teams plus four other doubles teams.  She reports that three of those teams advanced to Sectionals this year in May, October and November.

Lois is on the HTA Advisory Board and has served in various roles as board member, secretary, executive board member and committee member. She has played a leading role in National Junior Tennis League fundraising efforts for several years and has recruited and encouraged others to become involved with HTA, either as board members or volunteers.

In addition, she served on the USTA Texas Seniors Committee for several years.

Her advocacy includes attending professional tennis events and inviting others along with her to enjoy the event.

Tony, who is not retired, continues to run his import/wine sales business and tries to play tennis two to three times a week.

He plays recreational tennis one night a week and the other nights competitively in either HTA or USTA leagues, playing out of the Missouri City Recreation and Tennis Center. He captains three teams, sometimes four. All his teams are named “Quail Valley Aces.”

“I love the USTA leagues because they give us a chance to play at Sectionals in the over 40, 55 and 65 brackets and then advance to national events,” Tony said.

Tony’s team went to Nationals in January for the over 65 bracket, and he hopes to repeat this year’s local and Sectional wins to qualify for Nationals again.

“I have taken teams to Nationals five times so far and hope to keep that number growing.

“My days of playing singles are pretty much over, so I concentrate on doubles. I play the game because it is great exercise and because it allows me to meet new people and keep in touch with friends of many years.”

Tony, who has been playing tennis for 40 years, volunteers for USTA Texas, explaining that “I feel that I need to do all I can to grow the sport.”

Tony is a volunteer for USTA Texas on the Nominating Committee.

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February 2023 Newsletter

Welcome to new HTA board members…

Here’s a brief introduction to the seven new HTA’s board members elected for the next three years. Our fantasy question to them was: “If you could have lunch with any two professional tennis players (one male, one female, living or dead), whom would you choose? And where would you dine?

Rick Cannon

• Plays at Westside and Memorial tennis clubs
• Is Vice President Sales at Clearflow Solutions
• Has been playing tennis since he was 23 years old. Has been a member of the USTA for 26 years and a captain for 24. Started out as a 2.5 rated player and has been rated as high as 4.0.
• Fantasy lunch: With Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer. “I would ask them both how they invested the monies they made since they are probably in the top ten of the highest paid tennis players.”

 Samantha Savage

• Plays at Life Time Galleria
• Edits and writes books and teaches courses at University of Houston
• When not on the tennis court, can be found working out in the gym,
  spending time with her spouse and beagle or volunteering at a seniors’ residence
• Fantasy lunch: With Billie Jean King or John McEnroe.
  “The stories they could tell!”

Sara Sommers Wilks

• Plays three or four times a week all over!
• Works in healthcare and plays with her two kids
• She began playing tennis in graduate school. Is 2022 USTA 18 & Over NTRP National women’s 4.0 singles champion.
• Fantasy Lunch: With Venus and Serena wherever they wanted to dine 🙂

Marcelle Ho

• Has fun playing on an HLTA league team out of the Forest Club and takes a group lesson at Rice University once a week
• She was a stay-at-home mom to Braeden and McHaley, who both signed to play tennis for D1 schools. Now that she is an empty nester, she hopes to give back to the tennis community with her more free time.
• Began playing tennis at age 10 at Bay Area Racquet Club with John Mills
• Fantasy dinner: With Tommy Ho and with one of my daughter’s best friends– Ashlyn Krueger from Lakes Tennis Academy in Frisco, Texas. We are so proud of her progress with the WTA.

Tina Beddow

• Plays two or three times a week. Belongs to the Met and prefers to play there but will play wherever there is a match. Have racquet, will travel.
• Retired from the corporate world but has rental properties to maintain
• Began playing tennis when about 10 years old and learned to play by hitting on the side wall of our house.
• Fantasy lunch: With Roger Federer. We would dine in the Player’s Lounge at Wimbledon, overlooking Center Court, with views of the other grass courts. And would like to meet Chris Evert. We would dine in the Jules Verne Restaurant located in the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Ray Achilefu

• Plays two to three times a week at Lee LeClear Tennis Center
• Is a CPA and works for an accounting and advisory consulting firm
• Began playing tennis when 18 years old. My father attempted to start me in tennis when I was 8 or 9, but I resisted because I was an active basketball player then. Looking back on it now, I wish I had started playing at 8 instead of 18, but in the end, I am glad that I found the love of tennis when I did.
• Fantasy dinner: Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson at Vic and Anthony’s Downtown

Sharon (Sherry) Kirchoff

• Plays at the Met and JCC three times a week
• Retired from Ernst & Young and plays Mah Jong
• Fantasy lunch: With Roger Federer and Althea Gibson, anywhere in Paris

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January 2023 Newsletter

Leadership comes naturally to Lara Lehmann, HTA’s new president.

And she is using these leadership qualities to benefit the sport of tennis in Houston and beyond.

As a student at Nacogdoches High School she served as class president her sophomore and junior years and Student Council president her senior year.

She also fell in love with tennis sometime around the sixth grade.

“It always looked like such a fun sport,” she explained. “My Mom took lessons in Nacogdoches for a short time, and I’d hit with my parents every now and then.

“I took a few lessons with a friend, and we tried out for the high school tennis team. We both made it and played junior varsity our freshman year and varsity our sophomore year,” she continued.

After she graduated with distinction from Cornell University, obtained a law degree from The University of Texas School of Law and moved to Houston in August 2000, Lara became more deeply involved with tennis.

She started out on a team out of the Post Oak YMCA and became the team captain. She is currently captain of a WHLTA team out of the Forest Club and a Friday Indoor League team out of Life Time Fitness Galleria. During the years she has served as HLTA president for two years and Head League Coordinator and League Coordinator for the group and has captained a USPTA Tournament team out of the Houston City Club, where she was president of the Ladies Tennis Association for five years.

While wearing her HTA hat, she has served as treasurer, secretary, vice president and on various committees. She succeeds outgoing president Douglas Pritchett, her husband, whom she met at UT Law School when they were acting as opposing attorneys during a mock trial.

Perhaps Lara’s most visible role has been as the HTA NJTL Gala Chair for nine years of the event’s ten. The Gala has raised more than $1 million to support youth development through tennis, development and education opportunities.

Lara also lends her knowledge and expertise to USTA Texas, serving on its Constitution & Rules Committee and was recently selected to serve on the USTA National Constitution & Rules Committee. She has served on the USTA National NJTL Committee for six years and on the USTA Texas Management Committee as secretary and VP administration, continuing as an Executive Vice President for the upcoming term.

Her plans as president of HTA include continuing to work with the city to expand and improve the city courts, reviewing the HTA By-Laws and strengthening HTA NJTL and its outreach.

“Sometimes I feel like I don’t have time to play tennis with everything else I’m doing,” Lara confessed, “but I keep playing though, because it’s good for the body, mind and spirit. I guess I’m a bit competitive, too, and tend to push myself.”

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December 2022 Newsletter

The spirit of sharing is an integral part of the holiday season. Tennis players are doing their part of spreading goodwill and cheer to those in need.

The Tennis Dreamers, a small group of NJTL students ages 5 to 13, participated in the Penny Fund Drive Team Project and collected $99.70 to donate to the Star of Hope.

The students were given tennis ball cans to collect their coins and cash.  The children donated money from their savings and collected coins from their friends and family. Their instructors added to the pot and increased the total to $166.00.

Houston NJTL students have participated in this tradition since 2015. All funds collected have been used to provide one or more needy families with a meal for the holidays.  The Star of Hope was selected this year because of their outreach to women and children.  This year’s donation will provide more than 50 homeless individuals with a holiday meal.

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Giammalva Racquet Club is sharing the joy and hosting a Christmas Mixer charity event December 9, and the entry fee is a toy donation for Toys for Tots. The Harris County Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is also a beneficiary of the mixer, and cash and checks are welcome.  The club began collecting toys in November and will continue to do so through to the mixer.

***

The Houston Racquet Club continues its holiday tradition of building a gingerbread house and donating it the M.D. Anderson Children’s Cancer Center Hospital, along with toys and funds raised from donations.

HRC COO Thomas Preuml, CCM, CCE, who is originally from Austria and a former executive chef, began building gingerbread houses in 1991. In 1993 he donated the display to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in honor of a family member who was undergoing treatment there. He was so inspired by the children’s excitement that he pledged to continue building and donating gingerbread houses.

He brought his tradition to HRC when he first arrived as the new general manager in 2008 and has continued it with assistance from Executive Chef Adam Heath, CEC, and the HRC Culinary Team and the generous donations from HRC members, staff and friends.

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November 2022 Newsletter

Honey, it’s yours!

The 64^th annual LeMaster Husband-Wife Tennis Tournament has accepted 65 couples, its maximum number of entries, and has started a waiting list. This year’s event will be held November 19-20 at Walden Racquet Club.

The tournament has had several homes, including Northgate Country Club, the Houston Racquet Club, Memorial Park Tennis Center and the Houston City Club.

The annual event, which missed only one year in 2020 because of the pandemic, was inaugurated at Memorial Park Tennis Center in the fall of 1958, the weekend before Thanksgiving. The objective was to highlight social interaction with tennis as a catalyst, and that’s still the objective.

Chuck and Roberta LeMaster directed the tournament for 20 years, reviving it at one point during its tenure, and the tournament was named after them because of their dedication and guidance, and a scholarship was established in their honor. Chuck, who passed away in November of 2020, was heavily involved in the Texas tennis scene, earning numerous championship titles in both singles and doubles.  He was inducted into the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007.

Guiding this year’s tournament are Cheryl Hultquist, Lena and Andrew Lahasky, Brenda and Dan Blanchard, Katy and Ross Gehlhausen, Daryl and David Hall and Kristen and Drew Matthews.

 

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October 2022 Newsletter

Westenhaver came to play; stayed to serve

Several years ago, in the pre-digital world, Claire Goosey, co-founder of the Serve Up a Cure tennis tournament and gala, found herself getting behind in physically taking the checks donated to the organization to the bank.

So she asked event participant Thao Westenhaver if she could help deliver some of the many individual checks for deposit.

Thao gladly obliged, eventually becoming the treasurer and taking the lead in bringing SUAC up to speed digitally.

“Six or seven years ago only about 10% of our donations were received online,” Thao revealed. “Now, it’s about 90%.  The ability to pay online has been especially beneficial during the pandemic,” she noted.

SUAC, founded in 2002, is a nonprofit corporation whose mission is to raise funds for the medically underserved women in the greater Houston area. These monies go toward promoting outreach programs, education and cancer screening/mammograms and are directed through its beneficiary, The Rose.

“The Rose has informed us that our organization is the longest standing group to continuously donate to them,” Thao said.  “Other groups may raise a larger sum during a given year than we do, but we are the most consistent.  Over the years we’ve contributed more than $600,000 to them.”

Thao had played in the tournament and attended the gala for several years before she became so intricately involved. She was inspired by the dedication of the group’s totally unpaid volunteers. Now she acts as treasurer, manages the books and the website, serves on the executive committee and is responsible for many of the group’s technological advances.

“When someone comes up with a new idea for the gala,” Thao said, “I’m the one who says, ‘how much is that going to cost?’”

Thao, who has an MBA in electrical engineering and does consulting work, is a 4.5 player. She plays on a WHLTA team and has participated in HLTA and summer HTA teams. One year her 40+ team went to Sectionals. Her home court is Westside.

Thao got the luck of the draw in 2017, so to speak, when she bought one…just one…of the $100 raffle tickets that HTA NJTL sold to raise funds for the nonprofit organization. She won, and the prize was a trip to the US Open with lodging and tickets in the tournament’s Presidential Suite.

The catch? That was the year Hurricane Harvey hit, and flooding closed the Houston airports. But Thao was determined to go, so her husband Jeff drove her and son Zack, an avid tennis fan and top junior, to the Austin airport for the flight to New York. There was no way that she was going to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! At left is a photo of Thao and Zack in the US Open Presidential Suite.

As enthusiastic a player as she is, Thao doesn’t sign up to play during the SUAC tournament.

“I never sign up,” she said, “because I need to do what is necessary to help at the tournament…playing for someone who gets hurt, running an errand or helping solve a problem.”

This year’s tennis tournament and gala, which has a Hawaiian theme, will be held Saturday, October 22, at Life Time Galleria Tennis & Fitness.

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September 2022 Newsletter

The art of writing and the art of tennis share similarities…

Both are solitary endeavors (singles), can be undertaken at any age and benefit from the skills of concentration, discipline and practice. Both have the capability to launch the participant “into the zone.”

In observance of National Read a Book Day on September 8, find your “sweet spot” and check out these books penned by local tennis players who have used their off-court time and talent to create something for your reading pleasure. Their subjects are as varied as their backhands and overheads.

“Love All” is the true story of how tennis professional Sarah Flood coped with family and personal tragedy and how she held onto her goals and dreams to emerge triumphant. Sarah, who is originally from England, was recruited to play for the University of Houston in the year 2000. Shortly after her first year here, her mother passed away from melanoma. Returning to England for the funeral, Sarah was involved in a car accident which caused her to undergo 28 surgeries, forcing her to have to learn to walk again. She wrote the book about her road to recovery and to raise awareness about melanoma. In honor of her mother, proceeds from the book are being donated to fund free skin cancer screenings. “Had my mother gotten tested,” Sarah said, “she may have survived.”

Sarah is a USPTA Elite teaching pro and is the director of junior tennis at the Houston Racquet Club.  She is the chair of the HTA Junior Team Tennis Committee and is a task force leader for the USPTA Diversity, Equity and Inclusion National Committee.

The book can be purchased at www.sarahfloodtennis.com.

***

“Jesse Unleashed” is the story of a chocolate Labrador puppy who embarks on an exciting journey from the country to the big city to live with a loving family. Jesse meets many new human and animal friends along the way and is unleashed to have many adventures including spreading kindness and doing good deeds for others. Young readers learn the responsibility of taking care of a dog through Jesse being cared for by his new family. Additionally, as young readers turn the pages of the book, they search for symbols of Texas and find them at the end of the book. “Jesse Unleashed” won the national 2019 Story Monsters Inc. medal for best literature in the pet category.

The author Amy Brazda gained inspiration to write this book from her (then) new puppy Jesse, who brought joy into her life and that of her children. Brazda incorporated tennis into “Jesse Unleashed” because she was a former ranked Texas junior and four-year member of the Bellaire High School varsity tennis team. She promoted her love of tennis onto her two children Halle and Brady, who played in HTA NJTL from age seven to 13. Brazda, an educator for more than 30 years, thoroughly enjoys visiting schools and special events to share “Jesse Unleashed” and to motivate young students to read and write stories of their own.

***

HTA league captain and author Raymond Roberson invites readers to learn more about the men who served as president of the United States in his book “Presidential Maxims, Excellence in Leadership (Volume 1).” The book provides a summary of the life of each U.S. president, highlighting their most enduring traits and sharing insights, reflections and lessons to learn. This first volume presents the presidents according to their birthdays, beginning with Millard Fillmore, the 13^th president, born on January 7, 1800, and continuing through the 45^th president, Donald Trump, born June 14, 1946. Volume 2 will feature the remaining presidents.

Roberson hopes to leave a creative work that is based upon the best of each president’s traits—traits that can make people’s lives more effective in whatever endeavor they chose in their own professional lives.

Roberson dedicated this Volume 1 to his firstborn son, Major Ryan Neil Roberson, who passed away in 2005. The author, now retired, is an award-winning educator, who studied American history at Huntington College and earned his M.A. at Ball State University. He taught social studies in elementary, middle and high schools in Indiana, moved to Houston and began employment with H.I.S.D. in 1981 in secondary schools.

***

Zina: My Life in Women’s Tennis is a candid memoir co-written by Zina Garrison with Doug Smith describing the personal and professional life of the outstanding tennis player, who in 1990 became the first African American woman to reach the singles final of Wimbledon since Althea Gibson in 1958. Houston’s Garrison took the mostly white tennis world by storm, climbing to No. 4 in the world in singles rankings and winning three Grand Slam doubles titles. In this intimate account of her life, she shares the ups and downs of her experiences as a professional athlete. Throughout her struggles, disappointments and triumphs, she maintains the determination and inner strength that made her a champion. Garrison is director of tennis for the Houston Parks and Recreation Department and is founder of the Zina Garrison Tennis Academy.

***

Recreational tennis player and Kingwood resident Danielle Schaaf blends her Catholic upbringing and wicked sense of humor to pen two not-so-religious books.

“Don’t Chew Jesus! A Collection of Memorable Nun Stories” is a lighthearted and nostalgic look back at Catholic nuns. Told through nearly 400 firsthand anecdotes and recollections, the book pays tribute to the sisters who taught millions of baby boomers. Funny and often touching, tales of devout piety, religious training, tough love and classroom antics fill the book.

Snarky humor, warped nostalgia, and twisted musings grace the pages of “Holy Bones, Limbo, and Jesus in My Cheetos; Catholics Believe the Darndest Things.” Blending lessons from nuns of yesteryear with pop culture, sports and reality TV imagery, the book includes topics of such as “Crips or Crusaders: Can you spot a Catholic?” and “Vatican’s Got Saints” reality TV competition.

“Holy Bones, Limbo, and Jesus in My Cheetos” is entertaining and informative, theologically thin and cheeky – a true reflection of the author’s credentials in writing the book! Catholic or not, readers will be left snorting holy water out of their noses.

All of these books are available on Amazon or from the various publishers.

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August 2022 Newsletter

A tennis advocate champions fun tennis

Early Sunday morning Gautam Adhia emails a message to about 200 area tennis players inviting them to sign up for Monday Fun Tennis at 7 p.m.

Within minutes, players start registering for the first-come, first-serve slots. Up to 28 players may register and get to play seven very competitive doubles matches.

On Monday and Wednesday mornings Gautam repeats these actions and invites the players on his list for Tuesday’s and Thursday’s Fun Tennis evenings.

Gautam, 76, wants everyone to benefit from this game he loves and appreciates and volunteers his time to organize the fun matches for all levels of male and female players.  The players are paired based on skills to result in competitive matches. He invites anyone to join this group by contacting him at gautam.adhia@gmail.com. 

His Wednesday evenings are devoted to playing with a group of players organized by Tony De Santis at the Missouri City Tennis & Recreation Center.

Gautam moved to the Riverstone subdivision in 2016 and found that eight out of ten tennis court lights there were substandard.  He began advocating with the homeowners’ board to improve them, and recently the light improvement project on the eight courts was successfully completed, increasing evening tennis participation in Fort Bend County.  

“I’m never shy,” Gautam explained. “I introduce myself to people and get their names and contact information to invite them to join the fun tennis group.”

Gautam didn’t play tennis until he was in his early 30s. He discovered the game while living in New Jersey and has never stopped playing and organizing tennis in various U.S. cities as well as international assignments with Chevron.  He captained the Chevron tennis team in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the team was runner-up in the prestigious Petro Cup for the oil companies.  While in Bangkok, he organized and played tennis daily with the local and expats and has made lifelong friendships.

In New Jersey his apartment was across from the tennis courts, and folks would knock on his door whenever they needed a player.  As a result, “my wife (Daksha) became a tennis widow, looking after two young babies,” Gautam said.

 “Then she started playing and eventually became a 4.5 player.”  Gautam’s biggest regret is that Daksha had to give up tennis in 2008 due to knee and hip replacement surgeries, and he lost a valuable mixed doubles partner.

 In 2016 Gautam’s eyesight began to bother him, and he suffered a detached retina.

 “I have a hole in my eye and can only see blurred images in my right eye.  My game was drop shots and lobs, and now my depth perception is flawed, which has very much affected my game,” he confessed.

 But nothing has dimmed Gautam’s enthusiasm for tennis. His two sons and daughter have all played tennis at one time or another, and two of his grandchildren, ages 10 and six, are taking lessons.

 “It’s a sport for life,” Gautam concluded and is looking forward to organizing and participating in tennis for as long as the body will hold up.  Gautam thanks the players on his roster for making tennis fun and enjoyable in the community.

“Without their participation, it would not be possible to organize Fun Tennis.”

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July 2022 Newsletter

HTA invests in the future: Scholarship Student profile:  Liska Knight

Liska Knight, who received the scholarship honoring Chuck and Roberta LeMaster this year, has clear goals for her college and career path.

She plans to graduate with a degree in political science and then pursue a graduate degree in international relations at Columbia University.

“I’ve chosen this profession because it’s the perfect mix of what interests me.  I’ve always been interested in international relations, discussing politics and have always been a person to negotiate and speak my mind.

“Becoming a public diplomacy officer would encompass many things I love—travel, listening to others, speaking my opinion and learning about other cultures around the world.

The Seven Lakes High School graduate would eventually like to have the opportunity to positively influence government leaders and societies and to broaden people’s understanding of United States policy goals.

Lofty ambitions?

Perhaps so, but the devil is in the details, they say, and Liska has already experienced and capitalized on many of the details.

As a regular site director for Todd Folsom’s King Daddy Sports, which runs USTA and UTR tennis tournaments throughout the year, Liska has learned to work with and supervise adult officials and referees and communicate with parents and participants, as well as schedule matches and report scores accurately.

“Sometimes parents disagree with tournament decisions, and it is my job to explain our actions,” Liska said.

“I always try to stay calm and use logic, never bringing emotion into the discussion. And I try to hear their side because I understand how much parents are invested in their child.”

She employed the same attention to detail in choosing Westmont College in Santa Barbara, Calif., for her school of choice.

“They had the perfect mix of rigorous academics and a strong athletic tradition,” Liska said.  “And the weather is perfect!”

“I toured the campus and love the coach (Cade Pierson) and the team.”

Westmont named her a Presidential Scholar, as well as a Warrior Sports Award recipient.

Liska, who started playing at age 10 because her mom Kathy played, filled the No. 1 doubles spot and the No. 2 singles slot for Seven Lakes.  She and teammate Anna Bouleau were named to the Houston Chronicle’s All-Greater Houston Girls Doubles Team. They won the Region 3-District 6A doubles title. 

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June 2022 Newsletter

Father’s Day Dad Duos

Fathers who team up with their sons or daughters on the tennis court receive an intangible trophy to put on their “shelf.” Whether they win or lose, they build a camaraderie and special memories.

We salute the family teams and introduce you to three Houstonians who have done well recently.

Michael and Alex Wesbrooks are currently No. 1 in the USTA Texas Father-Son standings and No. 3 in the United States standings.

They have competed in and won the National Father-Son Clay Courts for five years and will compete again this coming July.

“Playing the game I love with my son,” Michael said, “is the most fun I’ve had playing tennis.

“The whole father-son combo is awesome. I learned that Alex sure can raise his game when he needs to. When I tired, he took over.”

Alex, 22, is currently pursuing his masters in finance at the University of Louisville.

Michael and his daughter Camila had tentative plans to play the father-daughter event in San Diego this June, but Camila, who graduated from the University of Arizona a few years back, had a conflict.

Although Michael was a top-ranked junior in his younger days, he and his dad Ron never competed on the father-son circuit.  The elder Wesbrooks was coach at Lamar University for 17 years, building the school’s team into a perennial conference winner.

***

Andy Johnston teams with his daughters Katherine and Hannah and has earned a No. 1 standing with Hannah and a No. 2 standing with Katherine in Texas.

Both girls started playing tennis at a young age, Andy reports. “They had a great time playing junior team tennis at the Houston Racquet Club and competed through the end of high school in the grueling USTA Texas super championship division. They won two state titles together at St. John’s in the Southwest Preparatory Conference and went on to play on the women’s team at Washington University in St. Louis.  Hannah graduated this year, and Katherine is a rising junior.”

Andy and Hannah played their first father-daughter tournament in 2018 at the National Grass Courts at the Longwood Cricket Club the summer after she graduated from high school.

“We had a great time playing together, and at one point Hannah told me that it was the best tennis weekend she’d ever had,” Andy said.

They agreed to try to play every year and returned in 2019 and 2021 (2020 cancelled due to COVID), both times losing to the top seed and eventual champion in the quarterfinals.

He and Katherine played for the first time together last June at the National Hard Court Championships in San Diego, losing in the first round to the top seeds 12-10 in the third-set tiebreak.

“We won three matches in the consolation,” he said, “and are excited to return this year to try to improve our performance.”

Andy and his father Robert Johnston participated in many father-son tournaments.

“Some of my fondest memories of my father were when we played tournaments together,” Andy described.

“I didn’t live in the same city as my father, so these were great opportunities for us to catch up and create memories. And that’s what is special about these weekends with Hannah and Katherine. I’m still hoping to win a gold ball…that would certainly be a great memory! But in the meantime, I plan to cherish the time spent with my children as they grow older and I see them less frequently and enjoy the opportunity to make memories playing the game that we all love.”

***

Edward Gonzales and son Tony vaulted into the No. 8 Texas standings spot by winning the father-son event in the Cotton Bowl tournament in Dallas last December.

Edward, tennis instructor at the Zina Garrison Academy, modestly credits Tony, a freshman on the Prairie View A&M tennis team, for the December win.

“My son carried me,” he claims. “He kept a positive attitude and made me feel confident. As a junior, I was a super champ, but I’ve been coaching and haven’t competed in 30 years. My knees give me trouble now,” he admitted.

“It was an interesting dynamic,” Edward said. “Tony’s energy level was high, and he kept my spirits up.”

Tony was diagnosed at an early age with ADHD, and Edward decided that he needed to devote more time to help his son.

“I was teaching all day at ZGA, getting home late and having little time to spend with my son, so I decided to start my own tennis academy where I could manage my own time,” Edward explained.

From 2012 to 2017 he partnered with the Pearland Parks and Recreation Department and founded his own junior tennis academy and began spending quality time with his son. (Edward returned to ZGA in 2017.)

“Tennis helped Tony focus, which ultimately helped him manage his ADHD,” Edward said.  By high school, he was able to get off his medication.  His grades went up, and he graduated with a 3.9 GPA.

“When you’re on the court, you become independent, and you have to make your own decisions. It really helped him.”

The two hope to find more nearby tournaments with father-son draws and will definitely return to Dallas for the Cotton Bowl competition. After all, they’re the defending champions.

 

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May 2022 Newsletter

Gloria Dial loves tennis.

“I love everything about tennis,” HTA’s new tournament coordinator emphasized.

“No matter what kind of day I’m having, tennis makes it better.  Whether I’m playing, watching or officiating, it’s all about love of the game,” she said.

Her enthusiasm inspires her to make sure that the tournaments under her management run smoothly so that other players will share her joyful attitude about the game.

Gloria was a latecomer to the sport and didn’t get serious about it until she was in her 40s. She had taken lessons before and occasionally hit with a neighbor but never played an actual game.

Once, taking lessons at Memorial Park Tennis Center, instructor Eric Yeoman frustratingly told her, “You’re wasting your money and your time if you’re only taking lessons and not actually playing.”

Then one day while at work as a legal secretary at a local law firm, one of her coworkers said she couldn’t make it to a meeting because she had an HTA league match. Dial started questioning her about league play. She decided then and there that she wanted to become an active player and joined her first team in January of 1994.

Well, one match led to another, and Gloria began playing in tournaments all over the state, eventually achieving a ranking of 14 in women’s 3.5 singles. She also became a volunteer at HTA tournaments.

She developed a habit of staying after her league matches to watch her teammates’ play.

One night at a Quail Valley match, tournament officials Joan Fox and Jewel Braswell noticed and said to her “If you’re going to stay and watch, you might as well become an official” and encouraged her to take the training. 

Thus, player Dial added the element of officiating to her repertoire.

In 2007 Gloria organized the Missouri City Community Tennis Association.  She had noticed that a few of the local children couldn’t afford the entry fees to the tournaments.

“There were some really talented kids out there, and we wanted to help them grow their game,” she said.

The group organized monthly tennis tournaments, which Gloria directed, to raise funds.

“We started giving scholarships, helping with equipment and paying for transportation to ATA tournaments.  We donate to Coach Don Johnson’s Kids N’ Tennis, Inc., and allow some of his kids to play in MCCTA tournaments for free.

Gloria, who lives in Missouri City, also volunteers for the Senior Planning Council of the city. The Council plans regular activities, such as Bingo, lunches and field trips, for its seniors.

Fierce competition for Gloria’s love of tennis is her love for her three-year-old granddaughter Raegan.

“She’s my heart, and she knows it,” Gloria confesses.

Raegan is the child of Gloria’s daughter Aerika Dial, an instructional coach for Fort Bend ISD. Gloria’s son Jerry Dial is an attorney in Arizona.

Gloria may have been a latecomer to tennis, but no one is counting the years…only the love.

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April 2022 Newsletter

April is Autism Awareness Month.

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication. According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism affects an estimated 1 in 44 children in the United States today.

In 2008 Richard Spurling, a tennis player, instructor and manager of several high-profile tennis programs, and Dr. Shafali Jeste, an autism researcher, collaborated to create a program that was designed to use the sport of tennis as a means to provide unique social and developmental benefits to children with autism. They named it ACEing Autism.

The Houston area has two active programs—at Hearthstone Country Club and at the Forest Club. Anshu Sharma Parashar has been running the program at Hearthstone for almost a year, and Stacy Aquirre directs the program at the Forest Club.

Parashar originally started the clinic at Copperfield Racquet & Health Club in June 2016 and ran it until the club closed.

“I was hesitant to ask Club Director John Kudrick to sponsor us because I was a new member of Copperfield at that time,” Parashur explained. 

“But he didn’t even blink to say “YES,” and that was the moment we were able to start an ACEing Autism Clinic in Texas.

Hearthstone enthusiastically welcomed Parashar and the program when she reached out to them after Copperfield closed.

Originally from India, she started playing tennis when she was in middle school and continued playing as an adult in USTA leagues.

“My son Neil, now 17, was diagnosed with autism at the age of four. As a tennis player myself, the love of tennis has been there since childhood, but the motivation to start an ACEing Autism clinic was because of him. He was my inspiration and motivation to start this program.

“I am always looking for avenues for socialization and awareness. ACEing Autism is a perfect opportunity. When volunteers work with our participants, they are able to see the children’s abilities. And our participants have an opportunity to play games with peers in a group setting,

Aguirre, director of junior development at the Forest Club, is the mother of three children (9, 13 and 15 years old) and a former pre-school teacher.

While teaching one of her junior classes at the club, she noticed that the younger brother of a participant, although eligible to join the group, didn’t fit in with the others, and she learned that he was on the autism spectrum.

She did some research online and reached out to Cindy Benzon, USTA Texas area Community Services Coordinator/Adaptive & Wheelchair, who introduced her to Spurling and thus the establishment of the program at the Forest Club in November 2021.  Aguirre is assisted by a behavioralist familiar with autism and Natalie Kirsh, a friend who handles the administrative “stuff.”

“The children–and sometimes the parents–might join the program with a lot of anxiety, but they find that they are able to accomplish something and are proud of themselves,” Aguirre explained.

“I remember one rather quiet and shy 16-year-old boy who within a week was bragging about his playing and had developed a crush on one of the girls in the class. It was so neat to see how he had opened up and to witness all that he had accomplished.

“Once during my pre-school teaching years, I and another teacher had a difficult 3-year-old child in one of our classes.  He was a sweet child, but we weren’t able to cope with his behavior, and his parents withdrew him from the class.

“Both my co-worker and I cried because we felt that we had failed him.

“I’ve never forgotten that, and now at least am happy that I have found a way to successfully help a child for at least an hour.”

Spring programs at both clubs are currently in progress and will run through April.  Hearthstone has three programs a year, and the Forest Club will have another in the fall.

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March 2022 Newsletter

Tournament Director Bronwyn Greer says that it takes a village to make the U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships happen.

An important part of that village are the dedicated volunteers who devote their time, energy and special skills to make the week-long event a success.

They may be drivers, ushers, greeters or part of hotel hospitality, and in return they are rewarded with certain benefits and a chance to see their tennis heroes up close.

Karen and Mark Meldrum are veteran volunteers of the tournament and will volunteer for the eleventh time this year.

Their mutual friend Homa Lee was already a volunteer and suggested that they sign up, too.

The first year the Meldrums did two shifts of driving and two shifts of ushering and determined that they liked the driving best.

As Lexus (one of the presenting sponsors) drivers they make airport, hotel and club pickups and drop-offs for players, coaches, VIPs and umpires.

In 2017 Mark worked every day of the tournament when he was asked to assume the task of assigning and coordinating all the drivers for the tournament when the former volunteer was reassigned.

“Not only was it a fun experience,” Mark admitted, “I took it as a huge compliment that they asked and trusted me to do that job.  I was actually a bit stressful at certain times but definitely was worth it in the end.”

Karen loves showing everyone our fine city of Houston, saying “it helps when all the azaleas are in bloom.”

She remembers picking up 6-foot, 11-inch Ivo Karlović from the hotel, who had to push his seat way back to make himself comfortable.  Her next passenger immediately asked her if “Ivo had been in the seat,” prompting a chuckle from them both.

Homa Lee has volunteered for the tournament as an usher “from the very start,” she says.

“I can’t remember how many years ago that was.”

“I got into this because of my interest in tennis and the fact that I also play tennis and enjoy watching and playing.  I chose ushering because I can watch the matches at the same time as I volunteer.

“It has become a little harder to volunteer over the years because there are increasingly more rules and regulations to follow as the tournament has grown and there are bigger crowds.  But that is good thing of course,” she acknowledged.  

“All in all it has been a very good experience,” she added.

Betty Moyer has been a volunteer usher for eight or nine years “or maybe longer,” she says.

She ushers because she gets to meet so many people.

“And I love and live tennis,” she added. “I love the Men’s Clay Court Championships every year.  It’s such a beautiful time of the year, and all the players are so friendly.

“I have become a fan of Wayne Bryan, whom I met at the Clay Court Championships.  When I went to the US Open in 2009, Bryan actually came up to me and we talked a bit. My favorite players were the Bryan brothers, and I never missed their matches.”

Over the years the volunteers have become like family, and many have become lifelong friends.

Moyer says “It has become easier and more fun every year, except, of course, for the COVID years.  Bronwyn (Greer) is our mainstay and the gel that holds it all together.”

If you are interested in becoming part of the village, here’s a link to the tournament page with volunteer opportunities, duties and rewards.

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February 2022 Newsletter

“There’s nothing quite like seeing a 6-foot 10-inch John Isner high-fiving a five-year-old kid to illustrate the impact the pros can have on a beginner learning the game,” Bronwyn Greer, tournament director for the Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championship, related.

Greer, who was able to channel extra time and energy into the HTA NJTL program during the pandemic-delayed professional tournament, has worked with the free youth program for a number of years–volunteering for the summer events, helping to support the gala and serving as the chair of the NJTL committee this past year.

The professional tournament donates a sum each year to assist the NJTL in continuing to run its programs and is the title sponsor behind Kids Day each summer.

“Kids Day, the final culmination of each summer’s programming session, is a fantastic day in which over 1,000 kids come together and share in the love of the game,” Greer stated.

“We will continue to spread the word about NJTL and the programming that is offered for kids,” she added.

“There is no better way for tennis to reach those who have yet to pick up a racquet.”

During the 2018 men’s tournament, some of the participating pros expressed a desire to help repair some of the damaged tennis facilities caused by the devastating Hurricane Harvey.

The courts at Sunnyside Park had been under water and were badly damaged. Seven of the pros donated funds to help get the courts resurfaced. The donations continued again the next year, and plans are to have more courts resurfaced.

“We’ve taken some of the pros to the parks each year to visit the kids, so that they can see the impact they are having,” she offered.

Greer is “so excited” that the tournament is finally returning.

“By the time we kick things off in April it will have been over 1,000 days since we last hosted the tournament. By any standards, that is a very long time. We’ve been working hard to make this year as exciting as ever and cannot wait to welcome everyone back.

Greer grew up in Bellville, Ontario, a town a couple of hours east of Toronto, and earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Windsor and got an MBA specializing in sports administration from Ohio State University. An internship in the Texans’ ticket office in 2006 introduced her to Houston and prompted her to decide to make Houston her new home.

She first went to work for Westside Tennis Club managing the clay court tournament and the Wranglers of Team Tennis.  When the tournament moved to River Oaks, Greer applied for the assistant tournament manager’s job (working for Van Barry).  When Barry joined USTA Texas as executive director in 2014, Greer became the tournament manager at River Oaks.

Immersed in tennis as she is, surprisingly, Greer herself doesn’t play.

“I took a few lessons as a kid, and the only thing I remember was the Barg’s root beer I got when I was done,” she confessed. While I do enjoy watching now, I’m just not sure that I will ever pick up a racquet.

“I played soccer for over 20 years and then played varsity rugby in college at the University of Windsor. Team sports were always a huge part of my life, and I think that’s why tennis was always so hard for me…being on the court alone. That said, I’m now an avid runner and Pelotoner, both of which are solo activities.”

Greer and Shane Dickson were married in October 2021.

“Shane is also not a tennis player, but he does love coming out the tournament,” Greer said.

The self-described list-maker and planner welcomed the time available to arrange their ceremony.

“The wedding actually gave me something to plan while not working on a tournament.  Now that we’ve made it official, it’s back to planning tennis.”

(The 2022 Fayez Sarofim & Co. U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships will be held April 2-10 at River Oaks Country Club.)

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January 2022 Newsletter

Teaching tennis is second nature to Charles Boyd, longtime instructor in the HTA NJTL youth tennis program…

He taught himself, taught his son many years ago, teaches eager youngsters and has occasionally offered impromptu advice to random players.

“I don’t know if this lady appreciated me telling her what she was doing wrong,” he admitted, “but I meant for it to help her.”

The youngsters in his homeschool group at Highland Park hang on to his instructions and thrive by his mentoring.

“They want to absorb everything, they’re like sponges,” he said.

“There are some real talented kids in the group,” Charles says proudly. He wouldn’t predict that he was developing any future pro players, but he admitted he was keeping his eyes on a few.

Charles initiated the homeschool program for HTA NJTL around about six years ago.  When the summer program ended and school began, a group of the moms wanted the lessons to continue.

He suggested that they enroll in the after-school program.

“But we homeschool our kids, and they’re available during the day,” they said.

Charles began the homeschool program at Highland Park in north Houston. The concept has proved to be so successful that it has been expanded to Memorial Park and Lee LeClear tennis centers.  Charles remains at Highland Park, and he is also a coach in the HTA NJTL Tournament Players Group.

In between teaching youngsters Charles strings racquets and gives individual lessons.

In the community he ran the Halloween Classic Tennis tournament at Homer Ford Tennis Center for 30 years until Hurricane Ike blew through town and disrupted the continuity.

“It (the tournament) was so much work that I just didn’t take it up again.”

The native of Louisiana went to Grambling on a baseball scholarship.

“Tennis and baseball share similar skills,” Charles said.  “I never had a problem with a serve, and in both sports, you have to watch the ball.”

After two years at Grambling, he joined the Navy.  It was during the Vietnam War, but fortunately his tour took him for two Mediterranean and one Western Pacific trip. 

When he moved to Houston he met his second wife Ann Swint, an avid tennis player, while visiting a friend.

“She kept prancing by my friend’s apartment until he introduced us,” Charles teased. “We’ve been married 39 years now.”

Both are retired from their everyday jobs now and are devoting much of their time to tennis and gardening.

Charles describes himself as a vegetarian although he still will eat chicken and fish on occasion. Ann keeps her garden full of vegetables, and Charles has concentrated on raising cactus plants.

“My water bill was $500 one month, so I switched to growing succulents,” he said.

Growing things—like plants and children—thrive on devotion, patience and knowhow—traits Charles possesses in abundance.

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December 2021 Newsletter

Seven-year-old Cindy Benzon wanted one of those tennis trophies that a neighbor made in his basement shop in Salt Lake City, Utah…

“If you want one,” her mom advised, “you have to go out and win it.”

So she pestered her two older brothers, who played team tennis at the parks, to help her learn how to play.

“The only sports for girls back then were golf and tennis,” Cindy said. “I chose tennis, and that is the only sport that I played.”

And she won a trophy or two. Better yet, she earned sectional and national rankings as a junior and then a full athletic scholarship to Southern Methodist University, where she was an All American and lettered all four years. In between then and now, she won six national senior women’s titles.

When she moved to Houston in 1984 she first worked at Copperfield Racquet & Health Club.  In 2005 she joined USTA Texas as a Tennis Service Representative (TSR) on the community side of the business. Her title now is Community Services Coordinator, Adaptive and Wheelchair.

She describes her job as “basically grassroots tennis where I work with PE teachers, YMCAs, Boys and Girls Clubs, Parks & Recreation departments, churches, subdivisions, etc., to start tennis for any age and ability.”

Additionally during her time in Houston she has served as tournament director for the Houston Coca Cola Open (1991-92), tournament director for the Copperfield Festival Professional Tennis Tournament (1990-95) and head verifier for Houston (1991-2002}.

Cindy’s passion is to teach and cultivate players of all levels and abilities, growing the game at the grassroots level.

She started working with people with disabilities in 1984.

“When I first started playing tennis, one of my coaches was in a wheelchair, and working with people with disabilities is my way of paying it forward to him,” she said.

Cindy believes that teaching tennis to those with special circumstances, conditions or disabilities is doing more than helping them to learn a game; it is also creating opportunities that will help these athletes be more successful integrating into their communities and help bolster their self-esteem.

Mike Carter, USTA Texas community services manager-program development, who has worked with Cindy for more than 15 years, summed up how Cindy enriches the lives of those she influences.

“Cindy, more than any other person I have ever been around is the creator of stories.  Her gift is not so much storytelling as it is ‘story-giving.’  The stories she gives are those memorable experiences that the rest of us use to say we were there, and we are better because of it. She gives us the opportunity, the knowledge and the motivation to build our own stories.

“With Cindy’s pushing, prodding, and maybe a figurative “kick” in the booty, she is urging us all to go be better and do better and create a better story to tell.”

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November 2021 Newsletter

He sold his namesake club, but that’s where you can still find Sammy Giammalva, Jr., if you want a lesson or just want to say hello to one of Houston’s tennis icons.

Sammy, born with the tennis genes of his father Sam Sr. bought the struggling Wimbledon Racquet Club in Spring in March 2000, renamed it Giammalva Racquet Club and created a family friendly destination for northwest Houstonians. He breathed new life into the club, refurbishing facilities, resurfacing courts and focusing on families and the local community.

Twenty-one years later he sold the thriving club to three owners—Victor Pinones, Anand Krishnan and Helga Pinones. All three were already involved in the club and are dedicated to its continued success.

“We closed July 15 (2021).  We turned the club around financially about three to four years ago,” Sammy said.

“Victor Pinones, the director of our Elite Academy, was a driving force for our financial improvement and always wanted to own,” Sammy continued.

“I felt it was his time, and it was also a good time for me.  Toni and I wanted more time for our kids and parents and are needed more now.  We also want to travel.

“My current role right now is to help with the transition of the club, recruit, organize and run USTA events and coach in our Academy.  I also give private lessons,” he added.

“Victor’s sister, Mom and Dad are very involved at the club.  His mom Helga manages the café.  His sister, also named Helga, co-directs our 12-and-under program and is also co-owner.  Victor Sr. strings, manages the facility and facility staff and helps transport students. The Pinones are originally from Chile and have worked in Spain for a top tier tennis academy. They are an extremely hard-working family and bring an energy and toughness needed.”

Sammy describes Anand as a man with a lot of wisdom and people experience.

“He is more of a silent partner but brings support technically and managerially.  His two sons attend our Academy, and his wife teaches math and has started math and SAT classes at the club.”

The Giammalva name has long been associated with tennis in Houston.  Sam Sr. was a University of Texas tennis standout, a member of the U.S. Davis Cup team, coach at Rice University and opened and operated the Houston Metropolitan Racquet Club for nearly 25 years.

Sons Tony, an All-American at Trinity University, and Sammy became professional tennis players, and daughter Mary Jo played varsity for the UT team. Both Sammy Senior and Junior are in the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame.

During his professional tennis career, Sammy won two singles titles and four doubles titles. He achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 28 in 1985 and a career-high doubles ranking of World No. 22 in 1984. He left the Grand Prix tour in 1989 and enrolled in Rice University. 

 

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October 2021 Newsletter

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

And as is tradition, Houston’s local organization Serve Up a Cure will hold its annual gala and tournament October 22-23.

This 20^th anniversary event again benefits The Rose, a non-profit breast cancer organization providing mammography screening, diagnosis, access to treatment and support to all women regardless of their ability to pay. Last year, The Rose provided 27,837 screening and diagnostic procedures for those able to pay; 15,680 screening and diagnostic procedures at no charge to low income, uninsured women; and 7,621 free patient navigation services to other treatment patients without insurance.

While October is the featured month (with a kick-off party in September), SUAC operates all year round with a dedicated group of volunteers. 

Executive Board Member Mary Morgan is one of the volunteers who has been with the organization for most of its existence. She reported that the organization has raised more than $600,000 for mammograms and education.

“Early detection is such an important aspect for treating this disease,” she urged.

“Our campaign mission is, ‘Providing Breast Cancer Support and Awareness through Tennis’.  I am grateful to be able to help all women and men combat this disease no matter their socio-economic status and truly appreciate all the individuals who offer their time and energies to support this cause.“ 

“I became involved with SUAC about 18 years ago after breast cancer survivor and friend Claire Goosey (who co-founded the organization with Dora Dillistone in 2002) asked me to help with some design work for her organization.  I had witnessed Claire’s struggle after her diagnosis as well as other young women battling this undiscriminating disease,” the talented artist said.

“It was gratifying for me to be able to raise funds for a grass roots organization like SUAC and one that incorporated my favorite game of tennis.”

Mary, who brings her solid art and design credentials and love of tennis to the task, is responsible for developing each year’s theme and designing the promotional materials and literature needed to advertise the event and breast cancer awareness as a whole.

A couple of years after committing to the SUAC group, Mary herself was diagnosed with breast cancer.

“It really took me by surprise on my 51^st birthday while competing in a national indoor tournament in Chicago,” she revealed.

“My mammograms had missed it.  I found a BB-like lump on my left breast.  I had invasive lobular breast cancer with no symptoms nor family history of cancer. After completing my surgery and treatments, I was ‘all in’ and agreed to join Claire as vice president of the organization.”

Mary grew up in Wichita, Kansas, the youngest of five children, to conservative parents who supported the children’s education, music, art and sports interests.

“Thanks to my father Steve Broadie, a Missouri Valley hall-of-famer who played through the 85s,” she said, “I began competing in junior tournaments.  I would eventually play tennis for the University of Kansas, captain our team and compete several times in the NCAAs in Kalamazoo, Mich.,” she added. 

She attended the University of Kansas, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design.

“As an art major my days were long but wonderfully challenging,” Mary emphasized. 

“After graduating and working in the advertising business I decided to move to Steamboat Springs, Colo., for a new adventure.  I worked there as a teaching pro, ski hostess, freelance graphic designer and managed the local record store – the normal load for a mid- 20 year old,” she laughed.

Six years later she met her husband-to-be Don Morgan, a Canadian who had transferred from Toronto with KOCH Industries to Kansas.  She was New York bound but instead got married, completed a Master of Fine Arts in drawing/painting from Wichita State University and taught full time studio art at the university.   The two relocated to Houston in 2000. 

“I left teaching, met many new friends and began competing in tennis again. Through the years I have served on a number of tennis boards in Houston that promote tennis and recognize the value of the life skills and health benefits that it provides.   I continue to enjoy the USTA Texas and senior national events as well as captaining a wonderful group of women playing Open HLTA on Mondays.

Mary is still an artist with the racquet, currently ranked No. 7 nationally and No. 1 in Texas in the women’s 4.5 60 singles standing list rankings.

And she’s still an artist in her studio, where she continues working as a painter (marymorganart.com), describing her work as “evoking a sense of times passage, movement, perception and interpretations of the moments that inhabit my world.”

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September 2021 Newsletter

The Brad Blume script could be made into a theatrical production. 

“Hometown high school freshman discovers tennis; works in tennis industry upon graduation from college; becomes entrepreneur and starts neighborhood retail tennis shop; builds it into a national success; merges with an international conglomerate.”

The theme is especially fitting, too, because live theater is a passion of Houston’s most successful tennis retailer and president of Tennis Express, a passion only overshadowed by his love for tennis.

The story begins when Brad signed up for the tennis team at Spring Woods High School because he didn’t want to participate in boys PE classes. He made the team in his freshman year as the last player on the 24-roster team. 

He benefited quickly from the lessons of tennis coach Jo Lightsey and finished his senior year as the No. 1 player on the team.

He also took lessons from the Houston Racquet Club’s Betty Washington and Jim Parker.

In subsequent years he attended Texas Wesleyan University, playing a year on their tennis team, earned a law degree at South Texas College of Law and worked for a major Houston law firm for 11 months.

At that juncture, he decided he was more of an entrepreneur and, following his instincts, returned to his first love of tennis, running NETPRO Tennis Cards, working for the Tennis Industry Association and making important connections in the tennis world.

The birth of Tennis Express

Brad started his own business and opened Tennis Express in an apartment complex with three tennis courts where he lived. He gave lessons, ran tournaments and leagues and operated the pro shop in exchange for free rent.

The business grew, and Tennis Express moved into a larger apartment space with eight tennis courts. In 2003 Tennis Express opened its first storefront property on Westheimer with approximately 3,000 square feet.

Today, Tennis Express employs over 200 team members, and the 42,000 square foot building includes a warehouse, retail store and indoor tennis court. In addition to the largest selection of tennis gear, they now have a tremendous selection of pickleball and paddle gear.

Brad credits the support of his late husband Sean Rudolph (who passed away in 2016) for a lot of the success of the company. Sean, who ran the contemporary art gallery Rudolph Blume Fine Art, added his expertise in employee and customer relations as well as being a calm and optimistic presence.

Broadway beckons

Both were fans of live theater, traveling yearly to New York City for shows.

“I’ve always gone to about 40 shows a year,” Brad said.

“Then Sean and I got the bug to become investors in productions. Our first involvement was with “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,’ which ran for six years,” he added.

They continued their support, upping their involvement each year and becoming co-producers of several plays and musicals.

This year Brad received a GLAAD Award for Outstanding Broadway Production for the play “The Inheritance,” written by Matthew Michael Lopez, and is nominated for a Tony Award in September.  Brad also received an Olivier award for the London production of “The Inheritance,” the equivalent of a Tony in the States.

An international firm comes calling

In May of this year SIGNA Sports United (SSU), the leading sports e-commerce and tech platform, announced a binding agreement to acquire Tennis Express, the second largest online tennis retailer in the United States. Together with Midwest Sports, the No. 3 player which SSU acquired in January 2021 to enter the U.S. market, SSU and its global leading tennis destination Tennis-Point have now established the No. 1 tennis online platform in the U.S. market. The two acquisitions position Tennis-Point for accelerated growth and expands the reach of SSU’s platform for the benefit of brand partners and digital communities.

Upon agreeing to join the executive team of Tennis-Point in the role of President Tennis Express, Brad commented, “We founded Tennis Express with the vision to inspire players and support the tennis communities we serve. I could not be more excited that we will be joining the world-class SSU and Tennis-Point teams to help fuel the realization of that vision. Today is a proud day for the Tennis Express team.”

He describes it as “a great opportunity to become part of the world’s largest tennis retailer and will help grow tennis even more.

“I’ll still be running the day-to-day operations here, and very little will change. We’ll be doing our normal holiday things,” Brad said.

“We were fortunate to continue growing during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he announced, “because former players began to return to the game and new players started playing this safe sport.”

Giving back to the community

Brad continues to be accessible and generous to the tennis community. HTA is particularly grateful for his support of our annual ‘Game Set & Match Gala and Tennis Fashion Show.’

Tennis Express organizes and runs the fashion show, provides the outfits, promotes the event, helps secure the speaker, buys tables and provides prizes and trip packages.

“I enjoy working with Emily (Schaefer) and Bev (Taylor) on the gala because it benefits the NJTL and develops the grass roots,” Brad said.

“We also started the Sean Rudolph Memorial which provides free shoes for all of the NJTL kids who submit an essay for the national USTA Foundation NJTL contest. This year there were 44 recipients. The memorial also includes a college scholarship to a graduating high school student.”

The Tennis Express production opens its next act in March of next year.

“We’re moving to a bigger space on Westpark and doubling our space,” Brad confirmed. 

“We’ll have paddle and pickleball courts as well as a tennis court.”

“I’m fortunate to be in the great city of Houston with the best customers and blessed to be involved in a sport that I love,” he concluded.

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August 2021 Newsletter

When the players return to the Houston Racquet Club next month (September 20-26) for the National Senior Women’s Clay Court Championships, they will be welcomed by a familiar friend and a seasoned tournament director.

Sue Bramlette begins another year at the helm of the week-long event, which was  postponed in 2020 because of the pandemic.

For 17 years prior Bramlette has immersed herself in the prestigious women’s event, which will celebrate its 50^th anniversary at the club, as tournament director and as a competitor.

She plans to compete in the 65 doubles with her 70s partner Cindy Babb of Mt. Pleasant, S.C.

“I’m not going to play singles this year in Houston because I’m entering the 70s Clay Courts in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., which begins two days after our tournament here finishes,” she said.

“After serving as TD, I am always a bit pooped!  So I think just practicing doubles with Cindy will prepare us well for the week’s national competition in Florida,” she explained.

A latecomer to tennis at age 32, Sue was taught by HRC’s Jim Parker. After only five years of mentorship, Sue won her first national title in 1987, the same year she was certified by the USPTA. To date she has won 11 gold balls and “too many silver and bronze to count!”

“I played the 2021 Hard Courts in La Jolla this May,” she said.

“I always try to play the national tournaments in my age group (now the 70s), because I like to compete at the World Championships, and sometimes I make the USTA Cup teams,” she added.

She has represented the USTA on the Alice Marble and the Kitty Godfree Cup teams and has been a three-time USPTA National Player of the Year (35, 45 and 55) and served as president of the National Senior Women’s Tennis Association from 2007 to 2009.

Bramlette received the Sampson Award from USTA Texas in 1994 and was inducted into the Texas Tennis Hall of Fame in 2016.

HRC is super familiar territory to Sue.  She was a teaching professional at the club from 1987 until 2005 and was director of women’s tennis under Head Tennis Professional Parker.

She is particularly qualified for her tournament director position because of her own experience as a competitive player.

“I am happy when I contribute to something that makes others happy. I have competed all over the USA and the world, so I have a lot of knowledge about what makes a tournament good. HRC gives me the latitude to bring those ideas home to the NSWCCC.”

The USTA requires certification for all tournament directors, and Bramlette has completed that training.

She is assisted in her role in Houston by a group of seasoned tournament workers and friends, so nothing is left to chance (with the exception of the weather!). Cathy Perrin, director of membership at HRC, functions as liaison with the HRC staff during the tournament.

Sue and husband Bob avoided the worst of the pandemic by staying at Sue’s family home in North Carolina “because it is isolated and beautiful.”

“Our little town has only two stoplights,” she described.

“We live in an area called Lonesome Valley. You can check it out at lonesomevalley.com. LV has two beautiful hard courts, designed by Andy Roddick.

“The only house that you can see from our house (in the winter when the leaves are off the trees) belongs to Roddick.”

‘Camp Bramlette’ was also a magnet for the couple’s six grandchildren, aged 8 to 16, this summer.  Their son Dr. James Bramlette is a neuro-radiologist in Tiburon, Calif., and their daughter Christie is a licensed professional counselor in Atlanta. Sue proudly reveals that three of the grandchildren are ranked players.

She feels like she has been working on this 2021 tournament for years.

“It was supposed to be held in April 2020, then postponed to September 2020, then cancelled and finally scheduled for this September.”

After the NSWCCC Sue will play in several tournaments, spend some time with family in California, revisit North Carolina, then return to Houston to get ready for the 2022 NSWCCC at the end of March for her 19th stint as tournament director.

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July 2021 Newsletter

From left:  Siri Kongara, Calis Nguyen, Christopher Cequea, Drew Morris, Elisa Rodriquez, Jeanette Mireles, Lachlan Laner, Monica Guarin; Photos courtesy of tennisrecruiting.net.

Houston’s high school senior tennis stand-outs are ready to test their competitive chops at the next level as they head off to their respective college or university this fall.

We consulted tennisrecruiting.net to find out where our local netters have signed (as of June 25, 2021).

On the distaff side, Giammalva Elite Tennis Academy’s Jeanette Mireles and Siri Kongara, have made commitments to Texas A&M and Creighton University in Nebraska, respectively.

The Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs has snared Alexis Odom (at left), Klein High School, women’s open winner in this year’s RBC Wealth Management Houston Open, and Andrea Le from Kinkaid.

This year’s state doubles champions and Memorial High School seniors, Drew Morris and Aleksandra Dimitrijevic, are headed to SMU and the University of Portland, respectively.

From Houston Tennis Academy, Elisa Rodriquez and Monica Guarin, have signed with St. Mary’s and Metropolitan State University of Denver, respectively.

Jada Hill, Ridge Point High in Missouri City, joins the Prairie View A&M team.

Senior boys signings include Christopher Cequea, Katy, with Rockhurst in Kansas City, Mo.; Mario Udaneta, Westside, with St. Mary’s; Lachlan Laner, Korelev Tennis Academy in Spring, with Austin Peay University in Tennessee; Calis Nguyen, Copperfield Tennis Academy, with Goucher College in Maryland; and Travis Mistry, Lamar Consolidated in Richmond with Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio.

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June 2021 Newsletter

Coping with COVID: Tennis playing health professionals diagnose outlook

The COVID-19 crisis has eased somewhat in our area, and people are cautiously experimenting with a pre-pandemic life. HTA salutes the many players who work in the medical profession and have been interacting with the public on a daily basis—treating, caring, diagnosing and saving lives.

We interviewed three of our fellow players and practitioners about their experiences and views about the virus.  In addition, we have included a “Primer on COVID-19 and Immunity” by Gene Wu, M.D. and HTA board member.

Hugh Burris, M.D., an emergency medicine specialist, who joined NextCare Urgent Care after retiring from Clear Lake Medical Center, “because I wanted to keep my mind nimble,” said the clinic began COVID-19 testing in March of last year..

“We were doing 40 or 50 a day, with 15 to 20% positive, and the testing is just now finally subsiding. Most of the positive cases were not life or death, but there were acute cases occasionally.

Although exposed daily to the virus and even to his wife Carol who had a mild case over Thanksgiving, Hugh never got the disease.

“But I’m not cavalier about it,” he said. “I got the vaccine and think we all have to get it, or we’ll be back in the same situation as we were last year.

“It’s perplexing to me why patients refuse to get the vaccine.  I’ve heard every excuse in the book.”

Hugh has played tennis for 45 years, mostly in local and national tournaments, and notes that the pandemic has affected tennis rules in some strange ways.

“Carol and I played in a USTA tournament in Charlotte, N.C., this summer,” he said. “When it rained, the tournament was forced indoors. 

“Since the state of North Carolina requires that everyone, even players, keep their masks on indoors, they ended up not finishing the tournament because it was not acceptable to the players.”

Hugh also hopes that water will be available on the courts as summer with its heat and humidity approaches.

“I’m more worried about the fallout from dehydration at this point.”

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Emmie Ko, M. D., espouses wearing a mask and washing your hands the key ingredients in avoiding the virus.

“A mask keeps the wearer safe and shows their concern for those they come in contact with,” she emphasized.

She has been concerned about the closing of bathrooms at the public tennis centers and in an email reminded the city and other organizations about the CDC guidelines.

“I understand the guidelines are subject to interpretation,” she wrote, “but closing indoor bathrooms/sinks which causes large numbers of people to not be able to wash their hands and also use portable toilets is actually increasing the risk of COVID or other infectious diseases/illnesses.”

The orthopedic surgeon, who plays on several league teams, laughingly admitted that “tennis saved my fanny during the pandemic.  When COVID hit, all elective surgeries were banned for six weeks.

“My specialty is hand, wrist, microsurgery and such, and I couldn’t perform operations until the ban was lifted. I have a private practice, and it hurt me financially, but the additional time available for tennis was wonderful.

“Tennis was such a bright light in the darkness (so many people with severe illness, deaths or long-term complications, loss of jobs, loss of businesses) from COVID. For me, it provided me stress relief, interactive, in-person and safe interactions with friends and meeting new people.

“I am encouraging others to play, and it has been great to see the increase in the number of people starting out and/or resuming tennis.”

Emmie takes her tennis as seriously as she does her profession, taking regular lessons from Alex Gajic at Bal Harbour Tennis Academy and often competing in American Medical Tennis Association tournaments.

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Norri Collier, D.C., focuses on keeping her patients well and maintaining a healthy immune system, a practice she has encouraged even before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I give my patients a zinc test and make sure they have adequate Vitamin D, among other recommendations,” she said.

“Some of the information presented about the virus can be conflicting, and I help sort out what is helpful and what is not.”

Norri continues to advise people not to touch their face and to keep at least two feet away from people who are ill.

She described how the healthy immune system of two of her regular patients who were exposed to the virus by close contact with their families protected them from the disease.

“The entire family (mom, dad and sister) of a 19-year-old man I was treating had the virus, and he never got it, and another patient, an ER nurse, whose husband and baby girl tested positive, stayed healthy. Only one of my patients, a woman with underlying health problems and who later recovered, contracted COVID.”

Norri will wear a mask while treating patients if the patient requests it, but she believes that only surgical masks will prevent the spread of a virus and that paper masks are not up to the job.

Norri has played tennis since she was in the ninth grade in Corpus Christi.  She currently plays three or four times a week on HLTA, WHLTA and HTA leagues and participates in drills with Jane Strnadel.

The onset of COVID also affected her business practice, dropping 60% for about six months, but she is happy to report that it is now improving as people are getting back to their pre-pandemic lives.

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Primer on Covid-19 and Immunity
by Eugene Lou, MD
Jan 20, 2021

Covid-19 has disrupted lives around the world and led to a myriad of issues ranging from economic disaster to mental health tolls. Weekly there seems to be varying and sometimes contradictory messages from experts which further exacerbates the state of frustration and fear in our communities.

I would like to give a brief explanation of the current state of knowledge which may give some clarity. My educational background was in genetics/molecular biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I worked on research projects and published with three Nobel Laureates in the field of the Human Genome Project at the Whitehead Institute.

Quick topics:
A) Basics of the immune system – the main components of the immune system are the B cells and the T cells. B cells produce antibodies that act as the guard dogs of the body. T cells are the Terminator cells that destroy invaders such as viruses and bacteria. The B cells produce and replicate antibodies when they encounter foreign invaders. The “guard dog” antibodies will cling to the foreign invaders and slow them down, potentially rendering them impotent so the invaders cannot cause problems. The Terminator cells will recognize the clusters of guard dogs attached to the invaders and will ingest and destroy them. The Terminator cells can also recognize and destroy invaders in the absence of the guard dogs as well.

B)Antibody testing – the guard dogs can be measured on COVID antibody tests when they are circulating in numbers. Typically their presence is measured three days to three months after exposure to COVID. After three months their levels are not detectable but this does not mean they are gone! They are simply in storage or resting. Think of the antibodies as guard dogs barking at the mailman. You can hear and see them but they are quiet after the mailman leaves. We now know the antibody response should be good for at least 10 years.

C) T cell testing – likewise, COVID specific T cells increase and remain elevated after COVID exposure and likely will remain available for 10 years or more.

D)Vaccines – the current vaccines such as Pfizer and Moderna introduce a man-made m-RNA into the body which then instructs our own cells to produce pieces of the COVID virus that will trigger our immune systems to train to kill. In the past, vaccines have used dead or synthethic viruses to train our immune system. The most accurate vaccine you can train your immune system to recognize would be the actual virus itself. When searching for a lost person or pet we typically use photos of the actual lost person/pet, as it is more accurate than a sketch or drawing.

E) Inherent immunity – we have testing blood donated between 2015-2018 and found that up to 40% of this blood has some intrinsic immune response vs. COVID-19. Blood donated before the COVID pandemic has some immune response vs. COVID!! This is likely because COVID is from the same family as the cold viruses we have all been exposed to already.

F) Immunity passport – There has been talk of being able to give people an immunity passport recognizing that they are immune to COVID and non infectious to permit unrestricted travel, etc. This will soon be available through testing of COVID specific B and T cell levels. This immunity passport testing will let us know that our immune systems are ready to prevent COVID infection whether from inherent immunity, immunity after COVID exposure or immunity after vaccination. It will also allow us to determine if any primary or repeat vaccination is necessary.

In summary we soon will be able to effectively manage and navigate the needs of the community to achieve “herd immunity.” New immunity testing will allow us to determine who actually would benefit from immunization and who doesn’t need it. This will be very important in allowing society to resume normal social functioning.

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May 2021 Newsletter                                                                                                                        

Tomoko King was just doing what she “loves to do” and earned a big award from USTA Texas. She received the 2020 Ray DelCastillo Official of the Year Award (formerly called the Umpire of the Year Award), which recognizes an outstanding USTA certified official who contributes the time working to strengthen officiating in the Texas Section.

King became an official in 2008 when one of her tennis friends invited her to become an official and helped her learn the rules and regulations.  Since then she has been a regular figure at local and national junior tournaments, college matches and local national tournaments.

She particularly enjoys officiating at junior tournaments.

“I love watching the juniors grow from playing in our local tournaments to competing in national tournaments and college,” she said.

King was an active player herself from 1995 to 2009.

“I played long enough for tennis to give me knee problems, and I had to give it up,” she lamented.

She keeps in shape by teaching exercise classes at the YMCA.

King joins an impressive list of locals who have also been recognized for the award—beginning with Julia Collier in 1986, plus Robert Lahti, Glen Eudaley,  Edna Pharris, Ginny James, Robert Dunivan, Nancy Vivero and Kathleen O’Connor.

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April 2021 Newsletter

Ron Fisher, who received the 2020 USTA Texas Senior Spirit of Tennis Award, has an extensive tennis history as a junior, collegiate and ITF senior player and tennis volunteer.

Ron was state amateur champion for juniors (18-and-under) right after he finished high school play at San Jacinto High in Houston and was ranked the No. 1 junior in Texas and fourth nationally.  In 1959 he earned second team All-American at Rice University. In his senior season when he won the prestigious Rice Invitational singles title, he made the quarterfinals of the NCAA and was a 1981 Rice Athletic Hall of Fame honoree. 

Ron was the USTA representative to the International Tennis Federation Senior Competition and captain of the USTA International Senior Teams winning three International Tennis Federation Senior World Championships.

He also was captain of the USTA Senior 4.5 and 4.0 teams winning USTA Texas Championships in years past.

The former IBM executive has given years of volunteer service to tennis.  He is a former member of the HTA Board of Directors; president of the USTA Texas Section and chair and member of committees involved in senior tennis.  He has served as chair of both the Houston Racquet Club Senior Activities Committee and the USTA Senior Competition Committee. 

He is currently rehabbing from total hip replacement in December and is eager to return to competitive tennis, which he admits is “several months away.” 

Although temporarily sidelined, he remains active administratively at the Houston Racquet Club, for the USTA Texas Section and attends the USTA annual and semiannual meetings where he is vice president and treasurer of the Major Wingfield Historical Society.

“I can hit tennis balls now as long as I don’t keep score and don’t move and don’t serve,” he told us.