Greetings,
It's been awhile. I didn't have a whole lot to share with you. The events throughout the Region were cranking along so well that I didn't have to rattle your cages. The APTA and Paddlepro websites have been doing a great job providing you the tournament results and information you needed. But, now I have a few loose ends to wrap up.
The men's Island "B" in Newport has been rescheduled due to weather last weekend to next Saturday, March 20th. They had a full draw but a couple of teams can't make the new date. If you'd like to play, email
Jacques Faulise to sign up. Come join me in Newport.
The women rescheduled their Island "B" to March 27th.
Newport is a great place for tournament. I hope you play. Email
Mary Hutchinson to sign up. That's the same day as the famous Men's Shoreline Classic at Shelter Harbor in RI. It's followed on Sunday by a mixed tournament. Email
Jim Dey to sign up.
The Women's Oden Cox Memorial Tournament at Shelter Harbor is another event that was rescheduled. This fun event is now on April 10th. Email Ann Harvey to sign up.
As the season winds down and I before I start focusing on next season, I want to take a moment to thank all the Tournament Directors who made this past season's events a huge success. You folks did a great job! Special thanks to Charlotte Gilet & Jerry Albrikes who once again did an incredible job pulling together their respective groups of players and fielding formidable and really fun President's Cup teams. People often ask where I get my passion and enthusiasm for our sport. I guess it's obviously that I have a lot of fun doing what I do in our region and beyond. Simply put, it's the people like our tournament directors, the people I meet at tournaments, and even that beginner player at my club struggling to learn the basics of our crazy sport that causes me to keep telling everyone about how great platform tennis is.
However, there is one person that has had a profound effect on me. I met him about five years ago when he first picked up a paddle. My guess is he's pretty good at that other "tennis game", because it wasn't long before he became a PT fanatic. He played at a few local tournaments and did okay. But he was like a sponge. He had to learn more, had to get better. We became friends. I'd sit in the hut and listen to him talk about court position and other stuff I never really understood. He just loved the game and it was fun to listen to. Then about two years ago during the off-season, I heard my friend was sick, I mean really sick. I couldn't imagine him not on a paddle court, and sure enough, he didn't enter the first PCQ event that fall at Shelter Harbor in Rhode Island. I went up to watch with the hope he would stop by to watch too. He didn't disappoint me, but he sure scared the heck out of me. I'll never forget sitting with him that day watching some guy named Johan with an accent, all dressed in black, playing in his first PT tournament. We figured he was probably pretty good at that other "tennis game" too. The right side of my friend's upper body was dark purple from the severe radiation treatment his illness required. His doctors wanted him to drink a can or two of Ensure each day, but painfully sipping water was the best he could manage. As you can imagine, he had lost a significant amount of weight. He could barely talk that day, but when he did, he smiled at me and made it clear that he would be playing in the Boston National event that December. All I could do was smile back.
So less than two months later, there we were, my friend & I sitting together watching the finals of the Boston Nationals. He was disappointed he didn't play better. All I could do was laugh.
So, I'm happy to say that his illness is in remission. He continued to play the game pretty well. He even elected to have radical back surgery this time last year so he could continue to play. And wouldn't you know it, against all odds; my friend went to Philadelphia and won the 2010 APTA Men's National Championship. That's another day I'll never forget thanks to my friend Jerry Albrikes and his partner Johan du Randt. Congratulations Jerry and Johan! You guy's took the game to a whole new level. I'm so proud to have both of you in Region 2!
