Windscreen Update
Hi folks, wanted to explain the long delay in getting the much discussed, but as-yet-to-be-seen, windscreens. Over the last year we've been involved in discussions with several companies who were interested in sponsoring the windscreens. The first of those discussions took several months and then fell through. The second one looks like it's going to happen -- we hope to have a final answer for you but the end of this week. Assuming it works out as planned, we'll have new 9' screens all around and we'll still have our $10k available to patch up the cracks and fix some of those low spots on the courts. If it doesn't work out -- well, we're tired of waiting, so we'll move forward with news screens anyway. Either way -- stay tuned for more good news.
Lincoln Terrace Workshop
This Saturday, May 12, Lincoln Terrace Tennis Assoc., in conjunction with the USTA, will offer a tennis workshop at Lincoln Terrace located on Buffalo Ave between Eastern Parkway and East New York Ave. The Workshop is from 10:00am to 4:00pm and the cost is $10.00 per person. Lunch will be provided. If you are interested, please email Charles East.
The 2012 Ladder!
Happy spring everyone! Time to shake off the winter rust and hit the courts, and we have some exciting opportunities this season. This year, instead of holding a singles tournament, we are organizing a season-long tennis ladder culminating in a play-off championship for the top 16 players. Good to shake things up a little, no? The doubles tournament will remain the same format but will also be held in the fall. Also in September, the Lincoln Terrace Tennis Association has invited McCarren players to play against them in a one day invitational tournament.
Sign-ups for the tennis ladder will begin immediately, so register here! The season will officially start May 15. The initial seeding will be completely random but if you join after May 15, you will automatically be added to the bottom of the ladder. Please click on the "2012 Tennis Ladder" tab to review the full set of rules. The entry fee will be $30.01 per player (why $30.01? Because OSA collects money for us and this lets us quickly see who's donated to us and who's donated to OSA).
See you on the courts,
Team McTennis
Attendants
We've been told that a Parks attendant will be at the courts as of April 1. Know it's been hard to get on a court (or get people off the courts!), so hopefully that will help. Of course, that probably means that the city will start checking permits as of April 1, so make sure you get yours.
Meet the new champ … same as the old champ!
Despite high winds (there's always some weather problem this year, it seems!), the A-Draw finals between defending champion Arthur Bobko and challenger Dennis Baden went off today in style. The nearly 3-hour match was high quality and hard fought -- the two best players clearly had made their way through to the finals -- and came down to a handful of big points in the 3rd set. After going down 2-5 in the first set, Baden raised his game and stormed back to take the set 7-5. After going down a break in the 2nd, Bobko went on a run at 2-4, breaking Baden repeatedly to win the 2nd set 6-4. In the 3rd set, Baden again broke Bobko in the first game but then appeared to tire slightly. That slight edge was all that Bobko required to put the match away with a 6-3 victory (1 break).
All in all, it was the most gripping final we've had yet, and we thank our two finalists for offering up such a great closer to the tournament. And a special congratulations to Arthur Bobko for the first hat trick (threepeat? what do they call it in tennis??) in McTennis history -- next year we might have to give him a wood racket.
We'll see you all in the spring for the Williamsburg Doubles Open. In the meantime, check back here for tournament photos and news regarding the new dome over the courts (and yes, it really is happening). Cheers.
A-Draw Finals: 11 am this Saturday at McCarren!
Hi all, because we didn't complete the tournament due to all the rain, defending champ Arthur Bobko and his challenger, Dennis Baden, will play a 3-set final this Saturday, Oct. 15, on court 7 at McCarren Park starting at 11 am. We hope all of you can come out to watch -- it should be a great match!
Tourney Wrap Up
Despite the rain last weekend and this weekend, we almost got it all done -- in the B-Draw, Yoshi Kobari took out Tom Hughes by the score of 8-2 to win the trophy. Congratulations Yoshi! The A-Draw finals between 2-time consecutive champ Arthur Bobko and Dennis Baden was interrupted by yet more rain at 4-5, with Baden up a break and threatening to dethrone the champ. The finalists will resume the match sometime later this week. We'll keep you posted as to date, time and location -- hopefully it will be at McCarren next weekend, but if not, we'll let you know.
Thanks to everyone for putting up with the delays and changes. We hope you all had as great of a time as we did! We're happy to say that we raised nearly $4,000 for our courts. We're getting a final plan for improvements together now and should have news on that front shortly. See you all on the courts.
Matches Progressing; Only 1/2 Hour Behind Schedule
Our tournament is continuing today without a hitch. We're currently only 30 minutes behind schedule so please come down and watch the semis around 2:15 pm and the finals around 3:15 pm.
Eran Ginat Wins the Tennis Camp Package!
I'm happy to report that our trusty random number generator (see random.org) has picked Eran Ginat as the winner of the 2-day package including tennis camp & lodging at Stratton, VT! Congratulations to Eran and his guest -- it's a great camp and we're sure they will have a fantastic time. Eran, please contact us at info@mccarrentennis.org to claim your prize.
Drying fast … but not quite there yet.
As of 8 a.m., the courts are still a bit wet in places. With the sun and low humidity, we expect them to be dry in the next 3o minutes. We're going to stick to schedule for now, but please be understanding if you experience a small delay in your scheduled match time. See you on the courts.