USTA Georgia Award Winners
| Several CORTA members were recognized for their outstanding accomplishments and achievements at the USTA Georgia Annual Awards Luncheon held in Atlanta on October 23, 2010. Congratulations! CORTA is very proud of each of you! Deby Caldwell (not pictured) received the USTA Georgia Jr. League Coordinator of the Year Award. Go CORTA!!!
 | | USTA Georgia Family of the Year - The John P. Illges, IV Family |
 | Al Parker Scholar Award
Laura Chapman |
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Meet the 2011 CORTA Board of Directors
| Executive Committee
President - Rem Houser
Executive Vice President - Sara Dismuke
Vice President - Tom Miller
Vice President - Kim Glass
Treasurer - Liz Gobbel
Secretary - Lauren Griner
Immediate Past President - Nancy Prescott
Board of Directors
Community Outreach - Joe Adame
Special Events - Becky Baker
Awards Chair - Patrick Callaway
Tournaments/Officials - Larry Goodman
Adult Programs - Doug Gibson
Development/Marketing - Betty Matthews
Facility - Tom Miller
Volunteers - Max Patrick
Junior Programs - Lynn Reis
Legal Council - David Snipes
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USTA Georgia Board of Directors
| USTA Georgia elected the 2011-2012 Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting on October 23rd.
Helen Martin will be serving as President, along with Niki Gedroic, District 4 Director and Presidential Appointee Nancy Prescott. Nita Perry, Deby Caldwell, Adam Centerbar, Lynn Reis, and Aline Trussell have been appointed to serve on USTA Georgia Committees.
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CORTA and Cooper Creek Tennis Center Go Green!
by John Illges Boy Scouts of America Troop 777 |  Here's a fact: last year Cooper Creek Tennis Center was visited by more than 39,000 people, and all of these people brought huge amounts of recyclable material. More than 15,000 tennis ball cans, 45,000 tennis balls, a great number of aluminum cans, not to mention thousands of plastic bottles, came through this park, but less than 1% were recycled. This is a huge waste. So, CORTA and Cooper Creek Tennis Center ARE GOING GREEN. Three collection bins have been placed in three different locations throughout the facility. Please use them. They accept plastic bottles, tennis ball cans and aluminum. There is a separate set of bins for the purpose of collecting tennis balls. These are located at the main Cooper Creek Tennis Center office. The tennis balls will be given to local nursing homes, teachers, and tennis pros. CORTA and Columbus Parks and Recreation greatly appreciate your cooperation and support. Thank you for helping CORTA and Cooper Creek Tennis Center GO GREEN!
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| Cooper Creek Courts Looking Good! |  Have you been to Cooper Creek lately? If you have, you've probably seen the crew from Welch Tennis working hard resurfacing the courts. If the weather permits, the project should be finished by mid-January. Even though several of the courts may look playable, they are not. Clay courts require many hours of rolling to get them firm enough to play on. Playing on them too quickly will tear them up. We all need to work together to protect the investment that is being made. If the weather would cooperate, they could get done much faster! Please be patient as the process continues. We will get you on the courts as soon as possible!
A grand re-opening ceremony is being planned. Watch for details!!!
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Cooper Creek Tennis Facility Rules
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 All players must check in at the clubhouse before playing.- Proper tennis attire is required. Shirts must be worn at all times. Flat soled tennis shoes only, no running or cross trainers.
- Court time is limited to: Singles - 1.5 hours; Doubles - 2 hours.
- All players must sweep and line the court after play.
- Alcoholic beverages, tobacco products and pets are not allowed on the courts.
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Equipment Drive - DONATIONS NEEDED!!!
|  In order to maintain the newly refurbished courts, players will be required to sweep and line their court upon completion of play. Signs are being made and will be hung on each bank of courts as a reminder. While the City has made an investment in getting the courts back in to good shape, it will be up to the players to ensure that the investment is protected.
The initial goal is to have one brush & one broom per two courts, but the ultimate goal is to have a set of equipment for each court. Thanks to a generous contributor 7 brushes and 7 brooms have been purchased for the facility. Merrill Lynch/Rem Houser have graciously donated funds to secure two additional sets of equipment, and they are challenging other individuals, corporations and league teams to donate to the cause. We are up to nine sets, but we need more! A set costs $290.00. Please help CORTA and Cooper Creek Tennis Center by submitting your tax-deductible donation to CORTA, P.O. Box 8236, Columbus, GA 31908 or you may contribute via credit card by calling the CORTA office at 706-317-4136. Thanks so much for your help and your commitment to making Cooper Creek Tennis Center the BEST tennis facility!
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Adult Program News
by Cissy Sanders & Charlie Clippinger
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CORTA's "Number of Matches Scheduled" Chart has been revised.
CORTA uses the following chart to determine the number of matches each team will have scheduled during a league season based on the number of teams in a level. Captains and players use this chart to get an idea of how many matches they will receive in the upcoming season, and based on this number and player availability they can decide the number of players needed on their team.
The new chart can be viewed by clicking "Number of Matches to be Scheduled Chart (Revised Dec, 2010) under "Captains' Corner" on the CORTA website.
Year End Ratings:
Got bumped up or not? Has your team dissolved because other teammate s leveled up? Check your 2010 Year-End rating to see if you've been promoted to the next level. You may not even know that your team is dissolving because of recent promotions from the 2010 Year-End ratings! If you're looking for a team, we can put you on our List of Players Looking for a Team. Just click on the link, fill out the form with your contact information, rating, and the league you are interested in playing and a captain who is looking for players will contact you. The ball is in your court! Don't miss out on SPRING tennis!
Turning 50 in 2011?
Good news! If you are turning 50 anytime before December 31, 2011 then you are eligible to play Senior League tennis starting with this Spring Season!
Important Dates for the Upcoming 2011 Spring League Season:
Adult League:
Deadline to form a Team: Wednesday, January 5th
Season Play: Saturdays from January 22nd - March 26th
Senior League:
Deadline to form a Team: Wednesday, January 5th
Season Play: Sundays from January 22nd - March 26th
City League: (Not Just for Women Anymore!)
Deadline to form a Team: Friday, January 14th
Season Play: Thursday mornings @ 9:30am from January 27th - March 31
Major regulation changes for Championship Year 2011 USTA Leagues
USTA National Regulations:
1. A player may play only one NTRP level above the player's current NTRP level in the Adult and Senior Divisions.
2. Any player who is 70 years of age or older prior to, or during, the calendar year in which such player plays his/her first local league match and has achieved the same rating level or lower for the three prior years, without benefit of appeal, will be granted an appeal if they are promoted at year-end.
USTA Georgia Regulations:
1. USTA Georgia League State Championships will use the Coman Tie-Break Procedure. 2. During a USTA Georgia League State Championship, if a team has an unknown default (not enough players to field a complete team), the opposing team will have the opportunity to take their scorecard back and resubmit the lineup. If the opposing team has not turned their scorecard in, they will be notified of the line the default is taking place prior to turning their scorecard in.
USTA Georgia Combo League Regulations
2.41H(5) f. Players who qualify for the Adult/Senior Combo Georgia State Championships may advance on 2 (two) adult teams, but at different levels and 1 (one) senior team.
You can view all major regulation changes for the 2011 Championship Year by viewing the National, Southern, & Georgia regulations located on CORTA's website under Captain's Corner.
Congratulations to the 2010 Fall League Winners:
Adult Senior
2.5 Men - Williamson 3.0 Men - Hooper/Hurst
3.0 Men - Addison/Kimmel 3.5 Men - Oswalt
3.5 Men - Thompson/Hamilton 4.0 Men - Levy
4.0L Men - Ammerman 4.5 Men - Pease
4.0 Men - Ammerman 3.0 Women - Oswalt
4.5 Men - Scheer 3.5 Women - Booth
2.0 Women - Coulter 4.0 Women - Scott
2.5 Women - Fitzgerald/Shiver 4.5 Women - Warnow
3.0 Women Blue - Ralph City
3.0 Women Red - Lardinois/Williams 3.0 Women - Oswalt
3.5 Women Blue - Frields/Hill 3.5 Women - Wisenall
3.5 Women Red - McAdams 4.0 Women - Van Dinter
4.0L Women - Harbour/Pease
4.0 Women - Bishop/Lennon
4.5 Women - Dunlevie/Dismuke
Congratulations to CORTA's State Champions!!!
We would like to congratulate the following CORTA teams for advancing to the Combo Doubles Southern Sectional Championships that will be held March 4-7, 2011, in Mobile, AL.
Good luck and bring home the trophy!
Tamma Smith's W5.0 team: MikelAnna Hill, Charisse Hill, Nancy Roman, Adria Holden, Lesley Dudley, Kim Railey, Jessica Wright, Michelle Human and Ceci Riedel.
Suzanne Williams' W5.5 team: Michelle Beach, Alexis Miller, Teri McRae, Holly Pettis, Niki Gedroic, Wanda Dryman, Christa Griffiths, Michelle Human, Stephanie Shiver, Wendy Calhoun, Prissy Mudge, Cristine Colon, Casey Parker, Erin Gittings, Jody Kyte and Joy Moore.
Chuck Tharpe's M5.5 team: Christopher Jones, William Denamur, Charles Davis, Roddy Hunter, Joe McCrea, Tyler McCrea, Chad Oyster, Wes Hargrove, Gary Bruce, Greg Whitehead and William Cartier.
Adam Cooper's M8.5 team: Alex Vasilescu, Andy Lowe, Chase Parmer, Jim Rogers, Scott Douthit, Kevin Waldeck,
Doug Conroy, Stephen Edelson, Al Zachry, Dick Daniel and Chris Byrnes.
Are you ready for Corporate Team Tennis 2011?Corporate Team Tennis is a program that offers employees an opportunity to play organized tennis matches in a fun, team building atmosphere. The co-ed format allows participation by all employees. All levels can play on a team together. There is a division for all companies from beginner to advanced! A team requires a minimum of four players (2 men, 2 women) and can have up to 12 players on the roster. Fifty percent of the team must be affiliated with the company and must be 21 years or older. The entry fee per team is $300, which includes balls, court fees, and refreshments each week. The season will last six weeks with play on Wednesday evenings @ 6pm at Cooper Creek Tennis Center. This year's season will be April 6th to May 25th. The deadline to form team is Monday, March 25th. So get out there and get a team together at your workplace! For more information please go to www.corta.org!
For more information about Adult Programs, contact Cissy Sanders or Charlie Clippinger.
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Junior Program News
by Deby Caldwell | Elementary School Jr. Team Tennis
You asked for it and you got it....Elementary Jr. Team Tennis! Our first season was a huge success with a total of six schools, fifteen teams and 172 players. Most exciting was the fact that seven teams were QuickStart and played on 60' court with low compression balls. Congratulations to the winners:
10U Beginner (QuickStart) - 1st Matthews Elementary/Gordon; 2nd Clubview 1/Wink/May
12U Beginner - 1st Harris Co/Sikes; 2nd Brookstone 1/Neal
12U Intermediate - 1st Harris Co/Swords; 2nd Brookstone/Courville
QuickStart Fall Jr. Team Tennis
Our fall season of Quickstart Jr. Team Tennis was greatly influenced by our Elementary league! We had six teams and 48 young players perfecting their skills and strokes and learning the GAME of tennis! The season ended with medals for everyone and yummy cupcakes! Thanks to all the volunteers: Lynn Reis, Margie Norman, Tracy St. John, Dawn Harper, Nancy Wright, Shannon Lewis, Teri Skinner, and Angela Reid.
 
Middle School Jr. Team Tennis
It's a Monday or Wednesday afternoon, and you can't find a parking spot, you see school buses at the park, parents and grandparents lined around the fences, and juniors EVERYWHERE... then it must be Middle School Jr. Team Tennis! We had 32 teams and 275 players competing for the honor of that winning trophy to be placed in their school trophy case! Thanks to all the volunteers...teachers, parents, coaches, Teen Council members, and adult league players. You helped make this the best season ever!
Congratulations to all the winners:
1.5 Level - 1st Arnold Rams/Bishop; 2nd Blackmon Rd/Adame
2.0 Level - 1st Blackmon Rd/Braxton; 2nd Arnold Rams/Bishop
2.5 Level - 1st St. Anne/Schuler; 2nd Homeschool/Creekside/Illges
3.0 Level - 1st Brookstone White/Courville/Hemmings; 2nd Harris Co/Lynch
3.5 Level - 1st Blackmon Rd/Patel; 2nd Brookstone/Quinn
Sportsmanship Awards
Sportsmanship Awards were given to outstanding middle school juniors that promote integrity and exhibit outstanding sportsmanship on and off the court! Congratulations to all the winners:
1.5 Girl - Chanelle Colon - East Columbus Academy
1.5 Boy - Clayton Shirley - Phenix City MS
2.5. Girl - Lorrdyn Boulay - Harris Co
2.5 Boy - Bailey Counts - Illges
3.0 Girl - Annslee Reis - Mixed
3.0 Boy - Matthew Adams - Mixed
High School Jr Team Tennis
The High School Jr. Team Tennis league began in November with 14 teams and 103 high school players. This is a great way to prepare for the upcoming High School tennis season or just come out and play with a team on a Sunday afternoon. The season will conclude in December with a High School Tennis Camp to follow in January. We continue to see an increase in the number and ability level in our High School league!
High School Tennis Camp
This will be a special two day camp following the league designed specifically for the High School player. This camp will provide extensive drills, conditioning, stroke perfection, and instructional match play in singles and doubles. It will be a great way to improve your skills and prepare you for yourhigh school season. This is a must for all high school players! Cost is $25.
Schedule: 10:00 - 12:00 Drills, conditioning, footwork and speed; 12:00 - 1:00 Break for lunch (on your own); 1:00 - 3:00 Supervised match play with specific strategies for singles and doubles play, review of scoring, tie-breaks rules of play, and rules of tennis.
* Saturday, January 15, 2011 - 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
* Sunday, January 16, 2011 - 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
AD IN for Special Pops
Our Ad In for Special Pops Clinic has concluded for the year. We had 18 participants in the Friday afternoon clinics and 13 participants in our Tuesday morning clinic. The athletes played in the Christmas Toy Tournament, which was the perfect way to end our season of play! Thanks to Roger Pearce, Carol Haywood, Lynn and Annslee Reis, and the Jr. Teen Council for volunteering with this special group!
CORTA Jr. Teen Council
Whew! Fall blew in a busy season for our CORTA Jr. Teen Council. This year we have 40 members representing nine high schools or home schools. Teen Council kicked off the 2010-2011 season with a Friday Night Mixer for our Ad-In special athletes in August. What fun! We had a great time playing doubles and working on tennis skills with those wonderful athletes.
September began with many of us engaged as teachers, coaches and captains with Tennis Works in the Park, Ad-In Clinic, Quick Start and Middle School Team Tennis. We had a great time sharing our love for tennis and forging new relationships with younger junior players. We're not sure who had more fun - the younger or the older!
October opened up new charitable opportunities for service. We volunteered with the Monster Match for juniors at CSU raising funds for Juvenile Diabetes, and at the Joie Paull Memorial Tennis Event at Cooper Creek Tennis Center for Breast Cancer Awareness. Playing tennis with the juniors and adults in these events, highlighted yet another benefit of friendly competion.
November and December found us busily engaged in planning the Christmas Toy Tournament. Our work with the earlier fall tournaments proved to be great training ground for this - our biggest responsibility of the year. The tournament was a great 2-day event and a merry time for us all. During these last two months of the year, many of the Teen Council have once again been serving as coaches and captains of tennis teams. Now with CORTA Jr. High School Team Tennis, they get their chance to join in as competitors as well.
So, as you can see, our fall has been a full one. We're catching our breath over the Christmas holidays and polishing up on our tennis - for the spring season is just around the corner and the CORTA Jr. Teen Council will be swinging into action! See you in 2011!
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Christmas Toy Tournament 2010
by Mary Grier Illges, CORTA Jr. Teen Council
| Where can you go on a cold Saturday in Columbus, Georgia, where you can see a big smile on everybody's face, tennis courts full of youngsters, and feel the spirit of Christmas catching your breath? With one hundred and twenty-six players, our annual Christmas Toy Tournament had more junior players and participants than ever before. Children of all ages were involved in every aspect of the tournament. The CORTA Jr. Teen Council had twenty-seven members  present, who literally ran the tournament! They made it fun for all with t-shirts, goody bags, games, candy, balloons and ...Santa! Also, every competitor brought a wonderful toy to give to the Open Door Community House where the presents will then transfer into the hands of delighted children in need on Christmas morning!
The Jr. Teen Council raised over $5,000 through the tournament to fund our Special Pops Ad In athletes at the upcoming 2011 Regional and State Special Olympic games. Sixteen of these special athletes joined us at the tournament and played unified doubles with members from our Teen Council. They had a marvelous time! Without the help of our generous sponsors, this year's tournament wouldn't have been possible, so thank you sponsors!
Younger children enjoyed working the recycling project at CORTA throughout the tournament by cutting metal rims off cans, collecting cans, cardboard, balls and more to throw in CORTA's numerous new recycling bins! This year - with the help of recycling - at the close of the  tournament, we only had one XL trash bag (in comparison to half a dozen filled in previous years) ... even though we served over two hundred and forty slices of pizza and oodles of drinks! Then again, cardboard and plastic can be recycled, so there wasn't much for trash! At the close of the tournament, the winners and finalists received delightful tennis ball trophy ornaments from By Invitation! These are hanging on the trees of very proud winners by now!
At what other tournament can you observe kids having a terrific time playing tennis, watch Special Pops athletes participating with gusto, join eco-friendly people in action, enjoy pizza, help make some little person's Christmas and... maybe take home a unique tropny? Only at the Christmas Toy tournament can you savor all this fun! Hope you will join us next year! Merry Christmas!
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TennisWorks in the Parks
by Helen Martin | |
TennisWorks in the Parks will resume on Monday, March 7, 2011 for the Spring Session! A very special thanks to the volunteers that helped for the fall session.... Dwan Grooms, Bernard Francis, Margaret Love, Max Patrick, Angela Stillwell, the entire Illges Family... John, Lyle, Anne Lyle, John, and Mary Grier, Rebecca and Rachel Levy, Katherine White, Gabi Brown and Allen Rust!
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Tournament News
by Aline Trussell
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It has been a wonderful tournament year! We have finalized the 2011 Tournament Schedule and we are so excited to be hosting tournaments on newly resurfaced courts.
2011 Tournament Schedule
January 8-9 CORTA Jr. Satellite Georgia Level 5
This is a USTA Level 5 sanctioned tournament for boys and girls 10-18 years old with no year- end championship final ranking in any age division.
February 26-28 USTA National Open 12s
This is a USTA National Tournament for 12 year old boys from all over the United States with a National Ranking.
April 1-4 Bullfrog/USTA Southern Section Designated 18-16s
This is a USTA Southern Tournament for boys and girls 16-18 years old from all over the United States with Southern Rankings.
April 25-May 1 CORTA Adult Banana Open
This tournament is a fun, mostly local, USTA Adult Sanctioned Tournament with singles, doubles and mixed.
April 30-May 6 CORTA Jr. Banana Open
This tournament will remain non-sanctioned and is a local tournament for junior players age 10-18 with singles and doubles divisions.
June 3-6 USTA Georgia Senior State Championships
This is the State Championships for USTA Senior League players.
July 10-15 Boys and Girls Burger King Southern Open Championships 16s
This tournament is a USTA National Regional Event for 16 year old boys and girls from all over the United States.
August 3-7 "Return to Server" Southern NTRP Clay Court Championships
This is another local, fun tournament for adults with singles, doubles and mixed divisions.
August 26-27 CORTA Jr. Championships
This tournament is a Level 4 USTA sanctioned tournament for boys and girls 10-18 years old.
September 2-4 CORTA Senior NTRP Labor Day Challenge
This is a USTA Sanctioned Tournament for senior players with entries in singles and doubles.
December 2-3 CORTA Christmas Toy Tournament
This is a non-sanctioned, local tournament that benefits local special athletes to attend area and regional Special Olympics Games.
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Cardio Tennis
| In Cardio Tennis, it's not about points or even good form... the goal is to have fun, keep moving and burn calories! Get your game in top shape for the spring season and shed those holiday pounds! All levels of tennis are welcome!
The next Cardio Tennis Session will begin the week of January 18. Sign up today! Class sizes are limited. For more information contact Cindy or visit our website. |
Anabolic Steroids: The Issue is Health
by our friends at Columbus Regional Healthcare System |
If you're a sports fan, you know about anabolic steroids, and you could argue all day about whether a certain athlete you rooted for was a cheater. But athletes are not the only persons using steroids, and the real issue is not performance but health. Read more here.
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| Gift Donations |
Looking for a great idea for Christmas? What about giving the gift of tennis?
Gift certificates are available for a wide range of programs...Adult and Junior beginner clinics, Academy or Camp registrations, Cardio Tennis classes and more! Get someone you know out playing today!
You may also choose to honor someone with a tax deductible donation. There are many worthwhile programs that need support....choose from programs like the Junior Scholarship Fund, TennisWorks, or "Ad In" Special Populations. Acknowledgment cards will be mailed to the lucky recipient notifying them of your thoughtful gift. Contact CORTA to help you find the perfect fit.
CORTA is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization. We rely on donor support to sustain many valuable programs.
Thank you to our recent donors:  Anonymous, Equipment DriveCharlie Clippinger, TennisWorks in the Parks Liz Gobbel, TennisWorks in the Parks
Dwan Grooms, TennisWorks in the Parks
Niki Gedroic, TennisWorks in the Parks Larry Goodman, TennisWorks in the Parks Doug Gibson, TennisWorks in the Parks
Rem Houser, Equipment Drive
Merrill Lynch, Equipment Drive
Helen Martin, Equipment Drive in honor of CORTA Staff & Roger Pearce
Judy & Roger Pearce, TennisWorks in the Parks
Judy Pearce, Equipment Drive in honor of captains Noelle Brena & Tonya McLemore
Lynn Reis, TennisWorks in the Parks
David Snipes, TennisWorks in the Parks
George P. Swift Family Foundation
Aline Trussell, TennisWorks in the Parks
Cindy Williams, TennisWorks in the Parks
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Message from CORTA
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The CORTA office will be closed December 23 - 27, December 31, and January 3 in observance of the Christmas and New Year holidays. We look forward to another great year! |
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