Winnipeg, MB (TM) – Working in partnership with Provincial Sport Organizations and Coaching Manitoba, Sport Manitoba provides a monthly grant of $500 to a female athlete, team, official or volunteer to assist them in enhancing their women in sport career.

The recipient for the month of May is Evann Waschuk, a member of Tennis Manitoba’s Canada Summer Games training team. Evann is currently the # 1 ranked female player in the province and has represented Manitoba at Junior Nationals on numerous occasions.

Evann has a busy summer ahead, with trips scheduled to the Junior ITF in Edmonton, the Junior ITF in Vancouver, the U16 and U18 Junior Nationals and the Canada Games.

Sport Manitoba - Women in Sport
Canadian Junior Nationals
Tennis Manitoba Junior Tour

Want 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.

Want 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.

Winnipeg, MB (Winnipeg Free Press - Ashley Prest) – After playing hundreds of tennis matches as a doubles team since they were 15-year-old provincial team players, Geoff Kirbyson and Peter Otto of Winnipeg are national champions for the first time.

Kirbyson and Otto, now both 40, won the mens' doubles 40-plus title in the 2009 Western Senior National Championship last Sunday at Calgary's Tennis Academy. The unseeded duo, which reunited after four years to play in this event, defeated Alberta's Don Best and Keith Rissling 6-0, 6-2 in the final.

Kirbyson also won the men's doubles 35-plus title with top-ranked Manitoban Jared Connell defeating No. 1-seed Zachary Zenith and Julio De La Colina of Alberta. Connell also won the men's 35-plus singles title.

Tennis Manitoba executive director Rick Bohinski said the three national titles were the best ever showing for Manitoba at a national championship.

"We've played so many tournaments together, the gravity of the situation (winning their first-ever national win) didn't really hit us until about a half an hour later, we realized, hey, that's a pretty big accomplishment for us," said Otto, the head tennis professional at the Winnipeg Winter Club and the Kildonan Tennis Club.

"It makes you feel pretty good. We've won tournaments here in Manitoba and other events in other provinces when we were juniors but to reunite and win with a good friend, it was great to share that."

In their semifinal match, Kirbyson and Otto beat world champion and the No. 1-seed Claude Servant of Quebec and his partner Gene Kelly (Alberta) 6-2, 6-4. Servant and another partner had won the 2008 ITF men's doubles world championship in Turkey.

"That was the best doubles win of my life and the best match we've ever played in 25 years," said Kirbyson, a news reporter for the Free Press. "Before the match, we didn't even know what (Servant) had done. It was one of those things where you just play the ball, not the guy and it was a good thing. If we'd known how good he was, we might have psyched ourselves out."

Kirbyson said he and Otto have won more than 20 tournaments in Manitoba but neither had ever won a national title.

"We grew up together on the tennis court, we were juniors together and played the Canada Games together (1989) and had a shot at a national title five years ago when we lost in the (35-plus) final," Kirbyson said.

He and Otto play using the "Australian formation" where the server and the net man start on the same side of the court and split once the ball is served. No other team in their division used that formation.

In the men's 80-plus division, Jake Suderman placed second.

Tennis Manitoba Senior Tour

Want 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.

Portage la Prairie, MB (Tyler Zdan, Central Plains Sports, The Daily Graphic)

Tennis isn’t exactly a smash in the Central Plains, but the game is slowly gaining a following.

Portage la Prairie is home to the region’s only official tennis club, and interim president Darren Jones said in recent years he has seen a modest increase in interest both in and out of the Central Plains.

“We get people (at the club) that drive out from as far as Steinbach, Morden and Winkler,” he said, “so it’s catching on in the outer communities.”

Jones said in Portage itself, tennis was once an extremely popular sport, but went into a lengthy lull when golf hit the mainstream. He added, however, that the sport’s popularity is slowly starting to increase once again.

“It’s coming along lately,” he said. “It used to be far more popular a while ago, but things slowed down for a little bit.”

He said tennis remains very affordable, which has encouraged some new members to pick up the sport, and some returning members to revisit the game after a hiatus.

“It’s really inexpensive,” he said. “You can get out and play without having too many financial hurdles.”

Jones said the game also tends to draw families, which he sees as another positive aspect.

“It’s really family (oriented),” he said. “We’re seeing a lot more families involved.”

The Portage Tennis Club is holding its registration for the 2009 season on Friday and May 11 from 6-8 p.m. at the tennis facility in Island Park.

Jones said the club’s junior lessons will be starting on May 11, adding the junior program is one of the highlights of the club.

“We have a really good crowd of juniors,” he said. “The kids that are coming out are really good kids. They’ve already gotten the fun part of the game and now they’re growing into the competitive parts of tennis.”

He said the Portage Tennis Club offers members, whether skilled veterans or inexperienced newbies, the chance to get out in the sunshine and have some inexpensive fun this summer.

“We just want people to get out and enjoy it,” he said.

The Portage Tennis Club’s tentative schedule for 2009 includes junior lessons on Mondays and Wednesdays, competitive league nights on Tuesdays and Thursdays and fun nights on weekends.

All events are scheduled to run from 6-8 p.m.

For more information on the Portage Tennis Club or to register, contact Darren Jones at (204) 856-9001.

Republished from the Central Plains Sports print edition May 9, 2009 (www.portagedailygraphic.com)

Portage Tennis Club

Want 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.

Winnipeg, MB (TM) – Tennis Manitoba, with the great support of Kids Dental, is hosting a Tennis Fest on Saturday, June 6th at the Sargent Park Tennis Center. This is a free event for children ages 6-12 and the first 500 children in attendance will receive a free racquet from Wilson!

This is a great opportunity for youngsters to experience the lifetime sport of tennis in a festival atmosphere. The focus will be on fun and learning some of the basics of the game. There will also be a draw for a Wii!

Event Q&A

Question: Do I have to register for the Tennis Fest?

Answer: There is no registration for the Tennis Fest. All activities are available on a first come, first served basis.

Question: What is the likelihood of my son/daughter receiving a racquet?

Answer: Although we do have 500 racquets for distribution, there is no guarantee that every child that attends the Tennis Fest will receive a racquet. The event is being promoted across the city at all community centers and in dozens of schools. Children that arrive near the beginning of the event have a greater chance of receiving a racquet.

Question: What can I expect at the Tennis Fest?

Answer: If you are one of the first 500 children to show up on June 6th you will receive a free Wilson racquet. Fun games and activities will be available on the tennis courts from 10:00am-4:00pm. Instructors and coaches from around Winnipeg will be on-court to provide tips and encouragement to the children. There will be a draw for Wii! Hotdogs will be available for purchase, with proceeds supporting tennis programs at Sargent Park. Information on summer tennis camps and other programs will be available. Expect to have lots of fun!

Question: What happens if it is raining on June 6th?

Answer: In the event of inclement weather the Tennis Fest will be held from 10:00am-4:00pm on Sunday, June 7th at the Sargent Park Tennis Center.
 

Please contact Tennis Manitoba for additional information.

Kids Dental Tennis Fest poster
Kids Dental web site
Contact Tennis Manitoba

Want 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.