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News Archives: November 2007
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Inaugural Art
Foster Award Presented to Sean Bailey
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| Sean Bailey (left)
is presented the Art Foster Most Sportsmanlike
Junior award by Hart Pollack, president of Tennis
Manitoba. |
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Sat Nov 30'07 |
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Winnipeg, MB (TM)
– In honor of 2006 Manitoba Tennis Hall of Fame inductee,
Art Foster, a new award was created in 2007 to recognize
the Most Sportsmanlike Junior player in the province.
Art was a very competitive player who was always a gentleman
on the tennis court.
The inaugural recipient of the Art Foster Most Sportsmanlike
Junior award is Sean Bailey of the Kildonan Tennis Club.
He demonstrates the same qualities of fair play and
sportsmanship that were so much a part of Art Foster’s
game. He is a great role model for the young players
that are just starting to play competitive tennis.
Sean was recognized at the Tennis Manitoba Awards Banquet
on October 4th at the Sun Center at Canad Inns Stadium
with this award and was also named the Most Improved
Player in the province for 2007.
He was a member of the 2007 Western Canada Summer Games
team and helped lead the team to a Silver Medal. In
the Open category he started the year at # 24 in the
rankings and finished the year at # 10. He defeated
two top 10 players in 2007, earning victories over Jared
Connell at the Clay Court Championships and Evan Mancer
at the Arby’s Manitoba Open.
Tennis Manitoba Awards
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Robert Kennedy
Recognized as Community Champion
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| Robert Kennedy
(left) is presented the Tennis Manitoba’s Community
Champion award for 2007 by Hart Pollack, president
of Tennis Manitoba. |
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Sat Nov 30'07 |
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Winnipeg, MB (TM)
– Robert Kennedy, a school teacher with an unparalleled
passion for tennis, is the recipient of Tennis Manitoba’s
Community Champion award for 2007. Robert was recognized
at the Awards Banquet and Hall of Fame dinner on October
4th at the Sun Center at Canad Inns Stadium.
To say Robert Kennedy has an interest in tennis would
be like saying Tiger Woods has an interest in golf.
Robert commits countless hours to tennis and is interested
in all aspects of the game. Some members of the tennis
community are not aware that he actually does have a
full time day job as a teacher at Constable Edward Finney
School. It is probably up for debate as to whether he
spends more time teaching in the classroom or on the
tennis court.
Robert has been involved in tennis in Manitoba for 25
years, having started back in 1983 at the Deer Lodge
Tennis Club. It did not take long for him to develop
a genuine love for the sport and this carried over to
the schools he taught at. For the past 18 years he has
volunteered his time teaching an after-school program
at various schools in the Seven Oaks School Division.
Robert has organized a mini-tennis program for the last
8 years, aimed at developing the skills of young tennis
players using modified racquets, nets and balls in a
gymnasium. He has also organized and taught lessons
for junior players at Victoria Beach for the past 8
years. In an effort to introduce more females to the
sport, Robert has also run girls programs at Victoria
Beach and the Winnipeg Winter Club for the past 5 years.
After the horrific tsunami that devastated several communities
in Southeast Asia in December of 2004, Robert organized
a fundraiser to assist with disaster relief. By selling
tennis balls with a red maple leaf a total of $1000
was raised to support the victims of the tsunami rebuild
their lives.
Robert also co-founded and assisted Bill Serbin with
the Tennis Futures program for the past 8 years. This
program has been immensely successful in introducing
elementary school aged children to tennis.
Although he has spent a considerable amount of time
on the grassroots and developmental side of the sport,
Robert has made a significant contribution to Tennis
Manitoba’s high performance programs. He has assisted
with U12 Regroupings, involving top juniors from Manitoba
and Saskatchewan, for the past 5 years. He also represented
Manitoba as coach at the 2006 and 2007 U12 Outdoor Junior
Nationals. In addition, Robert was an assistant coach
for the 2007 Western Canada Summer Games team that captured
the Silver Medal this past August in Edmonton.
To further witness his passion for the sport of tennis
one needs to look no further than Robert’s home on Winchester,
where he has a collection of 500 tennis racquets and
100 pairs of shoes!
Robert Kennedy has been an extremely dedicated member
of the tennis community and is very deserving of the
Community Champion Award.
Tennis Manitoba Awards
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how click here.
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Tennis Canada
Announces 2008 Indoor Junior Nationals Dates
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Thu Nov 29'07 |
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Winnipeg, MB (TM)
– The dates of the 2008 Indoor Junior Nationals have
been finalized by Tennis Canada. As was the case in
2007, two age groups will be held in western Canada
and two age groups will be held in eastern Canada.
The dates and locations are as follows:
U12 Indoor Junior Nationals
March 29-April 4 at TBA
U16 Indoor Junior Nationals
March 29-April 5 at Uniprix Stadium, Montreal
U14 Indoor Junior Nationals
April 6-12 at Saville Center, Edmonton
U18 Indoor Junior Nationals
April 7-12 at Mayfair Parkway, Toronto
For further information about Junior Nationals, including
the qualification process, contact Rick at the Tennis
Manitoba office at 925-5660.
Tennis
Manitoba Junior TourWant to get
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To find out how click here.
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Carter Captures
National Championship
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| Lee Carter at
the 2007 Birmingham National Wheelchair Tennis
Championships |
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Wed Nov 28'07 |
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Tennis Canada – The
top-ranked ranked Canadian men’s singles player, Lee
Carter of Winnipeg, Manitoba, a rising star on the international
scene, won the men’s final Sunday at the 2007 Birmingham
National Wheelchair Tennis Championships in Whistler,
BC. His first singles national title came the day after
he won his first doubles championship.
“At the beginning of the year this is what I wanted,
a national championship. It means everything,” said
Carter, whose first ever tournament was the 2003 Nationals.
“I remember when I first started, at my first nationals,
always wondering when I would be able to compete with
the best in this country.”
Sunday’s win came after a closely contested match against
No. 2 ranked Phil Rowe of Langley, BC, which ended at
6-4; 6-2. “He took me right out of my game. He slowed
everything down and I wasn’t able to show my power against
him,” said Carter, who currently ranks No. 32 in the
world. “I just had to be patient and wait for my openings
and try not to make too many mistakes.
“I didn’t quite get the job done,” said Rowe, a veteran
of the game who was playing in his 18th consecutive
national championship. “I had a game plan and I did
it as best as I could,” he said. “It may be my last
nationals but if I can come back and play another year
or two I will.”
The quad singles final was a repeat of last year’s championship
with Canada’s No. 1 ranked Sarah Hunter of White Rock,
BC winning over No. 2 ranked Adrian Dieleman of Ancaster,
Ontario, 6-0; 6-0. “It’s always an absolute pleasure
to play against Adrian because he is on the front end
of the learning curve and I think I am starting on the
way down,” said Hunter, who is coming off a very successful
year of international competition. Hunter said she feels
like she is gaining momentum. “It’s exactly what I need
to be doing right now,” she said, adding that she wants
to peak at a couple of major events she has coming up
in 2008, leading up to the Paralympic Games in Beijing.
“Obviously, the beginning of September, 2008 would be
an excellent time to be peaking!”
This year’s national tournament was the second straight
championship held at the Whistler Racquet Club, and
the second in a five-year sponsorship commitment by
Betty and Bruce Birmingham, who were courtside throughout
the tournament. Their support includes prize money,
hosting grants, travel grants and the donation of a
new tennis wheelchair which this year was awarded to
Joel Dembe, 23, of Lynden, Ontario. ”It’s a great thing
for me because I’ve needed a chair for the last few
years because I’ve outgrown mine,” said Dembe. “I think
having a brand new chair will really elevate my game.
“This support would not be possible without what the
Birmingham family has done for wheelchair tennis in
this country,” said Dembe. “I just can’t thank them
enough for what they have done, not just for me personally,
but for the sport as a whole in this country, supporting
it and nurturing and growing it.”
Several of the players at the nationals will end their
competitive season next weekend in Montreal at La Classique
Internationale OPHQ 2007, an ITF tournament which attracts
approximately 60 of the best wheelchair tennis players
from around the world looking to boost their world rankings
in anticipation of gaining a berth to next year’s Paralympics.
Two of Canada’s top five women and two of the top five
men will be among the Canadian contingent, including
Carter. “I want to be an Olympian. That’s the goal,”
Carter said.
At the close of the national championships, National
Wheelchair Tennis Coach Severine Tamborero said she
was pleased with the quality of play she saw. “It is
great to see players like Joel (Dembe) and Eric (Gilbert)
that are the future of the sport, battling with the
top players,” she said. “We need to continue raising
the bar for our players to ensure that they can represent
Canada on the international level. We still have some
way to go. We have to push ourselves to be the best
not just in Canada but in the world.” She said that
one achievement that has been reaches is that Canadian
players now feel it is an important goal to become a
national champion.
See also
Carter Captures
Pair of Titles in ArizonaWant
to get news like this delivered right to you? Sign up
today for a free subscription to the Tennis Manitoba
eNews. To find out how click
here.
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Kite and Kaboodle
Junior Classic a Success at Norwood
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| Tournament Director
Brian Pound in front of Kite and Kaboodle Junior
Classic players. |
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Tue Nov 27'07 |
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Winnipeg, MB (Norwood CC) – On August
28, 29 and 30th the
Norwood Community
Club hosted its first junior tennis tournament on
its new courts. The Kite and Kaboodle Junior Classic
was a co-ed event for youth, in three categories; under
10, under 12 and under 14. Young tennis players from
across the city competed and the rallies were outstanding!
Throughout the tournament lunch was
provided by Winkler Meat. The tennis players loved the
bison hot dogs! On the last day a pizza windup was provided
by Little Caesars. The snacks and drinks were provided
by Safeway and kept our players cool.
The event was generously sponsored by
local businesses and organizations and would not have
been made possible without the many volunteers that
helped before and during the event.
Tennis
Manitoba Rookie Tour
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Provincial Team
Selections Made
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Wed Sep 12'07 |
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Winnipeg, MB (TM) – The tryouts are
complete and the Provincial Coach, Peter Otto, and his
assistants, Robert Kennedy and Sean LaCap, have made
the selections for the 2007-08 Provincial Team.
Team members are as follows:
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Provincial “A” Team
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Clarissa Chen
Alexia Cholakis
Erika Fridrik
Daniella Silva
Jessica Silva
Evann Waschuk |
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Sean Bailey
Muzeen Ismath
Chad LaCap
Igal Mostkov
Eric Pollard
Jeremy Trinidad |
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Provincial “B” Team
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Anika Campeau
Emily Fridrik
Galia Pollock
Lea Savatic
Kylie Waschuk
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Alan Gardiner
JJ Gerstein
Trevor Hollins
Will McPherson
Alex Minuk
Lucas Nguyen
Yale Selchen |
The Provincial Team will practice on-court
at the Winnipeg Winter Club every Sunday beginning in
December. In addition, all team members will participate
in weekly fitness training at the Pan Am Boxing Club.
Sport psychology and biomechanical analysis will also
be incorporated in an effort to offer the Provincial
Team members a well-rounded program that is designed
to focus on all aspects of the tennis game.
Tennis Manitoba
Provincial Team
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Players Shine
at the First Annual VW Auto Haus Rookie Tour Event
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Sat Nov 17'07 |
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Winnipeg, MB (TM) – Sixty-six eager
players competed for the Championship in the final stop
of the newly formed Rookie Tour. The unique style of
categorized competition allows every player to be competitive
in their own group. Congratulations to all the participants.
You are VW AUTOHAUS "CHAMPIONS". The following players
captured their grouping titles:
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Lexie Bernstein over Hanah Blatt
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Shane Nicholls over Mitch Cosman
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Matthieu Bourrier over Alex Dashevsky
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Ola Ochrymowicz over Seri Blatt
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Marco Roslycky over Brock Pollard
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Rosa Molinary over Camile Aprosoff
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Igal Mostkov over Kevin Kylar
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Keiran Milner over Sasha Guberman
EASY BALL DEBUTS ON GRASS at PRE-WIMBLEDON
EVENT
What is easy ball? It is a softer ball used to teach
tennis to Juniors at an early age. The unique ball allows
them more time to react and learn proper skills and
technique so that they can rally almost immediately.
How appropriate it was that on Sunday, September 16th,
nine boys and girls from the age of 3 competed in the
FIRST Ever Grass Court Rookie Tour Matches. The court
was set up on the 19th hole green. The spectacular view
and soft grass created a unique atmosphere. As George
told the youngsters, "The #1 tournament in the world,
Wimbledon, is played on grass, and today you are introduced
to play on grass so that twenty years from now you can
be Wimbledon Champions".
Grass court results
Winners: Alex Kroft, Marco Trstenjak, Jullieta Aprosoff
2nd place: Nicolle Margolis, Davika Deraj
Conclusion ...by George Kylar
The introduction of the Rookie Tour was one of the best
things Tennis Manitoba accomplished in 2007. Thanks
to Bruce Waschuk, who always supported my ideas in forming
tier events to promote junior tennis. I always felt
that categorization in competition is the best way to
promote tennis. When you turn pro, you can not jump
and play in Wimbledon. You must work your way up through
competition where you belong. It becomes a gradual uphill
process.
I was happy to host 3 Rookie Tour events at Glendale
in 2007. Each tournament attracted over 60 players with
a total of 200 entries. Categorization made it possible
and allowed stiff and exiting competition in every match.
Win or lose, we presented each player with a championship
medal, a small gift and a t-shirt. Winners and runners-up
received trophies. When you feel, regardless of you
skills, that you belong, how can you NOT WANT to play
more??
As I said earlier, this is the way to go, promote and
keep junior players interested in the sport of tennis.
In 2008 I hope to add 2 more events with the vision
of making the Rookie Tour a circuit with top point getters
meeting in the Rookie Tour Masters.
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