Tennis is Thriving in Scarborough

2009 is the year to celebrate tennis in Scarborough, Ontario. A few years ago the Scarborough Tennis Federation (STF), an organization founded in the late 1960s, was on the wane. As is typical in grassroots tennis, it took a determined volunteer to pull things back together. Meg Fletcher, now the past President of the STF, contacted all the tennis club presidents in Scarborough, had a meeting at her house and asked if they wanted to keep the STF going. When they all said yes, Meg became their leader and they found the drive, developed fresh and innovative ideas, and are again a thriving organization of 19 clubs. These clubs play in their own STF Adult and Junior league as well as participating in the TLTL, TMTL and ICTA leagues. That is true tennis love! Meg is also the President of the Scarborough Bluffs Tennis Club which recently honoured its long time members. Among the honourees was Marilyn Grant, outgoing Treasurer and long time player who received the Bill Cate Appreciation Award for “service above and beyond club expectations.”

How They Like it in Montreal

At a recent match of the Women’s Interclub Tennis Summer Daytime League (WITSDL) between Mont Royal and Dorval there was a lot of excitement around the possibility that their teams might play a match at the 2009 Coupe Rogers presented by National Bank. “It adds that little extra carrot” said team member Denise Parsons. Many of these women also play in the TFIM league during the winter, with a couple of them on the winning Nun’s Island team that will head to Toronto to play against the newly minted TLTL A1 division winner, the Donalda Tennis Club. The WITSDL has been playing on Montreal’s clay courts since the early 1980s and now have 500 ladies playing on 26 teams. Felice Levy, President and long time player, stresses that the league places its emphasis on “having fun within a competitive environment,” but proclaims “it’s really all about the lunch!”

And if that isn’t enough excitement in Montreal, the TFIM were recently honored at the Tennis Quebec Excellence Awards gala, having won the “Regional Activity of the Year” award. TFIM President Thea Puchois accepted the award in front of a packed crowd.

Did you know?

There is a difference in powder and liquid laundry detergents other than their nature. Powder detergents are especially effective at lifting out clay and ground-in dirt, while liquids are more effective in dealing with greasy and oily soils.

The Miele CareCollection includes detergents for a variety of applications from everyday use to specialty applications. Visit the Miele Boutique to learn more.

Nestor to Play in ICTA

When Miele League Challenge Spokesperson Daniel Nestor returns from his triumphant forays at the French Open and Wimbledon, he will be spending some time not only promoting league tennis in his own backyard of Toronto, but playing it as well. So who’s the lucky team that will get to play with AND against him? The answer to the first part is the Rosethorn Tennis Club and their ICTA Mixed A Division! The answer to the second part is the lucky Mixed A team from The Boulevard Club, who are scheduled to play Rosethorn on July 23.

Tennis Canada spoke with team captain Ron Pranckevicius and found that he, his team and his club are extremely excited about having Daniel on their roster. Rosethorn is a small very active tennis club with three courts and about 200 members. Out of those 200 members, 60 are active league players, another 60 are active in junior programs and all are big tennis fans. Ron has been the captain for a few years but has been playing league for over 25 years.

When asked about having Daniel join their roster this year, Ron said "There is a huge buzz and most people just can't believe it." Ron further commented on the importance of the Miele League Challenge, "We are a real grassroots club so this is great for tennis and is clearly filling a need. We hope to make it to the finals so we can play at the Rogers Cup."

Sherry Shannon-Vanstone, President of the ICTA, is more than excited about having Daniel play in an ICTA match. “This is a marvelous opportunity for the ICTA to participate in the Miele League Challenge, and we thank Miele for its sponsorship of this outstanding event. I would love to be one of the players playing with or against Daniel – what a story to tell your friends and family. I am sure there will be a huge crowd of spectators on hand for this match.”

New Kids on the Block

People thought he was crazy, but for Dennis Cheung, building The Tennis School was a no brainer. The Oakville/Mississauga area is growing and the huge fields of land around his site are already approved for additional development. In fact, the demand for quality tennis instruction was so high that he had a fully booked winter academy before he'd even completed construction. They’ve already played host to numerous OTA tournaments, including the junior provincial championships. But most recently, his pros were excited to be asked to be part of the Miele League Challenge this summer. "Flying the Miele League Challenge banners gives us the opportunity to profile our new club and our first ever league teams,” says Cheung. "We have five courts with three more in the plan and growth will help us build additional facilities.” We were excited when the ICTA approved us for teams as it has allowed us to market ourselves more to adults and families. We now have kids and their parents playing together on the same team." Which is a thrill for the parents at least!