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CORTA Awards Nominations
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Nomi nation season is upon us. Do you have a great captain? Do you know a fabulous player? Can you identify someone who not only has a passion for tennis but shares that passion with others? If so, we are looking for your input. We invite everyone to participate in this special time of the year when we recognize tennis enthusiasts as we celebrate our tennis family in May. Nominations are simple to make, just click on the link below or stop by the CORTA office between the hours of 1:30 - 5:30 Monday through Friday to drop off your nomination.
The deadline to submit nominations is Wednesday, April 18, 2012. CORTA Awards will be presented at the CORTA Membership Appreciation Party on May 15th at Cooper Creek Tennis Center. Click here to view CORTA Awards criteria and to submit your nominations now!
If you have questions, feel free to consult the CORTA Awards Committee: Wanda Dryman (chairperson), Aimee Houston, Michelle Beach, Lisa Presley, Alexis Miller and Matt Jones.
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| ADOPT A UNIT |
We really appreciate all the support we received from CORTA Jr. Teen Council and all the CORTA members who were so generous with donations to the Adopt A Unit program. Twenty-eight boxes of individual care packages have begun to arrive in Afghanistan. Each individual soldier will receive one of our "Just Crush It" t-shirts in addition to the many personal items that were requested.
Many thanks go out to our Senior and Adult League Teams who gave so generously and many who made donations anonymously to this great project. In addition, several local businesses got wind of what we were doing and stepped up to take part in the effort. These include:
By Invitation - Frank & Julie Brown
Caldwell Animal Hospital - Dr. H.G. Caldwell
Dr. Robert Carpenter
Adam Centerbar
Columbus Fire & Safety - Tommy Williams
CORTA Board Members
Susan and Ramon Davis
PDS Inc. - Bruce McDonnell
Dr. Richard Straus
Two Men & A Truck - Will Dillon
LTC Thomas Lesnieski wrote, "We will be sure to send you photos of our Soldiers with the packages, wearing the t-shirts, as well as playing 'combat tennis.' TF Hydra appreciates your thoughtful gesture towards our Soldiers. You and your organization members are why we do what we do. To be appreciated makes it all worth the effort, sacrifice and time away from our families."
This letter from tennis players Bernie and Judy Ostervold sums up the reason we embraced the Adopt A Unit program:
"I am extra appreciative of this project. Our son, LTC Lars Ostervold, Jr., brigade engineer, is on his way back from Afghanistan, with the last of the 3,000 Oklahoma National Guard Thunderbirds. The 'jobs' these men have chosen is so important to the freedoms we have. Plus, they are also ambassadors for all of us. These Georgia troops are just beginning their time in this dangerous country, and we pray for their safety. We just wanted to give a personal "Thank You" to the kids for their so special project!"
We can hardly wait to hear from the soldiers we adopted! We will keep you posted when we hear from them.
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| CORTA Membership Appreciation Party | Please come to the 2012 CORTA Cookout for all members and their families!
Please RSVP by Thursday, May 12th to enjoy food, fun, and on court games! |
| Adult Program News
by Cissy Sanders & Charlie Clippinger
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The CORTA Adult Programs Committee is working hard to give YOU more opportunties to play SOCIAL, FUN tennis! If you have some suggestions regarding Adult Programs, please contact one of the committee members. Committee members include Scott Laymon, (Chair), Kim Glass, Phil Smith, Jackie Fitzpatrick, Lauren Griner, Rick Hinson, Ken Starrick, Doug Gibson, Nellie Frields, Stephanie Shiver, Wendy Shehane, Christy Bates, Cory Cooper, Rob Cartwright, and David Horne.
Corporate Team Tennis, sponsored by Michelob Ultra & Synovus
What's the most fun you can have with your co-workers? Corporate Team Tennis of course! Nothing improves company morale like the combination of tennis and the networking of Columbus' corporate leaders. Corporate Team Tennis began Wednesday, April 4th!
Thank you to all the corporate teams participating in 2012, and a special thank you to sponsors Michelob Ultra & Synovus! We look forward to a fun and exciting season! Congratulations to Russ Hagberg's SuperSenior 6.5 team! They were finalist at the Southern Combo Sectional Championship in Mobile, AL!  Pictured: back row - Jack Romeo, Watson Mathis
front row - JB Allen, Russ Hagberg (Capt.), Dennis Medders, Bob Madayag
CORTA / USTA Summer Leagues:
USTA Adult & Senior Mixed Doubles
Players combine NTRP ratings to play 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, or 9.0 teams. 5.0 level is a straight 2.5 level.
Registration opens: Monday, April 23, 2012 (players can be added throughout the season)
League play: May 30, 2012 - July 12, 2012
Adult: Thursdays (6:00/7:30 PM) and/or Sundays (TBD)
Senior: Wednesdays (6:00/7:30 PM) and/or Sundays (TBD)
Deadline to form a team: Wednesday, May 16
USTA Southern Combo Doubles
This league encourages play with friends, family & co-workers!
Players of different NTRP levels can play together; they combine their NTRP ratings to play.
Registration Opens: Monday, April 23 (players can be added throughout the season)
League Play: June 5, 2012 - August 28, 2012 Adults 5.5 & 7.5 Play: Mondays (6:00/7:30 PM) and Saturdays (TBD)
Adults 5.0, 6.5, & 8.5 Play: Tuesdays (6:00/7:30 PM) and Saturdays (TBD)
Seniors 6.5, 7.5, & 8.5 Play: Tuesday mornings (9:30 AM) or Friday evenings (6:00 PM)
Deadline to form a team: Wednesday, May 16
Players may play two levels during the same season, ex. a 3.5 may play 6.5 and 7.5.
City League
City League allows players to compete on teams locally to be crowned the CITY Champions. City League is for Men & Women!! Registration Opens: Monday, April 23 (players can be added throughout the season)
League Play: Thursdays @ 9:30 a.m. beginning May 31, 2012
Deadline to form a team: Monday, May 23
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| Special Olympics | 
Special Olympic Area Games
CORTA will be hosting the third annual Special Olympic Area Games on Friday, April 20th from 8:30 - 1:00 at Cooper Creek. This is a fun filled day for over 80 athletes which means we need LOTS of people to volunteer for this great event. Please consider volunteering this year and bring a friend! You don't have to be a great tennis player to have a huge impact on this special day. It will be a day you will remember and celebrate long after it is over!
Volunteers are needed for the following: Set up; Check in table; Drinks/Snacks table; Scorekeepers; Awards; Photography; Player Bags; Unified Doubles partners; Basic Skills Courts; Lunch; Clean up; Cheerleader! If you would like to participate or volunteer please contact deby@corta.org.
This event is made possible by the CORTA Jr. Teen Council, who raise money from the Christmas Toy Tournament to fund this event. Thanks to the Council and the sponsors of the tournament! |
Junior Program News
by Deby Caldwell |
USTA Jr. Team Tennis
Jr. Team Tennis is a league for kids to provide them with an opportunity to compete as teams in singles, doubles and mixed. It also provides junior tennis players with a chance to share the game with friends! This season has been a huge success with 28 teams and 280 junior players! Click Here to check out the stats and standings.
USTA 8U and 10U Jr. Team Tennis (TAUT)
QuickStart Tennis is a new format to help kids ten and under learn and play the game. Court size, racquet size and ball size are modified to make it easier for the young players to almost immediately start playing tennis! Register now for the 8U and 10U league. You can register on a CORTA team or with your own team. Juniors will play at Double Churches on Sundays, April 22nd - May 27th from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm. More information
Summer Camps
We have scheduled all of our summer programs for juniors! Check out all the clinics and camps we have planned for juniors!
Beginner Camps (TAUT & 11-18)
These are 4 day camps for beginners. Ages 4 - 8 will be on half courts and will use the mini nets and foam balls. Age 9 - 10 will use the low compression balls. The camp schedule will consist of warm up, drills, match play, break, then a cool down activity, along with FUN, FUN, FUN! Camp #1 - June 5-8; Camp #2 - June 12-15; Camp #3 - June 26-29; Camp #4 - July 24-27.
Intermediate/Advanced Summer Camp
This will be a week of intensive and competitive tennis training with an emphasis on stroke production, match play strategies, mental toughness, video analysis, strength and conditioning, and match simulation drills! Camps are for ages 11 - 18. There will be a special camp for 9-10 year olds. Dates for upcoming summer camps are: Camp #1 June 18-22; Camp #2 July 16-20.
For more information about our summer camps click here
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USTA Play Day
By Deby Caldwell
| CORTA sponsored a USTA Tennis Play Day on March 17th at Lakebottom Park from 9:00 to 12:00 pm. This event was mainly to introduce 10 and under kids to competition in a low-pressure, non-elimination setting where results are not documented and everyone has a sense of achievement. The emphasis of a Play Day is on participation, effort, and sportsmanship. In this special event, we had about 15 kids and 9 volunteers. We talked to the them about what is important for them which is playing fair, trying hard, meeting new friends and having FUN. That is what this whole day was about: FUN FUN FUN !!!!!
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| Tournament News
by Joe Adame
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Tournament Season Has Begun!
Tournament Season has officially begun for the 2012 year and we are off to a great start. We hosted the National Open Boys 12's on February 25-27 at Cooper Creek Tennis Center. We had some of the top players in the nation participate in this tournament. Players came from as far as Puerto Rico and New York. On Friday evening, we hosted a player party and raffle at the host hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn. On Saturday, the players began play at 9:00 AM on all courts surrounding the two story clubhouse for optimal viewing. All competitors played 3 matches during this long first day. Play continued until Monday afternoon. We were thankful for the beautiful weather, great sponsors, volunteers, officials and court sweepers. Our sponsors for the tournament were: Columbus Sports Council, Columbus Parks and Recreation Department, CiCi's Pizza, and the Hilton Garden Inn. We had volunteers who gave over 85 hours. Thank you Natasha Arora, Melissa Foy, Delaney Harrison, Lauren Neill, Max Patrick, Russ Hagberg, Adam Centerbar, Patty Lin, Anne Lyle Illges, John Illges, Mary Grier Illges, Lyle Illges, and DeAnne Martin for your awesome help with the tournament. CORTA loves its volunteers!!
April will be full of tournament play. We hosted the Bullfrog Southern Section Designated Boys and Girls 16's and 18's March 30-April 2 at Cooper Creek Tennis Center and the Country Club of Columbus. We had over 250 players that came in from all over the Southeast for this tournament. The tournament had a slow start with the rain that came right before our Friday matches. The rain stuck around throughout Saturday morning. We finally got started Saturday at 3pm. We had to cancel the doubles but we did get all the singles in. Local player Christian Garay made it to the finals of the 18s division. Congrats to Christian!!! Our sponsors for the tournament were: Columbus Sports Council, Columbus Parks and Recreation Department, CiCi's Pizza, and Hyatt Place. Thank you to all the wonderful volunteers who made the tournament a success.
BANANA OPEN SERIES
The Banana Series began on Thursday, April 12 with the "NEW" Senior Banana and will end on May 5 with the Junior Banana. Sandwiched between the two will be the Banana Open.
The "Senior Banana" was a big success this weekend. We had 138 players. Matches started on Thursday, April 12th and ended on Sunday, April 15th. Congratulations to all our Senior winners:
Men's 3.0 Singles: David Barrett Women's 3.0 Singles: Cathy Joseph
Men's 3.5 Singles: David Arrington Women's 3.5 Singles: Linda Samples
Men's 4.0 Singles: Ken Worthington Women's 4.0 Singles: Dolores Hefner
Men's 3.0 Doubles: Jay Brodwyn/ Thomas Harrell
Men's 3.5 Doubles: David Arrington/ Rembert Houser
Men's 4.0 Doubles: Luke Moore/ Hank Tassin
Women's 3.0 Doubles: Cathy Joseph/ Nancy Roman
Women's 3.5 Doubles: Julie Murrah/ Sandy Pirkle
Women's 4.0 Doubles: Leila Dudley/ Kristie Sholtis
Mixed 3.0 Doubles: David Barrett/ Jaimie Deloach
Mixed 3.5 Doubles: Fred Burt/ Pamela Burt
Mixed 4.0 Doubles: Richard Hinson/ Kristie Sholtis
The Junior Banana will begin on Monday, April 30 and continue until Saturday, May 5. You may sign up for singles and doubles in the junior divisions. Don't miss out on the fun !!!! Sign up now!
Thank you to our 2012 Banana Series Sponsors:
A1 Auto Insurance, Buffalo Wild Wings, Burger King, Cargill Design & Remodel, Columbus Sports Council, Columbus Parks and Recreation, Columbus Regional Healthcare System, Country's Barbecue, Daniel Appliance Co., Eagle & Phenix Historic Riverfront Living, Gentle Dentistry of Columbus, IHOP, The Jordan Company, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Publix, Synovus, The Ice Cream Girl, The Yogurt Shoppe Cafe.
Tournament Schedule for the Remainder of the Year:
We are currently securing sponsors for our CORTA tournaments. Please contact Fran Carpenter if you are interested in a sponsorship or making a donation to help with the 2012 tournaments. We are also looking for in-kind gifts and donations to be used in raffles. Each of our sponsorship packages are flexible and can be customized to suit individual needs/marketing requirements. You may also check out the Advertising and Sponsorship page on our website for more information.
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TennisWorks! in the Parks
by Helen Martin | The Spring Session of TennisWorks! at Lakebottom Park has been in full swing on Monday and Wednesday evenings! We've had an increase in the overall number of the kids that are getting involved in our tennis program. Our volunteers are using the 10 and under format that provides our kids the opportunity to learn at their level with the right size court, racquet, ball, and net. We ended the spring session on Wednesday, April 11th with a pizza party! Pizza provided courtesy of Cici's Pizza! I am very thankful for all the volunteers who generously give their time to TennisWorks!
Our summer session will begin on June 11th. If you are in the area at Lakebottom, drop by and check out the fun!
A very special thanks to Bernard Francis, Dwan Grooms, Lyle Illges, , Anne Lyle Illges, John Illges IV, John Illges V, Mary Grier Illges, Angela Stillwell, Adam Beatty, and Laura Chapman. If you are interested in getting involved, please call the CORTA office at 706-317-4136 or click here to email Helen Martin.
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| Cardio Tennis |
 Cardio Tennis is "up and running". The evening sessions run from 6:00 to 7:15 pm on Tuesday and Thursday nights. There is still room to join in the remaining April Cardio classes. Come on out and enjoy the fun on Tuesday, April 17 and/or Thursday, April 19. The May session will begin the week of May 8th. Sign up now! |
| Cooper Creek News | |
New Hours
As the long days of Spring swing by, the new hours at Cooper Creek change. Effective Monday,
April 2nd, 2012. The hours are:
Monday - Thursday 8 am - 9:30 pm
Friday 8 am - 8 pm
Saturday 8 am - 7 pm
Sunday 10 am - 7 pm
Court Maintenance
We're so lucky to have the equipment we have to keep our courts clean. Please remember to sweep and line the courts after playing. Also, remember to replace the brushes on their hooks after using them so that they will be available for the next players.
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Gift Donations
| | 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 for their generous support:
- McAdam's Fall 2.5 Team, in honor of Christy McAdams
- Mary Grier Illges
- Susan P. Hadaway
- Rem Houser
- Helen Martin
- Dan Newberry
- Judy & Roger Pearce
- Nancy Prescott
- George P. Swift, Jr. Family Foundation
- Ron & Karen West
- Buffalo Wild Wings
Are you looking for a great way to honor your captain for a job well done? Consider making a contribution to CORTA.
"In Honor of" Gifts - Such a contribution is a great way to observe someone's birthday or anniversary. The person honored by your contribution will receive a special card announcing your gift.
Memorial Gifts - Your gift will be acknowledged to family members or someone else you specify.
We have future plans to cover some other needs at Cooper Creek Tennis Center (such as shade cloth, chairs, etc.) so we have established the CORTA/Cooper Creek Tennis Center Enhancement Fund. If you have any interest in helping to fund future projects please send your tax deductible donation to CORTA and the CCTC Enhancement Fund at P.O. Box 8236, Columbus Georgia 31908.
Gifts may be earmarked for a particular use or to support a CORTA program that is of special interest. Contact CORTA for more details.
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| CORTA Membership Benefits & Rewards | Buckhead Grill is generously offering all CORTA members a
15% discount (excludes alcohol). Buckhead Grill is the ultimate Columbus dining experience, known for its unique ambiance and outdoor dining since 1995. Guests are offered delicious New American Cuisine, cooking up American and Southern staples seasoned with cultural flavors for dinner daily. Buckhead Grill is located at 5010 Armour Road.
In addition, each time you dine at Buffalo Wild Wings, don't forget to mention that you are a CORTA member so that a percentage of your check will be returned to CORTA. It costs you nothing and it helps us greatly! |
| We Love Our Partners! | |
We really appreciate all of our great partners Columbus Regional Healthcare System! We couldn't do it without you!
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