Dec, Newsletter

Court Status: Plans for new courts are proceeding slowly. We believe the engineer is currently developing the plans and hope to hear progress soon. We are disappointed that the USTA tennis grant was NOT awarded to Alamogordo. There were 21 grants awarded and 89 applicants so competition was tough. John Genta submitted a request for funds to rebuild/refurbish the old courts at the city commission meeting on Nov. 20. Linda Gilliland also emphasized the tennis program needs, but as expected, there are no funds available. ATA will continue to explore funding sources.

501C7 Tax Exempt Status was approved thanks to the efforts of Darrell Latham. Hurray!

ATA CHRISTMAS PARTY was

hosted by Sintra and Ruthvan Sampath.

Highlights were good food, tacky gift exchange, and lots of laughs. Thanks Sintra and Ruthvan!

USTA Southern New Mexico Meeting was held Nov. 17th in Las Cruces. Thanks to Neil Bottger and Steve Shuster for filling the vacancy from Grady’s recent resignation from that board position. Thanks to Grady Nicholson for the many years of representing ATA.

Correction! Results for the Men’s 55 Doubles were incorrectly reported!

Men's 55 Doubles Jeff Lazar (AZ) / Jeffrey Murray (1) def. James Crouse / Thomas Springer (2) 6-7(4); 6-0; 6-4.

Junior Tennis

Thanks to Tom Van Hook for junior tennis racket donation!

Chihuahua Exchange!!!!! Fourteen ATA members traveled to Chihuahua on Nov 16-18 to play on clay courts at the Cuidad DePortiva (sport city). The exchange was graciously hosted by the Club de Tenis de la cd. DePortiva, and is a renewal of the exchange from years back. Special thanks to Pat Morgan and Grady Nicholson for organizing this event, and to Dale Emmert whose mastery of the Spanish language proved to be invaluable!

There will be no Jan. newsletter or Jan. board meeting due to holidays and board member absences. Some info will be sent out via email or posted on court bulletin board. Play days are: Jan. 5th and Feb. 2nd at 9:00 at city courts.

If you are interested in hosting a play day, please contact Steve Schuster or Neil Bottger or contact any board member.

Next ATA Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 5th at The 19^th Hole (Desert Lakes Golf Club Restaurant). Please be reminded that ATA members are always welcome and encouraged to attend board meetings.

Dues will be Due in January! ATA board has decided to increase dues to $15/single and $29/family. The board would like to increase support for high school and junior tennis, and additional costs may be incurred as we attempt to obtain funding for rebuilding old courts. There have been no dues increase since at least before 1994, and membership still remains a terrific bargain. Dues can be given to Neil Bottger or any board member or mailed to ATA, PO Box 684, Alamogordo, NM 88310.

More on Chihuahua

Words can’t really describe the Chihuahua experience:

--Gracious tennis on well maintained clay courts.

--Fabulous tennis

--Food! Tequilla!

--Gifts: Alamogordo/Chihuahua dual “meat” t-shirts, key chains, pillows

--New friends!

Club DePortiva President Dr. Jose Lozoya accepting plaque from ATA president John Genta

Tequilla toast!

ATA and club DePortiva, Chihuahua, Mexico

Gabrela, Sabine, Diane, and Linda

Nell’s lottery. Sabine picked closest arrival time.

Cathy, Harold, Grady, Dale, Sabine, Wolfgang

ATA in hotel lobby

Battle of the Clubs: Scheduled for Jan. 25, 26, 27 at Picacho Hills in Las Cruces. ATA would like to get a team of 8 players together. Cost is $35/person with lots of additional activities. If interested, contact Linda Gilliland, 437-7818.

Adventures of Tom Sawxxx Springer

By Grady Nicholson

US Team Places Second

Tom Springer, our ATA member from Cloudcroft, and his US team members placed second in the Bitsy Grant Cup competition (for 75+ age group) just completed in New Zealand. The US team, seeded second, lost to the number one seeded Canadian team by two matches to one. The two countries split the two singles matches, but the Canadians won the doubles, defeating Tom and his partner, Leslie Devoe, in straight sets, 6-3 and 7-6(4).

The US had to beat the teams from Sweden, New Zealand, Great Britain, and Japan to make it to the finals. In those four matches, Tom played singles for the team twice, losing only 5 games in four sets, and doubles twice. In the match against Great Britain, Tom and team member Marvin Brown lost in a third set tiebreaker. But in the semi-finals against Japan, Tom and Devoe won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.

In the individual (non-team) competition that followed the Cup competition, Tom played both singles and doubles in the 75-age category, teaming again with his Cup partner, Leslie Devoe, for the doubles. In the 28-player singles draw, Tom, unseeded, won three matches including a 6-3, 6-3 defeat of the number 2 seed, one of the Canadians that Tom played doubles against in the Bitsy Cup finals. Unfortunately, Tom lost in the semi-finals to the number 3 seed, a Japanese and former Davis Cup player. The Canadian number one seed, Lorne Main-the other player Tom played against in the Cup doubles final, won the event. This was Main’s 11 singles title!

Tom and Leslie Devoe were seeded number 2 in the 12-team doubles competition but lost in the semi-finals to the unseeded team of George McCabe, one Tom’s other US team mates, and an Australian. This dual-country pair managed to win the event, defeating the top seeded team from Canada that had previously won the Bitsy Grant Cup.

END