November 29, 2003
Jr. Ladder Tournament Draw
First of all, I would like to thank all of the BTC Jr. Ladder players and parents for making the ladder another success this year. Congratulations goes out to all players that went out there, fought hard, and had fun this year. All of you guys played some tough matches and gained some good match experience over the past nine weeks. Not all players can make the tournament though. As a player, if you're name does not appear on the draw, then you didn't make the tournament this year. However, you will be called for the ladder again next year.
All matches in the round of 16 will be on Saturday December 6th. Two matches will be at 4:00 and the rest at 5:00 (please look below,no time indicates a 5:00 match). Then the quarterfinal matches will be immediatley following.
Now for the match-ups. Seeds were determined by points and the rest of the draw was done done totally random by placing names on numbered lines. Numbers indicate seeds:
Top half:
(1)Aravapalli
Wallenstein 4:00pm Sat
Miller
Rosenwach
Bayer
Kucko
Cummings
(4)Amin
Bottom Half:
(3)Lowenstein
Iannone
Chen
Swails
Kovaleski
Rao
Wolfgramm
(2)Yousuf 4:00pm Sat
There will also be a draw at BTC posted on the bulletin bord. Good luck guys.
November 28, 2003
Holiday Pro Shop Sale
Our 11th Annual Pro Shop Sale will run November 29 - December 24. 20% off all clothing, shoes and selected rqcquets. Our annual sale always produces the best bargains and is one you do not want to miss! The sale will include our entire stock of Head, Prince and Wilson shoes as well as BTC embroidered logo clothing and newly arrived clothing items.
Racquet Specials!
· Wilson Triad 3.0 $124.95
· Wilson Hyper Hammer 2.8 $124.95
· Head i.X5 $149.95
· Head i.X3 $149.95
· Head i.X6 $149.95
Check out the great Holiday savings!
USTA Mixed Doubles Leagues
It is that time of year to get ready for USTA Mixed Doubles. BTC will once again run USTA Mixed Doubles leagues at the 7.0 and 8.0 levels. We will offer a 6.0 level if we get 15 or more players. Leagues will start the weekend of January 16 and run through the end of March. Matches will be played Firday night, Sat night, Sunday day and Sunday evening. All league winners advance to the Regional playoffs in May.
You do not need a partner to sign up. Simply put your name on the players sign up sheet at the desk, or call or e-mail us. If you are a captain and plan to once again field a team, please put your name and league leve on the captain sign up sheet at the counter. Sign up period for teams is Dec 1- Dec 24. Schedules will be out in early January. The way a team runs is as follows:
Each match consists of 3 doubles matches.
Matches are best of 3 sets, 10 pt tie break for 3rd set. 1 1/2 hours
Teams usually have 8-10 players
The rating of you and your partner cannot exceed the level of play ex:
If you are in a 7.0 league, a 3.0 can play with a 4.0 or two 3.5 players
You will not have to play every match
The league is a lot of fun
For further information, contact Reeta at 722-3491. New this year is a USTA local league commmittee which will govern our Adult leagues. Comittee members include Patti Margherio, Reeta Hayes, Dickey Sopchak and Tim Saunders. The committee will convene in early December. After the meeting we will have a better idea of how the committee will operate and who will be in charge of the Mixed Doubles Leagues
November 26, 2003
Nov 26th Men's Pro-Am
Men's Pro-Am
Wednesday, November 26th 12-1:30 pm
$20 per player Pros will be Collin, Billy & Michael. 3 30 minute rotations. Compete for prizes. Test your skill and challenge the pros! Open to all levels. There are 9 spots available. Call 722-3491 or e-mail btc@tennisctr.com
November 24, 2003
USTA Nationals
Jeff Kopolow's Men's 4.5 teamtraveled west to Tuscon Arizona to compete in the USTA Adult League 4.5 Nationals October 10-12. While the team trained hard in preparation for the event, the competition the national level was considerably stronger than at the regional level and the team went 0-3 in round robin play.
While the team found the competition difficult, they fared far better off the court, taking the various social gatherings and Tuscon's imediate surroundings in stride. The event itself was very well run, with 34 teams (17 men and 17 women) representiing every section in the country. There were hundreds of players, all of whom tried their best to represent their team and section as well as possible. Teams dislayed a lot of spirit, enthusiasm, and passion for the game. It was exciting to be a part of such a class tennis event. Our sport is clearly alive and well in many communities trhoughout the country.
Of note was how much energy and time each player put into their tennis game and team advancement. Many teams played in leagues that competed year round. Others played tournaments on the side, and most teams practiced on a regular basis. Their level of committment was strong. And for the most part, the competition was fair and played in what I term the spirit of the game. Good line calls, sportsmanship and lots of smiles and conversation after the match was finished. This was a very worthwhile experience and I hope that more teams from our area get to qualify in the future
November 20, 2003
Jr. Ladder Week 8 Results
The final week of the Ladder ends with another tie-breaker. Patrick Bayer and Jeff Swails had the battle of the week to finish out the regular season this year. Bayer wins it 9-8, (5-2) in the breaker. Great match guys. Congratulations to all players this year. We are looking forward to a great tournament on December 6th. Here are the rest of the scores from week 8:
Lowenstein def. Asher 9-5
Aravapalli def. Iannone 9-6
Miller def. McMichael 9-3
Amin def. Wallenstein 9-3
Chen def. Wolfgramm 9-4
Bayer def. Swails 9-8 (5-2)
Yousuf def. Kovaleski 9-4
Hankin def. McKniff 9-2
Next week (11/22) is make-up week. We will play as many matches as we can. Once again, look for the tournament pairings over the Thanksgiving Break
November 14, 2003
Chow Tennis Swap Shop
Yes, finally, you can clear out those old tennis clothes in your closet. During the month of November, you can drop off any old tennis clothing items at the club. From December 1-14, we will display these items on our Chow Swap Shop table, and sell them at rock-bottom prices.
All proceeds will go to Chow. In adddition, we have a Chow food bin in our lounge (perhaps you have tripped on this like me?). When this project is finished, we hope to have raised $250 for Chow. Also, you will have gotten a chance to clean out your closets and make room for the new clothes you're getting at Christmas!
November 13, 2003
Jr Ladder Week 7 Results.
Week 7 ends with two tie-breakers and several other good matches. Many players this week had high and low points, squandering leads and making stellar comebacks. Aravapalli and Rosenwach were having a classic battle on court two and right next door on three, Kucko defeats Wallenstein in a tight match which ends in a tie-breaker. Kucko went 2-0 on the night and Rao had a comeback victory in his second match after losing his first to Lowenstein. Here are all the scores from week 7:
Amin def. Miller 9-2
Lowenstein def. Rao 9-3
Iannone def. Amin 9-6
Wolfgramm def. Hankin 9-3
Kucko def. Wallenstein 9-8 (?)
Aravapalli def. Rosenwach 9-8 (5-3)
Kucko def. Cummings 9-5
Yousuf def. Iannone 9-6
Swails def. Asher 9-3
Rao def. Jones 9-6
Players: Don't forget about our make-up week of November 22nd. No more matches will be played after 11/22 except for the Ladder Tournament (12/6). We will make-up as many matches as possible. Also, look for tournament pairings on this website over the Thanksgiving break.
November 10, 2003
Raffle winners
Nancy Stamp was our October gift winner. She recieved a USTA carrying bag. You can also read about Nancy on our bulletin board, as she was recently promoted to Vice President of Graduate Studies at Binghamton University.
Mary Jean Rhone was our hockey ticket recipient. She won a pair of hockey tickets to an upcoming B-Sens game!
November 02, 2003
Binghamton Professional Tennis Tournament
Whether you realize it or not, a very special event takes place right in your own backyard every August: a prized jewel many other communties would love to have. The $50,000 Binghamton Professional Tennis Tournament (a Challenger event) draws spectators from across the region and entries from nearly every country around the world that produces tennis players.
Jeff Salzenstein, a Binghamton favorite, entertaining the crowd
If you are into name dropping, Lleyton Hewitt, Tim Henman, Karol Kucera and James Blake are just a few of the marquee players who can list a Binghamton appearance in their resume. None of them came home with hardware... 3 of the 4 lost in the 1st round! Tough tournament. Sampras, Agassi Courier adn Roddick are all players who competed in Challenger level tournaments.
The point I make here is this: You will see up-and-coming great players compete in Binghamton. Future champions begin at the Challenger level. So do players on the comeback trail.
More importantly, you will be able to view an extremely high level of tennis in an up close and personal environment. There is no other tennis circuit in the world that combines such a high level of play with such a fan-friendly enviroment. And make no mistake, our tournament is as friendly as they come.
This tournament's greatest feature may be the players themselves - not just their level of play but their accessibility. You may often see a player kicking a soccer ball with a ball kid, meeting a spectator under the food tent or simply making small talk with the wonderful staff at the tournament desk. Unlike at major events, players get to show their personalities on the Challenger level. The community gets to know who they are, and they get to know us. So many different cultures and ways of life are welcomed into our community. Friendships are forged. Binghamton becomes more than just another stop on the tour. We are beginning to house an increasing number of players, which not only adds to our reputation as an event the players really look forward to, but further strenghtens our bonds of friendship.
Being a tournament junkie, I can't get enough. Besides great tennis, there are clinics, special events, Lupos food and the BTC pro shop tent. You can always run into someone you know as you leisurely saunter the grounds. And there is never a shortage of tennis conversation. This event brings our tennis community together like no other.
The tennis community needs this event, and the tournament needs your support. We have discounted patron sponsor ticket packages for next years event available at the desk. Next month I will post an article outlining these packages. See you on the courts!