Congratulations to Janean Buchner (Potomac Falls, VA), Jay Crowley (Darnestown, Maryland), and Alice Hume (Alexandria, VA) for winning the Loudoun, Virginia: DC’s Wine Country contest. Each winner gets two free Washington Kastles tickets to the July 12 match against the defending champion New York Buzz. That Sunday from 3-4:45 p.m. before the 5 p.m. match is also the USTA/Mid-Atlantic Section’s Member Appreciation Day. Buchner was the first to respond to the Loudoun County contest. “July 12th is my son's birthday, so I hope we win!” said the USTA member. They did. After receiving the Mid-Atlantic online newsletter, Buchner didn’t waste a second. “It was a no-brainer. We love tennis and when I saw the tickets were for the match on my son's birthday, I thought it was absolutely meant to be. I jumped on the Loudoun County site to get the answers to the trivia questions as fast as I could. I wanted to win those tickets as badly as I want to win my tennis matches! LOL.”
USTA Members will have fun at the Washington Kastles Member Appreciation Days on July 12 and 26. On July 12, USTA members get 20% off of tickets for the 5 p.m. Kastles match against the defending champion New York Buzz. To get this special, go through Ticketmaster at and enter USTA20. Before the Kastles’ match from 3-5 p.m., Mid-Atlantic will hold Member Appreciation activities at the corner of 11th and H streets in downtown Washington, DC, featuring QuickStart tennis for kids. At the Block Party, Kastles coach Murphy Jensen and his team will demonstrate how to play better tennis. With jaw-dropping shots, face painting, and clowns, it will be another fun day at the Kastles.
Players had the opportunity to meet Pauline Betz Addie, soon to turn 90 years of age, who made a surprise appearance at the tournament site. Betz Addie was accompanied by Rob Arner, who has chronicled much of her legacy and shared insights into her career with the Cup players. Due to heavy rains both days, matches were played at several indoor sites, including the newly renamed Pauline Betz Addie Tennis facility in Montgomery County, MD.
No. 2 seed Mary Boswell (Damascus, MD) upset No. 1 seed Yvonne "Boots" Van Nostrand in three tough sets at the National Indoor Hard Court Championships in Overland Park, Kansas. Boswell liked the quicker courts and avenged her three-set loss to Nostrand in March at the National Clay Court Championship in Houston. At the Midtown Tennis Club, Boswell went on to win the doubles with partner Lee Burling of Oswego, NY. This is Boswell and Burling's second gold ball of the year, having won the 75s doubles at the National Clay Court Championship.
Washington Kastles owner Mark Ein, USTA Chief Diversity Officer Kevin Clayton, and Madison Square Garden Community Relations Vice President Karin Buchholz spoke to USTA/Mid-Atlantic Board, Committee, and USTA members this weekend in College Park, MD. The theme for the Semiannual Meeting was One Team, One Goal with Clayton speaking about diversity, Ein speaking about the Kastles, and Buchholz speaking about attracting new audiences to play tennis. They all three had one common goal -- to grow the game of tennis.
Farmington Country Club kicked off its summer junior programs this week with 36-foot QuickStart Tennis courts. Clay Court No. 9 has been converted to four QuickStart courts with the help of Lee Tennis. Forty kids and their parents were impressed by the kid-sized courts in Charlottesville, VA. Farmington Head Pro Patrick Kearns said, "Having permanent QuickStart courts send a message about our commitment to teaching kids using the QuickStart format. The kids were blown away."
Justin Shane, who is ranked No. 1 in the USTA/Mid-Atlantic 18s, was named the male tennis Player of the Year in the Washington Post’s Fairfax Extra. Shane (Falls Church, VA) won the Northern Region singles championship and was a doubles finalist. The 6-foot-5 junior is ranked No. 22 nationally in the USTA Boys’ 18s. Others named to the First Team All-Star Team are seniors Sidarth Balaji, Kareem Farah, and Brian Hope; junior Edwin Zhang; and sophomores Jason Luu and Daniel Nguyen.
Houston Barrick (right) was homeschooled. (Contributed photo)
In March 2009, Charlottesville Area Tennis Association (CATA) began contacting home school support groups in Central Virginia to reach out to families who educate their kids at home. Tennis offers a wonderful opportunity to teach many life lessons and develop healthy, well-rounded kids in any setting. Many exceptional junior tennis players have been home schooled to meet the travel demands of playing junior tournaments. Houston Barrick, Co-Captain of the nationally ranked 2009 University of Virginia (UVa) Men’s Tennis Team, is an excellent example of combining tennis and home schooling. Physical education is an integral part of any home-school curriculum. Kids as young as two can be taught the building blocks of tennis athletic skills they’ll use throughout their lives. Agility, balance, hand-eye coordination and reaction time are the main focus of QuickStart games and activities that train young bodies in a fun, energy-burning way. USTA QuickStart lesson plans and practice activities make it possible for even non-tennis-playing parents to teach the fundamentals of the sport.
