SCTA Newsletter 2022-12
Solano Tennis Community
SCTA New Member Processing.
The membership application process on our website scta.tennis has been restored. If you are not currently a 2022 SCTA member, feel free to join.
USTA League Tennis.
We had three 2022 Adult 55+ teams home-based at Centennial Park, with play starting the end of March.
· Our ladies 55+ 6.0 team, captained by Linda Tatka and Dilcie Paschall, finished the season with a 1-9 record.
· Our men’s 55+ 7.0 team, captained by Rich Foft and Stephen Itano, earned a spot in the playoffs with a 5-5 record. They lost their playoff match against GVTA/Amador on June 12th.
· Our ladies 55+ 7.0 team, captained by Monica Ravanello and Lisa Tong, won their league with a 9-1 record, beat NVTA/Vintage in their playoff match played at Rancho Solano, and are currently prepping for the Sectional Championships at Gold River scheduled for July 29-31.
We have eight Adult 18+ teams currently finishing their regular season play. All matches must be completed by June 19th. Playoff matches are scheduled for July with the Sectionals in early August.
· Our men’s 18+ 3.0A team, captained by Tim Tieu and Rich Arcala, is in first place in their two-team league with an 8-1 record, one match to go.
· Our men’s 18+ 3.0B team, captained by Bernie Tormis and John Oliver, owns the reciprocal score of 1-8 in their two-team league.
· Our men’s 18+ 4.0 team, captained by Ed Manelia and Rommel Bautista, is in first place in their four-team league with an 5-3 record, two matches to go.
· Our ladies 18+ 2.5 team, captained by Dilcie Paschall and Terri Connelly, has a 1-6 record.
· Our ladies 18+ 3.0A team, captained by Bobbi Jacoby and Andrea Hsu, is in first place with an 8-1 record, playing their home matches on the courts at 3 Oaks.
· Our ladies 18+ 3.0B team, captained by Ledy Delfin-Icatar and Lisbeth Conner, has a 3-6 record.
· Our ladies 18+ 3.5 team, captained by Cynthia Oanes and Liz Tong, is in first place with a 6-1 record.
· Our ladies 18+ 4.0 team, captained by Angie Vallejo, has a 4-5 record.
We have three teams registered to play in the Mixed 40+ leagues. Play starts the week of June 20th.
· Mixed 40+ 6.0 A team captained by Dilcie Paschall and Linda Tatka.
· Mixed 40+ 6.0 B team captained by Leslee Fowler.
· Mixed 40+ 6.0 C team captained by Tim Tieu.
Youth and City Programs.
· The Summer Tennis Academy with Allie Will and Connor Van Alstyne is ongoing at Solano Community College through August 12th.
· The City of Fairfield is hosting Junior Tennis programs with Cal McCullough through July 30th on the Cordelia Community Park tennis courts.
· The City of Vacaville is hosting Youth and Adult tennis programs with Solano Tennis (Aaron King and Duncan Macleod) until August 12th.
o Youth Just4Hits Tennis Monday through Thursday mornings on the Centennial Park courts. Three levels: Red (Age 4-6), Orange (Age 6-10), and Green (Age 11-16).
o Adult Cardio Tennis Monday evenings and Open Clinics Tuesday and Thursday evenings on the Three Oaks courts.
New Municipal Outreach.
· Roy Stockton, City of Vacaville District 1 Councilman, hosted a Town Hall Meeting at Centennial Park on Saturday, May 21st. At that meeting, and in a follow-up email, we recapped our view of the status of area tennis and expressed our concern that local tennis courts (think Allan Witt Park and In-Shape) were being permanently converted to Pickleball and other uses at a time when both Pickleball and tennis are growing in popularity. He expressed his support for tennis and suggested more tennis voices at the microphone at City Council meetings.
· Caitlin O’Halloran, Nancy Jones, and I met with Austin George of the City of Dixon Parks and Recreation Department on June 14th to start the conversation about increasing tennis play in Dixon. Thank you, Caitlin and Nancy, for taking the lead on this initiative.
Centennial Park Court Improvements.
We all agree that the tennis courts at Centennial Park leave a lot to be desired. With the recent confirmation and acknowledgement of tax-exempt status for the SCTA, we now have an opportunity to make those courts more player friendly. We have restarted the conversation with the City of Vacaville staff to see what is possible.
· Projects. The City has standards, policies, and regulations that impact modifications to the City Park courts. Chris Derr has stepped forward to take the lead in prioritizing and costing projects, like seats and lights, and finding common ground with the City requirements.
· Fund Raising. Just because we can now hold ourselves out as a tax-exempt organization does not mean that we must reach out for donations. Project-specific fund raisers would go a long way to improving the courts, but we need someone to step forward to organize and lead those efforts. Please tell me if you can help in this area.
In-Shape Update.
· Courts 1, 2, 5, 6, and 7 at Browns Valley are in varying stages of resurfacing as dedicated tennis courts, with only courts 5 and 6 currently available for play.
· Tennis court reservations at Browns Valley do not work through the In-Shape app; call the front desk to schedule.
· In-Shape is open to hosting league matches on the Rancho Solano and Browns Valley courts.
o Our ladies 55+ 7.0 team hosted their playoff match on the Rancho Solano courts.
o The visiting team players enter free, signing the waiver book. Home team players must be In-Shape members at the specific club level or pay the $20 guest fee.
Help Wanted.
In our last newsletter, we reached out for help in six major areas. We cannot continue to evolve and grow in support of our mission statement without you, the Solano tennis community, stepping forward to play key roles. We can move forward on two fronts because volunteers stepped up.
· Chris Derr has agreed to take the lead on court improvements at Centennial Park.
· Caitlin O’Halloran is building the plan to energize the sport of tennis in Dixon.
We still need your help if we are to proceed in other areas.
· Should we fund raise to cover the costs of court improvements? If so, we need someone to build the necessary plan and infrastructure.
· Should we add more content to our website and social media? If yes, we need someone to make it happen.
· Should we offer SCTA branded clothing through an on-line store on our website? If you say yes, we need your help designing/selecting the merchandise to be offered.
· Should we do more to support youth and non-USTA activities? If you say yes, we need you to work with us to find a way.
Bottom line, we can do more only if more volunteers step forward to take the lead in those endeavors. If these, or any other activities, get you excited, let us know. The SCTA Board will provide oversight, but this is your opportunity to have a positive impact on local tennis. If you are interested, email me at [email protected] to start the conversation. We cannot do more unless you are willing to give your time and talent to the effort.
Napa Valley Tennis Classic.
The Napa Valley Tennis Association is hosting its annual Napa Valley Tennis Classic tournament July 2-4, 2022, on the NVTA courts at Vintage High School. This is a great opportunity for local players of all levels to compete on the courts during the July 4th weekend.
· Registration is now open; it closes midnight Sunday, June 26, 2022.
· You can find event and sign-up information at this link: https://playtennis.usta.com/Competitions/napa-valley-tennis-association/Tournaments/Overview/c5b49466-e547-437e-8707-57e9b6676dcc
Family Support.
Rich Van Veen has been a member of our tennis family forever. His son Casey recently shared that Rich’s tennis days are sadly over. He has moved from his home in Rancho Solano and is rehabbing at a facility in Concord. If you want to send him a note of support, mail it to Casey Van Veen at 3207 Glenside Drive, Lafayette, CA 94549.
SCTA Membership.
As of today, the SCTA has 153 paid memberships – 150 Adult and 3 Youth. Thank you.
See you on the courts.
Tony Mras
President, SCTA