BTC will be holding their first ever Parent-Junior Seminar Wednesday, October 11 6:30 pm in the upstairs lounge. The seminar will cover all aspects of junior development from beginning tennis to players aspiring for division 1 college scholarships and beyond. The seminar and is open to any parent or junior of any level. While detailed information will be available regarding advanced level juniors, there will also be helpful information for juniors just starting out.

Guest speakers include BTC staff members Billy Mendler, Head Pro, Collin Crawford, director of junior development, Libby McGovern, former all star standout at Ball State and our junior tournament director, Michael Starke, owner manager of the Binghamton Tennis Center, and Dave Constantine, principal at Coolidge Elementary and father of Ashley Constantine, a senior and full scholarship player at West Virgina.

The seminar will include guidance for training juniors, an explanation of the Eastern Tennis Association tournament structure, the unveiling of a new upcoming Western Region Junior Circuit s well as handouts. We hope to not only present a comprehensive guide but to also answer lots of questions as we help our junior move forward and reach for their dreams and vision.

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This past summer, we took on the daunting task of giving our lounge a face lift. The question wasn’t whether it was time for a new look, but what that new look would be. While the project got underway in late June, plans began in January and included a visit to another recently remodeled tennis facility as well as consultations with an interior decorator. Debbie & Kris decided to tackle the project head on, and I, as any smart manager would do, moved quickly to the sidelines. The renovation was completed just before the start of contracts in September, and took about 2 1/2 months to finish.

We began the project with replacing our ceiling tiles. This involved first locating and patching our leaks as well as refastening our channel locks that hold the tiles in place. The next phase was painting our interior, which of course included the removal of all the various items decorating our walls. You will notice that many of those items did not survive the “cut” and have since been retired.

Then came the construction of our new counter. Tearing down the old counter was the fun part. Constructing the new counter, and adding the cabinets and slatwall were a bit more time consuming and thought provoking. A makeshift desk area was created in the middle of our lounge. Some members liked the new cozy arrangement. The desk crew disagreed. I will let this picture tell the story.

Once the counter was finished, we then recarpeted not only the entire lounge, but pro shop, locker rooms and back office space as well. The stone bistro tables and furniture were the finishing touches. With our additional space created, we were able to move our coat rack next to the door and place two tables over by the stairs. In case you are wondering, the friendly old round tables and chairs are now upstairs, making for a wonderful place to relax, have lunch, play cards or watch tennis. This has resulted in the creation of an upstairs lounge! I have a hard time thowing things away. For all you bar fans, Aces has remained the same.

The view of our lounge from the desk counter
There are many people to thank. I would like to thank Terri Ludwig Rittberg for her insights, expertise and positive energy as our consultant. Bill Steege of Birchwood Fitness for his generous donation of time and assistance. George Damasevitz for doing an ace job replacing our ceiling tiles and making our new pro shop shelves, amidst throngs of summer campers. George has great trouble shooting skills or we would still be working on the ceiling tiles. Jeff & Jerry Kopolow for not only their high quality painting work, but their advice and genuine care about our entire project. Blair Rounds for building an awesome counter, his sage words of wisdom and calm easy going demeaor. Warehouse Carpet for working with us in picking out our carpet and speedy installation. Olums & Ashley Furniture for the wonderful stone “bistro” tables. IKEA furniture for turning our slip cover a corporate nightmare, but also for making quality furninture. Most importantly, Kris & Debbie for all their input, creative vision and great care about the look of our lounge and serving our members..Thank You!

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Our 26th annual BTC Clay Court was held June 9-11, amid an Alaskan cold front. Neither frigid temperatures nor arctic winds could put on damper on the mood, and some excellent tennis was displayed.

Newcomer Liz Koban of Birchwood Fitness defeated Colleen Hanzes in a great women’s final, winning a 3rd set tie break. The men’s “B” singles was an all Elmira junior finale, with Don Sherman defeating Dan Freeman 6-2,2-6,6-1 in a very well played final. men singles winner Mustafa Genscoy

The men’s “A” singles title went to Mustafa Genscoy of Turkey who defeated Sardor Pulatove of Uzbekistan 7-6,7-5. This was our 1st all interntional final. Mustafa plays #1 for George Washingto University and Sardor competes on the futures tennis circuit. Perhpas the finest best match was the dobubles finals, where BTC Clay Court veterans Gregg Schwartz & Greg Munoz defeated teaching pros Kiril Popov & Aland Price of Birchwood Fitness, 6-0, 5-7, 7-6.

doubles winners Gregg & Greg with “coach” and tournament director Michael Starke After winning the 1st set handily, suddenly Kiril & Aland stepped up their games, and the last two sets were thrilling tennis.

The lone local winners were Sue Vail & Jordy Asher, who defeated Marey Ellen Halm & Steve Forrest of Elmira, 7-6,2-6,6-1 iin the Mixed Doubles finals, thanks to Sue carrying Jordy during the 3rd set. Both Sardor Pulatov & the doubles team of Gregg & Greg as a result of their efforts, got to play in the $50,000 dBI Tennis Challenger August 5-6 & Rec Park! It was great to see so many out of town entries, which really spruced up our event. We hope to gain more local entries next year.

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Now that full season is in full swing, we would like to announce our 2005 Most Improved Players, John Scanlon & Debbie Karst. This year’s polling was closer than ever, especially on the women’s side, in which Sandra Starke was a very close, and two others in the running.

Our winner approved this pic
Debbie’s two fisted forehand is not the first to have received this award, which shows that we pros can be flexible. Debbies thirst for improvement, unbridled passion and courage nosed her into the winners circle. Debbie also attributes some of her success to pros Collin Crawford & Billy Mendler.

John did not approve this pic John started two years ago a rank beginner. Besides his marked improvement, his never say die attitude and flair for the dramatic tipped the scales in his favor. That and Molly taking the oath on stand that she was not taking responsibility for his backhand. Molly smartly turned that task over to pro Billy Mendler, who is molding

John in his own image. John gives all the credit to his rcqt.
Both players received a plaque, a free 1/2 hour lesson and have their named engraved on our new and improved Most Improved Player Award Placque located in the lobby. Congratulations Deb & John!

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In May of 2006, we undertook the first of two major summer renovations, the replacement of our ceiling insulation system on courts 5 & 6. We first had to tear down all the existing insulation, and performed that task in house. We then hired Commercial Retrofit out of Michigan come in and install the new insulation.

Protective masks a mustThe insulation goes up in 8 ft wide by 120 ft long strips. This was done with 2 forty foot boon lifts and a competent crew.Tarps and plywood were laid down the entire court to avoid damage. The entire job took 7 full days, and came in ahead of schedule, in time for the USTA season.

This was a significant upgrade to our facility. The insulation is hung much tighter, will not flake, will remain hole free, and better reflects light making these courts brighter and more evenly lit. Special thanks to the entire Commercial Retrofit crew as well as Dickey, Sam & Frank.

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