December 2007 Newsletter

Cupertino Tennis Club News
December, 2007

My Spin on Things
by Bob McCord, President

Cupertino Hills Swim and Racquet Club. Apparently the lure of pizza was not enough to attract a large crowd but those that did attend seemed to have a good time. Thanks to Dick Peattie for arranging the facility and to Marie Shrodes and Candace Danielson for coordinating the excellent food and beverages.

One of the activities at the General Meeting is the election of the Board for 2008. Many thanks to the nominating committee, comprised of Candace, Marie and Julie Brittis, who were able to find volunteers for all positions with the exception of a ladders coordinator. Some of the 2007 Board members agreed to serve a second term; we also have some new faces for 2008. The newly elected Board members for 2008 are listed on page 3. We will miss Candace (VP), Derek Sato (Secretary) and Bob Gonzales (Ladders), whose support of the Club this past year was outstanding.

In addition to electing a new Board, the changes to the Club's Constitution and By-laws, which were distributed via email to all CTC members (and which I'm sure everyone has read by now :-) were unanimously approved.

It's hard to believe that 2007 is nearly at an end. The Senior and Mixed leagues have just a few matches left. Thanksgiving is over. Colder weather has arrived. Hopefully, some rain is on the way (only overnight rain, of course). I feel like the year went pretty smoothly and hope you do as well. There is always room for improvement and I hope you will let us know if you have any suggestions.

The Cupertino Tennis Club runs by volunteers, who, like you, love to play tennis. Without volunteers, there is no Club. It's not too late to help!

We are still looking for someone to coordinate the Ladders program. This is a Board position and is a great way to meet many new CTC members. Our need for USTA captains is on-going. There were enough interested players to have had a few more teams this past year, but there were not enough captains to form them. If you are interested, but worried about not having been a captain before, we can help with that.

And finally, please give some thought to volunteering for a Board position in 2009. It's not a major commitment of time. New people always bring new ideas and we want your ideas! It's your Club, after all, and it should provide the activities you want to see.

Have a great holiday season.
Play well and have fun.

Bob McCord

Tennis Tip of the Month -
Target Practice
By Dana Gill, Director of Lifetime Tennis

Most players fall into the category of wanting to play better tennis, but fail to practice, drill or take lessons. A quick and painless way to improve accuracy is to use targets. Show up a few minutes early for your next game (or stay late) and set up one or more 4 tennis ball pyramids. They're easy to construct...just use 3 balls on the bottom and 1 on top. Pyramids (targets) can be used for shot location in serving, returning, ground strokes, volleys, etc. A few minutes here and there will improve both concentration and accuracy. Plus, the next time you need to make an important shot...tell yourself to "hit the target".

2008 Tournament of the Year!!
by John Sperinde, Tournament Director

Based on online tournament forms submitted by players in the 2007 Cupertino Summer NTRP Classic, we were one of the three tournaments voted 3.5 Tournament of the Year for 2008. This has become almost a tradition for the Cupertino Summer Classic but it's good to keep it going.
I don't know what happened at the 3.0 and 4.0 levels. I guess there is room for improvement next year.

The 2008 tournament is approved and the dates are set. They are August 9-10 and August 16-17. Even though it is a long time away, keep these dates in mind. For players, the second week is especially important. If you let us know that you have a conflict, we can often schedule around it. And, of course, you will have the opportunity to volunteer to assist before and during the tournament. This is an experience that I am sure you won't want to miss.

Here's What You Missed....... at the 2007 CTC Annual General Meeting
by Marie Shrodes

Your CTC brought the year 2007 to an end Saturday night December 1st with Pizza, beverages, snacks, desserts and good fellowship. The main purpose was to review the year's activities, and to elect a new set of officers for 2008.

The attendees voted to approve the changes to our By-laws and Constitution, co-written and approved by the City of Cupertino. (Watch for an updated version in your emails/mailboxes.) We gave a big THANKS to the 26 members who captained over 40 USTA teams this year! The Club showed its appreciation with gift certificates to Lifetime Tennis. There was agreement that we need more captains for 2008. Bob Larocca will be happy to answer any questions you have.

The membership report (Kathy Wheeler, Membership Chair) informed us that we have 103 new members who joined us this year. The Board looks forward to offering more social events in 2008, another NTRP tournament in August, as many USTA teams as we can captain (hint, hint), daytime interclub doubles fun over a nine-month period, and ladder activity if we get a director.

Reminder: The Club has gotten a commitment from the City to IMPROVE AND ADD MORE LIGHTING. Watch for updates.

Your 2008 CTC Board

USTA and GRAND PRIX News
by Bob Larocca, USTA coordinator

The Mixed and Senior seasons are well along. Several of our teams are contending for playoff spots.

In Mixed, Diane Detig's 6.0 team is currently holding onto 4th place with 6 matches remaining. Anne Neeter's 7.0 team is undefeated and in 1st place while Bob Larocca's team has a single loss. Sarina Taffarella-Gonzales leads an 8.0 team that is tied for 2nd place at this time. Our strength in Seniors is showing again this fall. All 4 men's teams are at or near the tops of their respective leagues. Irwin Horowitz (3.0) and George Bassi (3.5) have their teams in 1st place. Fred Tierney (3.5) and Ron Lee (4.0) have squads that are in 2nd place.

Sue Williams' 3.5 ladies team is 8 -1 and at the top of their league.
Bob Gonzales took a 6.5 Combo team to the District Championships in Fresno. Bob's group earned a wildcard slot by finishing 2nd in the league playoffs. The team played well in Fresno but didn't advance to the Sectional Championships. Great job everyone!

2008 Membership Drive: Renew Now!!
by Kathy Wheeler

Club membership was up from 2006 with 337 members by year's end with 104 new members. Your membership expires on January 1st. The Club allows a two-month grace period so your name will be dropped from the member roster if you do not renew by March 1, 2008.

The membership form has been redesigned, but fees remain the same for 2008:

• Cupertino Residents : Single $20 Family $25
• Non-Cupertino Residents : Single $25 Family $30
• New to the Club: Single $10 Family $15
  

You can find the form online at application. Fill it out appropriately on line or,print legibly and drop it off at the CTC Mailbox in the lobby of the Sports Center. The CTC Mailbox is located next to the manager's office directly to the left as you enter the front door.

We'll be at the Open House in January for those of you who would like to renew your Club membership at the same time as your Sports Center pass.

Looking forward to seeing you on the courts in 2008!! And please consider volunteering for our board and/or social events.

Winter Discount - Private Lessons
by Lifetime Tennis

(10) 1 hour lessons
$399
(Youth or Adults)

Discount Private Lesson Hours
Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 3:30 pm and 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
*lessons may only be taken during these days & hours and are to be completed by 3/27/08

Instructors available for this promotion:
Cyril Macasero, Hung Ngo, Tom Uyehara, Shoggy Park, Michael Leopold

Contact Lifetime Tennis Office: (408) 777-3169 or www.lifetimetennis.com.

Cupertino Sports Center Open House

Saturday January 12, 2008

10:00 am 'til 12:00 pm

Call 408-777-3160 with any questions you may have.

FREE Cupertino Sports Center
Open House Activities:
Aerobics 8:30 am
Body Sculpting 9:30 am
Crafts and Face Painting 10:00 am
Body Fat Testing 10:00 am
Tennis Games 10:30 am
Latin Core Dance 10:30 am
Prizes 11:45 am
Memberships 11:45 am

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