2012 USTA Arkansas Award Winners

2012 USTA Arkansas Award Winners

 Hall of Fame- David Kossover

The Herschel Friday Award -Julio Olaya – Little Rock, Mary Wright – Hot Springs

The Jay Freeman Most Improved Player Award- Jackson Davis - Jonesboro, Catherine Nettle – Bentonville

Dr. Ted Bailey Sportsmanship Award- Branch Terrell – Benton, Katie Branum – Jonesboro

Henry Doyle Outstanding Senior- John Andrews – North Little Rock

Victor Sheshunoff Meritorious Education Award- Jared Ward– Bella Vista

Arkansas Tennis Professional of the Year- Gary Jones - Jonesboro

Patrick M. Riley Umpire of the Year- Bynum Matthews - Maumelle

Arkansas Tennis Family of the Year- The Greg Fess Family - Little Rock

 Member Organization of the Year- Otter Creek Racquet Club

Barbara Brewer Community Service Award- Abby Davis – Russelville

Adult Tournament of the Year- Tre' Day.com "Labor of Love" Charity Classic

Junior Tournament of the Year- Jr. Team Tennis State Championship 2012

 Special Tennis Event of the Year- Creekmore Tennis Center- Tennis Night In America- Fort Smith

Article Submitted by: Chuck Cavin, Pinnacle Tennis Academy

Arkansas/Ft. Smith Senior Women's 4.0 Team is Finalist at USTA League National Championships

The 2012 USTA League 4.0 Senior Women's National Championships took place this weekend in Indian Wells, California. The Arkansas Team from Ft. Smith representing the Southern Section took 2nd Place at the event. The Ft. Smith team captained by Anita Woodard lost 2-1 to a Southern California team from Mission Hills in the finals. The scoring went as follows:

#1 Dbls-Nancy Portolesi/Lisa McIntosh(So.Cal) defeated Teresa Goodnoh/Kim Delatin(Ark) 7-6,6-4
#2 Dbls-Shelly Hollis/Dawn Stovall(Ark) defeated Lori Romania/Carolyn Roberts(So.Cal) 6-3,6-7,1-0
#3 Dbls-Manuela Andrews/Muysuko Komuro(So.Cal) defeated Kim Wofford/Janice Taylor(Ark) 6-0,6-3

In order to reach the finals, this Arkansas Team defeated a very good team from the Middle States Section captained by Carol Vukelich in the semifinals 2-1 with Goodnah/Delatin and Hollis/Stovall winning at #2 & #3 Doubles.

Congratulations to another great Arkansas team that had to win a very difficult Southern Sectional Championship event in order to advance to Nationals!!!

Team members include Anita J. Woodard, Kim E. Delatin, Dawn W. Stovall, Janice K. Taylor, Meg Canfield, Trudy E. Hindley, Teresa R. Goodnoh, Loretta J. Wilson, Kim Wohlford, Shelly Hollis, and Mary E. Kennemer.

Article Submitted by, Chuck Cavin, Pinnacle Tennis Academy

Julio Olaya and Mary Wright win the Overall Arkansas State High School Tennis Championships

Julio Olaya (pictured right) of Pulaski Academy defeated Jake Jacoby of Pulaski Academy 4-6, 6-0, 7-5 for the Boy's Singles Title in the Overall Arkansas State High School Tennis Championships. Mary Wright (pictured below) of Hot Springs Lakeside narrowly defeated Emily Metcalf of Valley View 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 to win the Girl's Singles division title.

In reaching the Boys' Finals, Olaya defeated Grady McCain of Greenwood 6-2, 6-1 in his first match and defeated Reed Churchill of Fayetteville 6-0, 6-3 in the Semi-finals. Jacoby reached the Finals by defeating Drew Dodge of Conway Christian 6-0, 6-1 in his first match, and by defeating Christian Mathis of Mtn. Home 6-0, 6-0 in the Semi-finals.

Enroute to the Girls' finals, Wright defeated Laura Lanier of Episcopal Collegiate 6-2, 6-3 in her first match and defeated Arielle Butler of Searcy 6-1, 6-0 in the Semi-finals. Metcalf reached the finals by defeating Kami Ward of Lake Hamilton 6-1, 6-0, and Alye Darter of Heritage 6-2, 6-0 in the Semi-finals.

In the Overall High School Doubles divisions, Will Ginger/ Luke Lundstrum of Fayetteville defeated Matt Talbert/ Nick Anderson of Hot Springs Lakeside 7-6, 6-3 for the Boys' title. Tiffany Tang/Katherine Tang of Rogers defeated Julia Lefler/Sarah Kauffman of  Hot Springs Lakeside 6-0, 6-0 for the Girl's title.

The winners of the singles/doubles titles in each conference are as follows:

7A Boy's Singles- Reid Churchill-Fayetteville          7A Girl's Singles- Alye Darter-Heritage
7A Boy's Doubles- Sheppard/Jordan-Bentonville    7A Girl's Doubles- Tang/Tang-Rogers

6A Boy's Singles- Christian Mathis-Mtn. Home      6A Girl's Singles- Arielle Butler-Searcy
6A Boy's Doubles- Caparas/Hurt-Jonesboro          6A Girl's Doubles- Henson/Glendenning-Lake Hmltn

5A Boy's Singles- Jake Jacoby-Pul. Academy         5A Girl's Singles- Mary Wright-Lakeside
5A Boy's Doubles- Talbert/Anderson-Lakeside       5A Girl's Doubles- Lefler/Kauffman-Lakeside
 
4A Boy's Singles- Matt Phillips-Valley View            4A Girl's Singles- Emily Metcalf-Valley View
4A Boy's Doubles-Leavey/Moser-Subiaco              4A Girl's Doubles- McJunkins/Vines-Nashville

3A Boy's Singles- Beau Wicker-Piggott                   3A Girl's Singles- Laura Lanier-Episcopal C
3A Boy's Doubles- Yoo/Nichols-Episcopal              3A Girl's Doubles- Kirkman/Kirkman-Harding

2A Boy's Singles- Drew Dodge-Conway Chrstn       2A Girl's Singles- Anna Brickell-Riverside
 2A Boy's Doubles- Hargrove/Jones-WestSide,GF   2A Girl's Doubles-Weaver/Wilson-Riverside

Article Submitted by: Chuck Cavin, Pinnacle Tennis Academy

Mark Vaught, At Tea Party Meeting, Proposed New Admin Bldg, Laughed At For Lack of Funding

Mark Vaught, Conway City Alderman, proposed the building of combined administrative offices for the city and county at a tea party meeting. With the city budget already overstressed by excessive funding of numerous projects, the crowd laughed at this "Jackass of a Proposal" by expressing doubt that the city could afford such a project.

To the right is a copy of the transcript of the meeting by Log Cabin Democrat (thecabin.net) reporter, Becky Harris. Presently. the city budget has not been able to provide pay raises for its hard-working employees including firemen and policemen, much less a new administration building..... Mark Vaught is now seeking a Faulkner County position this election season. The Faulkner County offices have always acted responsibly and efficiently and don't need Vaught mismanaging county budgets too!!!.......Political Ad Paid For By: Citizens For Responsible Gov't

Mark Vaught's Overspending Causes City of Conway's Financial Woes

To the Left: The Condition of the City of Conway Finances Before Mark Vaught Took Office....... To the Right: The Condition of the City of Conway Finances After Mark Vaught Leaves Office....... Job Performance Matters!!! We don't need Mark Vaught causing Financial Ruin at the Faulkner County level!!!........Political Ad Paid For By: Citizens For Responsible Govt

Arkansas Women's Senior 4.0 Team from Ft. Smith Captures USTA Southern Adult League Championships

Arkansas Women's Sr. 4.0 Team from Fort Smith captained by Anita Woodard finished 1st at the USTA Adult League Southern Section Championships. The Arkansas team destroyed its opponents enroute to an easy 3-0 victory in the finals against the Mississippi team from Greenville captained by Margie Lee. At #1 DOUBLES, Shelly Hollis/ Dawn Stovall def. Evelyn J. Edwards/Margie Lee 6-2 7-6. At #2 DOUBLES,Kim E. Delatin/Teresa R. Goodnoh def. Kathy A. Avis/Elmertha D. Burton 6-1 6-4. At #3 DOUBLES, Kim Wohlford/Janice K. Taylor def. Lynn D. Cox/Delma C. Brown 6-3 6-4. Team members include Anita J. Woodard, Kim E. Delatin, Dawn W. Stovall, Janice K. Taylor, Meg Canfield, Trudy E. Hindley, Teresa R. Goodnoh, Loretta J. Wilson, Kim Wohlford, Shelly Hollis, and Mary E. Kennemer. Congratulations to these Ladies and Good Luck at Nationals!!!

Mark Vaught, Conway Politician and Rec Tennis Player, Caught Dumpster Diving

Mark Vaught, Conway Politician and Recreational Tennis Player, was caught dumpster diving. City Alderman Vaught along with other city officials misappropriated city revenues causing a huge budget shortfall. Desperately needing cash reserve funds, Vaught and his cohorts raided Conway Corp's Sanitation reserves in order to balance the city's checkbook. Mark Vaught is now seeking a Faulkner County position. The county offices have always acted responsibly and efficiently and don't need Vaught bouncing checks in their departments......Political Ad Paid For By: Citizens For Lower Taxes

Free Conway Junior Tennis Program by Pinnacle Tennis Academy Begins its Fall 2012 Session on September 11th

The Free Conway Junior Tennis Program begins its Fall 2012 Session on September 11th. This 6-week tennis lesson plan that meets as an afterschool program is free for children ages 7-14. Contact Chuck/Cindy at pinnacletennisacademy@gmail.com or call the office at 501-570-6755.

Taylor Cramer and Mary Wright Capture the 2012 Arkansas Junior Qualifying Tennis Championships

Taylor Cramer (pictured upper right) of Texarkana won the Boy's 18s title with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Jordan Sheppard of Bentonville and Mary Wright (pictured lower right)of Hot Springs defeated Lindsey Liles of Little Rock 6-1, 6-4 for the Girl's 18s title in the Arkansas Junior Qualifying Tennis Championships at the Burns Park Tennis Center in North Little Rock, Arkansas.

Other divisional winners include ..
Boy's 16s- Jake Jacoby d. Branch Terrell 6-3; 6-2... Girl's 16s- Jacqueline Carr d. Katelyn Jackson 6-0; 6-1...

Boy's 14s- Maxwell Mendelsohn d. Marshall Ney 6-2; 6-2... Girl's 14s- Tatum Rice d. Katherine Tang 7-6; 6-3...

Boy's 12s- Anil Chakka d. Wesley Barnett 6-2; 6-3... Girl's 12s- Thea Rice d. Katie LaFrance 6-2; 6-3...

Boy's 10s- Jackson Davis d. Eric Richardson 4-1; 4-2... Girl's 10s- Clara Parker d. Ashlee Shinabery 4-0; 4-0
*** See comments for other results
Article Submitted by: Chuck Cavin, Pinnacle Tennis Academy

Without Injured Kaitlin Ray, #1 UCLA Lady Bruins Fall to #2 Florida in NCAA Final

Little Rock's Kaitlin Ray (pictured right) played a pivotal role in the UCLA Women Tennis Team's success throughout the entire season. The Lady Bruins with freshman Kaitlin in the starting lineup finished the regular season with a 21-2 record and the #1 seeding going into the NCAA Tournament. An injury to K-Ray forced her to watch her teammates from the sidelines at the NCAA Tournament in Athens, GA. One day after watching an emotional victory by her UCLA teammates over cross-town rival USC in the NCAA Semifinals, injured Kaitlin Ray and her top-seeded UCLA team came up just short in its quest for a national title on Tuesday, suffering a 4-0 loss to No. 2 Florida in the title match at the University of Georgia's Dan Magill Tennis Complex. The loss marks just the third of the season for UCLA, which ends the year 26-3 overall. The win for Florida (27-1) gives the program back-to-back NCAA Championships.
 

Ineligible Player Should Cause Women's 4.0 Captain Shannon King and Maureen Dickson To Forfeit State Title

Arkansas League Tennis Coordinator & Arkansas Tennis Association employee Maureen Dickson and Women's 4.0 Team Captain Shannon King used an ineligible player in winning the Women's 4.0 League Team Tennis State Championships held at Burns Park this past weekend. Christie Baker Griffee (pictured right and below), a former NCAA D-I player at Samford University, falsified a self-rate application with the USTA League Tennis Committee in order to play Women's 4.0 Team Tennis. Under USTA League Tennis rules and guidelines, a player under the age of 30 and college experience at a Division I school should start playing in league play at a minimum of a NTRP 4.5 or higher skill level rating. Team member Christie Baker Griffee won the deciding match in Little Rock Athletic Club Women's 4.0 team match win over Little Rock Women's 4.0 Team captained by Melanie Bobo & Teresa Williams. With the matches tied 2-2, Baker-Griffee easily won the final singles match 6-0,6-0 to give Captain Shannon King, her teammate Maureen Dickson, and the rest of the team the victory by the final score of 3-2.

In order to play league tennis, Christie Baker Griffee or a teammate familiar with the process had to fill out the self-rate application by falsifying her college level play. Arkansas League Coordinator Maureen Dickson and/or Team Captain Shannon King could have easily guided her through the application process that omitted important information that would have given Baker-Griffee a higher skill level rating.

Did Maureen Dickson (pictured right at the center of the table along with teammate Lisa Nutt seated far right) and Shannon King knowingly sign Baker-Griffee to their team and hold back important information that would have led to her disqualification? Did any of the other team members- Linda Bland, Christina Byler, Kathryn B. Perkins, Lisa C. Nutt, Cindy Pugh, Lauren Speas Slabaugh, Rebecca L. Kinworthy, Joy Wolf, Marti E. Henson, Kerre L. Gilliland, Christi Jeanette Headlee, Sara B. Barnett, and/or Sheffield Duke recognize that Christie Baker Griffee played at a higher skill level than their own level? Please use the comment area below and leave your opinion.

Free Conway Junior Tennis Program begins its Summer I Session on June 12th

The Free Conway Junior Tennis Program begins its Summer I Session on June 12th. This 3-week tennis lesson plan is free for children ages 6-15. Contact Chuck/Cindy at pinnacletennisacademy@gmail.com or call the office at 501-570-6755.

Lady Razorbacks Tennis Team Receives 5th Straight NCAA Bid

The Arkansas Razorback women’s tennis team is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight year and sixth time in the last seven years. They will play Long Beach State (18-5) in the first round as a No. 2 seed in the Los Angeles Regional hosted by No. 1 overall seed UCLA. The winner of the match between UA and LBSU will play the winner of UCLA and Eastern Kentucky. The regional is set to start on Friday, May 11 and run through Saturday, May 12. The team that wins the four-team regional will advance to the final rounds hosted by the University of Georgia. Arkansas head coach Michael Hegarty said that the team was excited about the opportunity to play a very good Long Beach State team. Also representing the Southeastern Conference in the tournament draw is Ole Miss, Alabama, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, LSU and Florida, which is the reigning national champion. Team members include Emily Carbone of Lexington, Ky. , Laurie Gingras of Quebec City, Canada, Abby Hayley of The Woodlands, Texas, Kate Lukomskaya of Minsk, Belarus, Catherine Parenteau of Montreal, Canada, and Claudine Paulson of Guayaquil, Ecuador, and Stephanie Roy of Montreal, Canada.

Quality Tennis Lessons/Clinics/Camps in Arkansas

If you are interested in learning "The Game of Tennis", Tennis Camps/Clinics/Programs are offered across the state of Arkansas. Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced tennis lessons are available for adults and juniors including Quick-Start Tennis Programs. Below is a short list of quality tennis instruction programs for all ages in alphabetical order of the cities in which they are located.

City/ Contact Name /Phone Number

Cabot / Chuck Cavin / 501-570-6755

Conway / Chuck Cavin /501-570-6755

Fayetteville/ Jake Shoemake/ 479-204-1009

Hot Springs/ Ronnie Bran /501-624-2153

Jonesboro /Gary Jones /870-932-6556

Maumelle / Chuck Cavin / 501-570-6755

Texarkana/ Billy Power/ 903-244-4061

Jake Jacoby and Nicole Coopersmith Voted Arkansas Junior Tennis Players of the Year by Central Arkansas Tennis Talk

The final votes have been cast by the readers of Central Arkansas Tennis Talk, and the winners of the 2011 Arkansas Junior Tennis Player of the Year Award are Jake Jacoby of Little Rock and Nicole Coopersmith of Pine Bluff.

Jake Jacoby (pictured upper right), class of 2014 at Pulaski Academy, won the Arkansas Overall Boy's High School Tennis Championships at 15 years old. Jake went undefeated in taking the Overall title and the Boy's 4A Conference High School title. Jake also reached #36 in the Southern Boy's 16s current rankings.

Nicole Coopersmith of Pine Bluff (pictured lower right), only a 7th Grader in Pine Bluff and class of 2017, was the highest ranked Arkansas junior in 2011. Nicole reached #3 in the Southern Sectional current tennis rankings in the Girl's 12s division. In Arkansas competition, Nicole swept thru the Girl's 14s division at the Arkansas Junior Closed State Championships without losing a set enroute to the title.

Jake Jacoby of Pulaski Academy and Tiffany Tang of Rogers win the Overall Arkansas State High School Tennis Championships

Jake Jacoby (pictured right)of Pulaski Academy defeated Cole Guy of White Hall 6-3,6-4 for the Overall Arkansas State High School Tennis Championships in the Boy's Singles division.
Tiffany Tang (pictured below)of Rogers narrowly defeated Lindsey Liles of LR Central 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 to win the Girl's Singles division title for the second straight year.
In the Overall High School Doubles divisions, Kevin Morris/Matt Tabler of Bentonville def Jordan Sheppard/Zach Ellis of Bentonville 6-1, 6-4 for the Boy's title. Allie Wilson/Olivia Foster of Greenwood def Julia Lefler/Sarah Kauffman of Lakeside, HS 6-4, 2-6, 6-2 for the Girl's title.

The winners of the singles/doubles titles in each conference are as follows:

7A Boy's Singles- Reid Churchill-Fayetteville
7A Girl's Singles- Tiffany Tang-Rogers

7A Boy's Doubles- Sheppard/Ellis-Bentonville
7A Girl's Doubles- Ravikumar/Lundy-Heritage

6A Boy's Singles- Austen McDaniel-Jonesboro
6A Girl's Singles- Arielle Butler-Searcy

6A Boy's Doubles- Drew Morgan/Weston McDaniel-Jonesboro
6A Girl's Doubles- Taylor Zane/Kaily Nix-Jonesboro

5A Boy's Singles- Cole Guy-White Hall
5A Girl's Singles- Ali Rowden-Greenbrier

5A Boy's Doubles- Hudgens/Messersmith-Lakeside HS
5A Girl's Doubles- Foster/Wilson-Greenwood

4A Boy's Singles- Jake Jacoby-Pulaski Academy
4A Girl's Singles- Emily Metcalf-Valley View

4A Boy's Doubles- Sean Corrothers/Brett McClain-Pulaski Academy
4A Girl's Doubles- Maddie McJunkens/Nancy Purnell-Nashville

3A Boy's Singles- Trent Brandon-Episcopal Collegiate
3A Girl's Singles- Maggie Beetstra-Episcopal Collegiate

3A Boy's Doubles- Bo Turney/Jeff McIntyre-Episcopal Collegiate
3A Girl's Doubles- Laura Lanier/Steele Strauss-Episcopal Collegiate

2A Boy's Singles- Drew Dodge-Conway Christian
2A Girl's Singles- Anna Brickell-Riverside

2A Boy's Doubles- Eubanks/Reeves-Ridgefield Christian
2A Girl's Doubles- Weaver/Wilson-Riverside

2011 ATA Award Winners

2011 Arkansas Tennis Association Award Winners

Hall of Fame
Randy Jackson (pictured right)

The Herschel Friday Award
Ryan Hudelson – Little Rock
Mary Wright – Hot Springs

The Jay Freeman Most Improved Player Award
Matt Talbert - Hot Springs
Lindsy Pearce – Fort Smith

Dr. Ted Bailey Sportsmanship Award
Kyle Henry – Fayettville
Tiffany Tang – Rogers

Henry Doyle Outstanding Senior
Gayle Fowlkes – Conway

Special Tennis Event of the Year
"Oh WATA Night Down Under" - Fort Smith

Arkansas Tennis Professional of the Year
Melissa Kelly - Fort Smith

Victor Sheshunoff Meritorious Education Award
Abby Davis – ARVTA

Barbara Brewer Community Service Award
Skip and Teri King – England / Stuttgart

Junior Tournament of the Year
Match Point – Little Rock

Member Organization of the Year
Arkansas River Valley Tennis Association

Quality Tennis Lessons/Clinics/Camps in Arkansas

If you are interested in learning "The Game of Tennis", Tennis Camps/Clinics/Programs are offered across the state of Arkansas. Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced tennis lessons are available for adults and juniors including Quick-Start Tennis Programs. Below is a short list of quality tennis instruction programs for all ages in alphabetical order of the cities in which they are located.

City/ Contact Name /Phone Number

Cabot / Chuck Cavin / 501-570-6755

Conway / Chuck Cavin /501-570-6755

Fayetteville/ Jake Shoemake/ 479-204-1009

Hot Springs/ Ronnie Bran /501-624-2153

Jonesboro /Gary Jones /870-932-6556

Maumelle / Chuck Cavin / 501-570-6755

Texarkana/ Billy Power/ 903-244-4061

Arkansas Women's 2.5 and Senior Men's 3.0 Capture 2011 Southern League Tennis Championships in Mobile, AL

Two Arkansas League Tennis Teams- Arkansas Women's 2.5 Tennis Team (pictured above) captained by Jennifer Bohnert from Rogers, AR and the Arkansas Men's 3.0 Tennis Team (pictured below) captained by Allen Holmes and Glenn Deckelman from Hot Springs Village, AR, captured the Southern League Tennis Championships in Mobile, Alabama.

Arkansas Women's 2.5 Team- Bohnert/Rogers defeated Mississippi/Biloxi captained by Missy Mitchell 2-1 for the Southern Sectional Women's 2.5 Title. Members of the team include Jennifer Lynn Bohnert, Donna Carol Field, Kim Evans, Kimberly Lynn Chronister, Donna Russell, Leslie Colebank, Becky Alexander, Audrey Elizabeth Byrd,Kim Rose Schaap, Shannon Gordon.

Arkansas Senior Men's 3.0 Team- Holmes & Deckelman/HSV defeated S.Carolina/Beaufort captained by Douglas Brown 2-1 for the Southern Sectional Senior Men's 3.0 Title. Members of the team include Allen Holmes, Ron D. Felger, Jerry Young, Glenn Deckelman, Alan Trippel, James Zancanaro, Charles Edward Willard, Steven C. Wright, Dan Johnson.

Arkansas placed two teams of the twenty teams from the USTA Southern Section who advanced to the national championships of the largest adult recreational tennis league in the world by winning the 2011 USTA League Southern Section Championships.
More than 1800 players on about 200 teams from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee competed in the tournament. In order to reach this point, teams competed in regular season matches and a state championship. Winners here advanced to play other sectional champions at the USTA League National Championships. Overall, Louisiana brought home the most trophies with five champions and four finalists among the 20 levels played.

Good Luck to these Arkansas teams as they head to Nationals!!!

Ryan Hudelson and Lindsey Liles Lead Arkansas Junior Tennis Rankings for 2011

Ryan Hudelson (pictured right) and Lindsey Liles (pictured below), both of Little Rock, currently hold the #1 tennis ranking for 2011 in the USTA Arkansas Junior Boy's 18s and Girl's 18s divisions, respectively. Other Arkansas junior tennis players that are also #1 in their age groups include:

Boy's 16s- David Reed Churchill of Fayetteville
Girl's 16s- Tiffany Tang of Rogers

Boy's 14s- Griffin Clark of Rogers
Girl's 14s- Emily Ann Metcalf of Jonesboro

Boy's 12s- Maxwell Lawrence Mendelsohn of Little Rock
Girl's 12s- Tatum Brooke Rice of Hot Springs

Boy's 10s- Andrew Wood of White Hall
Girl's 10s- Evelyn Maurras of Jonesboro

*** See Comments for All Ranked Players