TAF Tennis Ladders of Long Island Wrap Up 2024 Season

The TAF Tennis Ladders of Long Island concluded its 25^th season this fall, as the Adult (18+) league and non-profit association that runs from April through September and includes seven ladders of competition.

Below are the top three finishers for each ladder in 2024:

Men’s Singles

1. Terry Kossegi
2. Adam Waterhouse
3. Jose Galvez

Women’s Singles

1. Zabeeda DeSouza
2. Shirley Ng
3. Kitty Galvez

Men’s Doubles

1. Gary Simeone/Larry Pleener
2. Adam Waterhouse/Rich Hume
3. Hani Morsi/Cary Markowitz

Women’s Doubles

1. Sherry DeSouza/Zabeeda DeSouza
2. Karen Massa/Karen Hermann
3. Aki Bowman/Kathy Rzonca

Men’s Senior Singles

1. Vladimir Galatsky
2. Frank Benavides
3. Robert Santoro

Women’s Senior Singles

1. Clair Nicholas
2. Jeanne Birkel
3. Claudia Cala

Mixed Doubles

1. Cari Solomon/Larry Pleener
2. Debbie Kolomick/Cary Markowitz
3. Kitty Galvez/Jose Galvez

While this was the 25^th season of TAF Tennis, the organization has existed since 1976 and will celebrate its 50^th anniversary in 2025. The current membership of the organization is nearly 250, with more than 100 of them joining in 2024, an indication of the group’s growth.

In addition to the over 2,000 matches that have been played this year across all the ladders, the league also organizes annual community events. These include the Kick Off in April, featuring a meet and greet, tennis drills, and free play to welcome new members to TAF. Additionally, there is an annual picnic in June that offers drills, doubles matches, and raffles.

“The intent of our founding members was to create a community based, grass roots organization to afford its members the opportunity to enjoy and grow the game they love” said Rich Hume, President of TAF Tennis. “Today, TAF Tennis includes members from all over Nassau and Suffolk, and even a few hardy souls from Queens and Brooklyn! The ladders are made up of a wide variety of players, both in age, expertise, and experience.”

The league welcomes new members, and anyone interested in obtaining more information can visit www.taftennis.org to learn more, or you can join them on social media and message us on Facebook at TAFTennis or on Instagram @taftennis. While it is an 18+ league, children between the ages of 15 -17 are permitted to join TAF doubles ladders with a parent.

“Set a reminder to join TAF Tennis in early 2025 and celebrate our 50th year with us!” Hume concluded.