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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 Banquet
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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 Banquet
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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 news
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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
}
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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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