USCTA ANNUAL AWARDS DINNER & AUCTION

15th Annual Dinner Breaks Records

by James Zug

The 15th official conclave of the United States Court Tennis Association, the Annual Dinner came off in spectacular fashion at the Racquet & Tennis Club on Friday 7 December 2012. The largest crowd in the history of the Annual Dinner-save when there has been inductions into the International Court Tennis Hall of Fame-came to New York to celebrate one of the most successful years in the history of the Association. Membership is at an all-time high; the number of courts is at an all-time high; and play, as seen upstairs during the Whitney Cup, is perhaps for amateurs also at an all-time high.

The evening began in a most unusual place: the famous racquets court was the locale for the pre-dinner cocktail party. Rugs on the floor and heat being pumped in from the gallery gave the court a warm, inviting feel.  

To read the entire story,   click here 

As many of you know, the Tennis & Racquet Club of Boston (T&R) has been working on repairing its roof for some time now. In addition to fundraising, this project has involved: receiving permitting from the Back Bay Historical Society, sign off from banks, and thanks to Dev Hamlen, the placement of a permanent restrictive covenant on the court tennis court, granted to the United States Court Tennis Preservation Foundation (USCTPF). In the six months since fundraising began, over 50 donors have contributed roughly $469,000.

Over the course of 2012, the T&R's roof-fundraising committee raised more than ½ of the anticipated $500,000 project cost, through privately asking community members for donations. This included support from each of the T&R's committee members, as well as every member of the Board of Governors. Upon reaching the half-way point, we turned to the broader membership and the tennis and racquets communities for support. The response has been unbelievable.  To read more, click here.

The Racquet Club of Philadelphia is hosting the 2013 US Open Court Tennis Singles and Doubles Championships from January 24 through January 31. We are honored to be the host club for this prestigious event, and we are looking forward to a spectacular tournament. We anticipate that the US Open will once again feature most of the top players in the world, including current US Open Champion Bryn Sayers and last year's runner-up Steve Virgona. The US Open provides an opportunity to see the game played at the highest level. You will be amazed by the skill and athleticism that the top players bring to the game. Due to the opening of the Chicago court and the planned restoration of the Boston court, it may be many years before the Open returns to Philadelphia. Therefore, please take advantage of this chance to see the best players in the world compete here for the national title in 2013. To learn more, click here.

The Main Event - Ryan "The Heavy Lightweight" Carey vs. Phil "The Bandeau Bandit" Shannon

On 12/12/12, I attempted to play 12 straight hours of tennis at Prince's Court in support of my charitable initiative "12 Rounds".   A phrase like "well conditioned" is not usually associated with yours truly, so it was anyone's guess as to what would happen with such a undertaking.  I am pleased to report that I was able to complete all 12 Rounds and would like to thank my manager Ivan Ronaldson and my 18 opponents who made such a feat possible.  The main event (the 12th Round) was billed "The Ol' 1-2" where Phil "The Bandeau Bandit" Shannon and I (Ryan "The Heavy Lightweight" Carey) would duke it out playing one set right handed and one set left handed - winner take all.  The good friend that he is, Mr. Shannon had gone 12 rounds at a party the night before, so we were in a similar state as the first bell rung.  With my patented haymaker groundstrokes, I kept Phil off-balance with a 6/4 righty set victory and then sucker punched him with lefty combinations the likes of which have never been seen to take the lefty set 6/3.  Given the circumstances, both sets had some amazing points which you can check out for yourself by going to the UStream archive of the day by clicking here. 

My '12 Rounds initiative ends on January 12th, click here to donate.  Have a drink with me or challenge me to a game/sport all for a good cause!    

To help raise funds, I am excited to announce the auction of a brand new Chicago racquet!  Click here to go to the ebay listing or e-mail social@12rounds.org to submit a bid (bidding ends on Jan. 11th).  

2013
JANUARY

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