2009 USTA Adult & Senior League Recap

September 8, 2009 | By Kathy Miller

Long Island had 256 teams with more than 3,500 players participate this past USTA season. The winning teams advancing to sectionals are the following:

Adult League
►Women’s 2.5 Eastern Athletic Blue Point: Therese Ebarb

►Women’s 3.0 Eastern Athletic Blue Point: Maureen Casaburi

►Women’s 3.5 Long Beach Tennis: Laura Bonacasa

►Women’s 4.0 Sportime Lynbrook: Jackie Gaines

►Women’s 4.5 Huntington Indoor: Christina Gottlieb

►Women’s 5.0 World Gym Setauket: Gina Marie McNulty

►Men’s 3.0 Sportime Massapequa: David John

►Men’s 3.5 Rockville Racquet: Bruce Lindenman

►Men’s 4.0 Carefree Racquet: Adam Kolenberg

►Men’s 4.5 Rockville Racquet: Jonathan Klee

►Men’s 5.0 World Gym Setauket: Joe Polestino

Senior League
►Women’s 3.5 Eastern Athletic Blue Point: Kathy Houghaling

All other senior divisions are playing their playoff matches as this issue went to press.

Overall, it was a very successful year of league tennis with one major drawback that was more of a problem this year then in past years … forfeited matches. It is unacceptable when a team has a roster of 14-18 players, that they cannot get four players (two singles, one doubles to be a legitimate match for the adult league, and two doubles courts for the senior league) to show up for a match. When this happens, the team that is forfeiting can have all their matches become null and void if they have forfeited to a team in playoff contention.

A team in contention cannot be handed the total number of points for that match to secure their position. It is a good rule, but one that has a down side. In making the matches null and void, it can have the reverse effect on an innocent team and knock them out of a playoff position. There are always going to be those people who want to manipulate the rules to try to give someone points (reason the rule was put there) or those who think they are making a point by showing the reverse effect the rule can have. The best way to avoid this from happening is to obviously not have full matches forfeited. Having a team in the USTA league is not a commitment to play only until you see that you are no longer in the running to advance. It is a commitment to play the entire season and to care enough about the other teams to see what your actions can cause, also known as good sportsmanship!

We have been giving serious thought to having teams put up a $500 bond before the season starts. I know it sounds like a lot of money, but if you have 14 players on your team, it is $35 per person. The money will go into an escrow account, and if you play all your matches, you get it back at the end of the season. If you forfeit an entire match, you don’t get it back. It is our feeling that we have to protect the player who shows good sportsmanship, gets a team to all scheduled matches, and cares about the league running fairly and smoothly. There are too many teams that consist of players who are not committed and it is those teams that are discouraging the ones we don’t want to lose. The Long Island Inter Club League Board meets in November and I would love to have some feedback on this. Please e-mail your thoughts and comments to kathym65@aol.com.

Next thing up is the Tri-Level League which will begin the end of September and run until the end of November. Tri-Level is a three-court league with a match consisting of a court of 3.5 doubles, a court of 4.0 doubles and a court of 4.5 doubles. It gives teams the opportunity to form with people of different levels.

Following the Tri-Level League, the Mixed Doubles League runs from November to May and organizing this league takes place in September. The Mixed League is a combination of the NTRP level of men’s and women’s, and runs at the 6.0 level (two 3.0 players or a 2.5 and a 3.5 player); 7.0 level (two 3.5 players or a 3.0 and 4.0 player); 8.0 level (two 4.0 players or a 3.5 and a 4.5 player), and 9.0 (two 4.5 players or a 4.0 and 5.0 player). Both the Tri-Level and Mixed Doubles leagues play on weekends with times varying based on club availability. If you are interested in either league, please e-mail me at kathym65@aol.com.

I look forward to hearing from you and to future successful USTA League programs on Long Island!

 

Congratulations to the Women’s 4.0 team from Sportime Lynbrook who is going to Syracuse to represent Long Island in the Sectional Playoffs. The team is comprised of (back row, from left to right): Marcie Zeitlin, Jackie Fitzharris, YenBao So, Nicole Bove, Jackie Gaines (team captain), Misty Sombrotto, Hope Schwab and Jolie Weintraub, with (front row, kneeling from left to right): Linda Grisafi, Angela Castillo and Marsha Silverman. Not available for the team picture were Randi Segal, Laraine Gegerson, Jackie Clark, Melanie Seger, Genevieve Phillips and Donna Joseph.

 

 

The winning Men’s 4.0 team that represented Long Island at the Sectional Playoff in Syracuse the weekend of Aug. 14. Pictured here (back row, left to right): James Dell’Italia, Danny Calhoun, Bobby Block, Adam Kolenberg (captain), Chris Colesanti and Ignacio Areans, with (front row, from left to right): Paul Rothstein, R.J. Narcisco, Scott Simon and Russ Baier. Not available for the photo were Siim Vanaselja, Larry Tipmanee, Brian Yegidis, Rob Zolla, John Emmert, John Fellin and Ernie Biele.

 

 

 

The Long Island/Queens Men’s 3.5 team that beat all five competing teams and won the USTA Eastern Section Championship in Syracuse. The team is currently seeking sponsorships for its trip to the National Championships in Tucson, Ariz. this October (for parties interested in sponsoring the team, please e-mail team captain Steve Hu at masterhu@yahoo.com).

 

 

 

 

 

The USTA Men’s 3.0 team from Sportime Massapequa of (from left to right): Zafar Malik, Thomas Dominguez, Michael Pipitone, Robert Coben, Albert Miller, Peter Zaphiris, Charles MacPherson, Andre Sliwowski, George Henry, Steven Varriale, Sergio Casali, Artie Cipoletti and David E. John (captain) is headed to Syracuse for the Sectionals.
 


Kathy Miller

Kathy Miller is the manager at Carefree Racquet Club and is also the Adult League Coordinator for USTA/Long Island. She may be reached at kathym65@aol.com.

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