SCTA Newsletter 2022-14
Solano Tennis Community
USTA NorCal Sectional Championships.
· Our ladies 55+ 7.0 team, captained by Monica Ravanello and Lisa Tong, exceled at the Sectional Championships at Gold River July 29-31. After beating Antelope 2-1 and losing to Laney 1-2 on Friday, they won their flight and advanced to the semi-finals by beating Carmel 3-0 on Saturday. So close, they lost 2-1 to Zephyr Cove on Sunday, dropping the deciding match by a third set super tiebreak.
· Our men’s 18+ 3.0A team, captained by Tim Tieu and Rich Arcala, finished 1-2 in their flight competition at the NorCal Sectional Championships at Johnson Ranch the weekend of August 5-7. They lost 1-4 to Sunnyvale B and beat Almaden 4-1 on Friday before losing to Pleasanton 1-4 on Saturday.
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Our men’s 18+ 4.0 team, captained by Ed Manelia and Rommel Bautista, also finished 1-2 in their flight competition at the NorCal Sectional Championships at Johnson Ranch the weekend of August 5-7. They lost 2-3 to Rinconada Park on Friday before beating Discovery Bay 3-2 and losing to Modesto 2-3 on Saturday. Great season, guys.
· Our ladies 18+ 3.5 team, captained by Cynthia Oanes and Liz Tong, represented us well at the NorCal Sectional Championships at Broadstone the weekend of August 5-7. On Friday, they lost 2-3 to Goldman and beat Walnut Creek 3-2. On Saturday night, they beat Sunnyvale 4-1. Three of the four teams in their flight finished with 2-1 records, with Walnut Creek moving on to the Sunday semi-finals as they won more individual matches (the first tiebreak). Impressive showing, ladies.
USTA League Tennis.
We currently have three teams playing in the Mixed 40+ 6.0 leagues. Their season runs through August 28th, with playoffs in September.
· 40MX6.0A, captained by Dilcie Paschall and Linda Tatka (2-3 record to date)
· 40MX6.0B, captained by Leslee Fowler (2-4 record to date)
· 40MX6.0C, captained by Tim Tieu and Linda Dangtran (4-3 record to date)
We have a men’s team registered to play in the S70M7.0 league, captained by Tony Mras. The playing season opens August 29th and runs through November 4th.
We also have six teams registered in the upcoming Combo leagues, with play starting August 29th and ending November 6th, with playoffs in November.
· Combo men’s 7.5 team captained by Rommel Bautista and John Agcaoili.
· Combo women’s 5.5 team, captained by Ledy Delfin-Icatar and Linda Dangtran.
· Combo women’s 6.5A team, captained by Cynthia Oanes.
· Combo women’s 6.5B team, captained by Helen Dangtran and Laura Daugherty. This team is looking for players; if you are interested, contact the captains.
· Combo women’s 7.5A team, captained by Monica Ravanello and Lisa Tong.
· Combo women’s 7.5B team, captained by Laura Manelia.
Youth Tennis.
Solano Tennis (Aaron King and Duncan Macleod) hosted a High School Prep Doubles Tourney on the Centennial Park courts on Friday, August 5, 2022.
· 16 players from Vacaville HS, Vanden HS, Rodriquez HS, VCS, and Jepson formed 8 teams and played from 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM.
· Camille Arca and Janelle De La Cruz won the most games on the day and took home the Door Dash cash award.
· Ariana Kim and Taylor Tieu finished in second place and were declared the best dressed team. They earned Nike gift cards.
Napa Valley Tennis Association (NVTA) Update.
The Napa Valley Tennis Association has long been a model for what a Community Tennis Association could be. Unfortunately, their 50-year-old Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Napa and the Napa Valley Unified School District (NVUSD) expired in 2019 and that lapse was not discovered until 2022. Initial discussions for a new MOU included three challenging conditions which would significantly impact NVTA’s ability to function.
· Due to heightened school campus security, NVTA players would not have access to the courts during school hours.
· The NVTA would be required to pay for use of the courts.
· No individual or business can operate for profit on NVUSD property (think Mike Fischer).
Representatives from the NVUSD and the NVTA met on August 2nd to attempt to find common ground for a new agreement. Afterwards, in a joint statement, the NVUSD Superintendent and the NVTA President reported that they had “curated a plan for our organizations that continues to provide NVTA access to the tennis courts on the Vintage High School campus while also ensuring the continued safety of the VHS students and staff.” In addition, “the existing agreement between the City of Napa, NVTA and NVUSD will remain in place until a new agreement is entered into that is acceptable to all interested parties.” That was good news.
· They promised to “proactively work to clearly define the guidelines of our revised agreement, focused on safety. These might include provisions around badges for campus guests and ways to identify those visiting our campuses, along with other possible safety measures.”
· “While safety will remain the top priority of this work, access to the tennis facilities between 8 am - 4 pm will continue for NTVA members.”
· “Over the coming weeks, NVUSD and NVTA will also explore long term solutions with the City of Napa Parks and Recreation to ensure community access to these tennis facilities. “
Bottom line, the two sides are working together to find a path that satisfies the public need for school safety and security while allowing the NVTA to continue to operate in a meaningful way. There is no new MOU yet but it appears that NVTA operations will continue in the interim. You should expect that there will be some changes in the way things are done when the new MOU is finally signed.
Allan Witt Court Update.
The Allan Witt tennis court renovation project is underway, forecast to be completed by August 12th. When done, the complex will feature three tennis courts, 16 pickleball courts, and one futsal court.
Matt Garcia Park Master Plan Survey
In the spring, you were asked to complete a survey from the City of Fairfield that sought to identify community needs and desires for the proposed Matt Garcia Park at One Lake in Fairfield. Your response was critical as soccer and tennis were eventually named as the two most desired active recreation amenities. That was the first step to getting tennis courts into the plan for the new park.
Those inputs have been incorporated into three unique design concepts and the City is now asking for your thoughts and comments on those plan designs. This is the next step. It is important that you respond to the survey to ensure that tennis courts are recognized as a desired element in each plan. The survey address is https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MGPconcepts. Complete the linked survey on-line before August 31, 2022.
Surveys completed by players who live or work in Fairfield should probably carry more weight. Question 10 does ask for that relationship. Bottom line, Fairfield players, let your voices be heard one more time.
Pickleball Is Booming
The attached article is taken from the Wellness section of the July 29, 2022, edition of the GQ magazine. It is a well-written, easy to read, analysis of the status of tennis and pickleball today.
Family Support.
Our tennis community lost a super star when Bob Walsh passed away on July 27th at the age of 96. His wife Lu had passed away on the same date in 2005.
Bob had served as Napa Valley Tennis Association (NVTA) Board President from 2003-2012 and was instrumental in the overall growth and development of the NVTA over the past 40+ years. He is the individual most responsible for NorCal hosting 65+ and 70+ leagues.
In 2014, Bob was inducted into the NorCal Hall of Fame for his many years of dedication to the USTA.
SCTA Membership.
As of today, the SCTA has 153 paid memberships – 150 Adult and 3 Youth. If you are not currently a 2022 SCTA member, feel free to join on our website scta.tennis . Thank you.
See you on the courts.
Tony Mras
President, SCTA