News

The weather was absolutely delightful for our July tournament: Hot with a touch of cooling breeze, sunny but not glaring.  What more could you ask for?

We squeezed 28 players into the draw (the limit is 24 but some players played half days).  I’m thrilled that our tournaments are so popular.

 

We had a very good time!  Even those of us struggling with our games a bit had fun, which is the whole point of RSTC tournaments.  The winner on Quay Courts was newcomer Nicola Tidwell.  Welcome to the club!  The men ended in a 3-way tie with Jim Schwartz, Ivan Quinones, and Shane Dickinson earning top scores.  We chose the winner at the social via our version of trivial pursuit.  Jim was a master of tennis trivia, and won with answers to “Which Grand Slam Tournament did Bjorn Borg win six times?” and “Bjorn Borg never won a U.S. Open; he lost two finals to lefty Jimmy Connors, and two other finals to this lefty: ___?)  Congratulations!

 

For the Shorebird Court men, it was a very close contest but Dennis Murphy squeaked it out to earn the win.  Robin George was a clear winner amongst the women.

 

The prizes in keeping with RSTC’s grand cooking tradition (and the BBQ social theme) were a paella pan (Jim), hamburger slider kit (Robin), cast iron grill press (Nicola), and cast iron/griddle (Dennis).  Hope they make us something yummy at a future social with those!

 

The Burgers & AMAIZEing Social (such corny title!) took place at Irene and Jay Muzio’s home.  We had burgers – beef burgers, lamb burgers, turkey burgers, veggie burgers, and more!  We had corn appetizers and side dishes, some non-corn appetizers and side dishes, and non-corn desserts (thank goodness).  Everything was great!  Even the water was delicious – it was steeped in piles of sliced lemons.  Thank you Irene & Jay for a wonderful evening!

 

Trivia Answers: French Open (Bjorn Borg also won 5 consecutive Wimbledon titles) and John McEnroe.

May was our very popular Men’s and Women’s Doubles.  Cynthia Hunton created a great tournament with many close sets decided by tiebreaks.  In addition, many players were either inspired by the beautiful day or had been taking lessons over the winter because the quality of play was great.  In one of her service games, Barb Urrutia was hitting winner after winner, saying with disbelief, “I can’t believe I did that!!!”  It couldn’t have happened to a nicer person – Barb and hubby Rick brought the refreshments for the tournament AND were the social hosts for the evening.  Thanks to Cynthia, Barb, and Rick for a great day!

 

The #1 Woman was Annette Vernon and #2 Man was Bob Porter.  In a very tight tournament, June Walker, Laurie Coleman, and Cynthia Hunton tied for the Women’s 2^nd place prize and Sundar Venkateswaran and Bob Brodersen tied for the Men’s 2^nd place prize.  Prizes were gift certificates to Safeway (to get fixin's for a Memorial Day BBQ.)  Thanks to John Hogan for getting the prizes and to Janice Carter, Sundar, John Hogan, and Bob B for photography.

 

We celebrated Memorial Day a week early at RSTC’s evening social.  Barb told us to be creative with Red, White, and Blue and we did our best.  Blueberries were a popular ingredient in the salads.  Janice made a lasagna (white ricotta and red sauce) and topped it with blueberries (just a few!) to complete the color scheme.  “Red, White, and Blue Burgers” incorporated red onions, white ranch dressing, and blue cheese into the patty.  For dessert, there was a beautiful American flag cake (red raspberries, white frosting, blueberries) and a fluffy cheesecake by Laurie Merrill which my 5 year old declared to be “the best cheesecake EVER!”  And many more delicious items that I cannot recall.

 

Sundar joined Cynthia in washing up dishes.  Thanks Sundar and Cynthia!  And thank you again to Barb and Rick for opening your beautiful home to us.  The new landscaping was lovely!

I'm pleased to announce that the April Team Tennis tournament went off without a hitch, nary a drop of rain in sight.  It was a full tournament with the number of men and women pretty even though one team had only 2 women.  The social theme was April in Provence and the team names were, subsequently, a Gallic mouthful: Arcs de Triomphe, Louvres, Musees d'Orsai, Tours Eiffel.  It was a little odd pluralizing all of these one-of-a-kind landmarks but RSTC is always up for a challenge!

Congratulations to Les Tours Eiffel who towered over the rest of us.  The team of Captain (and Photographer) Sundar Venkatewaran, Steve Hogan, Paul Insel, Don Smith, Annette Vernon, and Laurie Merrill were formidable.  They were rewarded certicates at Amicis, and everyone was rewarded with a fine day of tennis.

The social at John and Natalie Jordan's chateau was a lovely affaire a quatre-vinght.  We've done French before and we're getting pretty good at it!  We started with champagne and raspberry wine, et al.  I'm a little fuzzy on everything after that, hee hee!  There was cheese and pate for appetizers (always a good bet for a French party), I brought a Salade Lyonnaise (I'd never poached eggs before -- it was HARD to clean the poachy remains off the bottom of my stainless steel pot), desserts involved a lot of heavenly chocolate.

Thank you to John Hogan, Tournament Director who also did Tournament Organization this month, to Barb and Rick Urrutia who did the courtside refreshments, and to Kathy Miles for procuring prizes.

Thanks to the Jordans for welcoming us into their home.  Thank you to the social crew who collected plates and washed up.  Thank you also to the many photographers: Sundar, Bob Brodersen, John Jordan, and Ruth Waters.

All of your assistance in running our events is greatly appreciated!

The Redwood Shores Tennis Club is ramping up for the 2011 season.  Members are starting to renew and new members can submit applications at www.rstc.org also.  Our website shows our proposed calendar for the year.  We have lots of tournaments and open plays scheduled and look forward to plenty of tennis over the next 9 months!  Our first event will be Membership Mania: It’s open play tennis for everyone – members and prospective members.  The Club will be providing breakfast snacks, coffee, and OJ so come out and join us.  Enjoy breakfast and tennis on us and learn more about what RSTC is about!

 

Membership Mania is scheduled for March 19, weather permitting.  Registration is not required but if you do register we can notify you if the City requires us to change the date (we are still waiting for official approval.)  Otherwise, please double-check www.rstc.org before coming.  In case of rain, the event will be canceled but you can visit our website for more info, email us (contact info is on the website), or drop by our tournament on March 26 (we’ll answer questions and fit you in if space permits!)

 

Hope to see you on the courts!

 

Karen Brodersen

President, Redwood Shores Tennis Club

Although the rain and chill seems relentless these days, it isn’t too early to start thinking about tennis!  The pros at the Australian Open will inspire us soon with displays of power and skill on the hard courts down under.  If nothing else, the images of hot sun and reports of 80 degree weather will have us dreaming for the start of our own tennis season in the Bay Area.  In the meantime, what to do?  Well, some players are getting racquets restrung and new grips put on.  I’m testing some new racquets (you can get the latest racquets to try out for free from racquet shops such as Zalles in Foster City.  Working out in the gym is good for both your New Year’s Resolutions and your tennis game.  Don’t neglect your wrists – do some wrist flexion exercises to put more snap in your topspin!

 

The Redwood Shores Tennis Club is holding our holiday party in a few weeks and then we’ll be looking ahead to the new season.  We are currently working on dates for this year’s events.  Once we have them confirmed, we’ll post on www.rstc.org.  If you sign up for a membership now, you’ll get automated notifications of all events, including Membership Mania which will be our first event.  If you’re interested but not ready to become a member, keep an eye on our website, and the next issue of the Pilot, for more information.

 

Speaking of the Australian Open, USTA Norcal is offering a FREE promotional event for Entry Level Adult Tennis Players (aka beginners or 2.5 rated players) in association with the Grand Slam event.  All you need to do is bring your racquet.  It will be Jan 23 1-4pm at the Sequoia High School tennis courts in Redwood City.  The courts are accessed from James Street.  Contact Hilary Somers at 415-407-8452 somers@norcal.usta.com for more information.

 

Happy New Year!

Karen Brodersen, President, Redwood Shores Tennis Club

What a busy month September was!

 

RSTC’s Tennis Junior Jamboree had a light turnout but the 6 kids who came seemed to enjoy it.  The more experienced kids hit balls with one instructor and the younger kids worked on foot drills and hand drills before hitting balls.  They finished with hitting for prizes and everyone won something.  Michael Garb and Robin George provided RSTC snacks and drinks for the hard-working youngers.  The fruit roll-ups and M&Ms were very popular!

 

The Men’s/Women’s Doubles Tournament was fun.  This tournament was not sold-out – unusual because it is usually quite popular.  A lot of people were out of town.

 

The vacationers missed not only our fun tournament but a fabulous Polynesian luau at Barb & Rick Urrutia’s island hide-away.  The tiki torches were burning and the ukeles were crooning all night long.  We started with pina coladas, pot stickers, Hawaiian pizza bites, and Hawaiian potato chips.  The main course included Honey Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken with Coconut Rice, Roast Pig (pork), Shrimp, and traditional Hawaiian sides like Baked Beans and Potato Salad, and more.  Desserts included Coconut Chocolate (Birthday) Pie.

 

Prizes were Salmon and Macadamia nuts to big winners Judy Garb and Bob Porter and Macadamia nuts to Calona Paiko and Steve Hogan.  Congratulations!  Thank you to Barb & Rick for hosting and to our volunteers Robin & Steve George for refreshments, Kevin Yates for the prizes, and John Jordan for photography on the men’s side.  HUGE THANK YOU to Ling Shee for doing a tournament draw and photography.

 

A week later, we headed to Pajaro Dunes for the warmest weekend we’ve had on the coast.  Irene Muzio brought back the Progressive Dinner with an interesting modification.  We had appetizers in one condo, then split up into 4 condos for cozy dinners and stimulating conversation, and then regathered in one condo for dessert.  The appetizers were Italian-themed with home-grown tomatoes topped with fresh mozzarella, Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, Peach Bellinis, and more.  Each of the 4 dinners was hosted by 2 couples who made the side dishes and provided the wine that accompanied RSTC-provided ham.  The dessert theme was Pie in the Sky, although it could have been More Pie Than 24 People Should Eat In One Sitting.  Ice cream too!

 

The tournament was a lot of fun but marred early on by an accident in which Erwin Seibel was struck in the back of his head by an errant serve.  Luckily, it was “just” a mild concussion with a prescription for rest and no alcohol for the rest of the day.  Erwin cheered very loudly from the sidelines.  We were all glad that Erwin was feeling and looking much better!

 

The Cioppino Dinner was cooked up by Michael Garb and Irene Muzio with appetizers, side dishes, and desserts provided by everyone else.  And leftover pie.  Lots of leftover pie.  THANK YOU to Michael and Irene for orchestrating another wonderful weekend.  We all appreciated it and had a great time.

 

On September 11, the Redwood Shores Tennis Club will be hosting a junior clinic for kids of all ages with the help of the Silicon Valley Tennis Academy.  If you have kids who are learning to play tennis, please consider signing up.  We’d love to have lots of neighborhood kids take advantage of this opportunity to get a lesson and meet some friends.  Find more information about the event or register at www.rstc.org.

RSTC completed our signature Team Tennis with a Twist event in June and we are just about to hold our July tournament, a Mixed Scramble format.  By the time you read this article, we will be preparing for our August BBQ tournament.  We hold a fun tournament every month with various formats.  There’s Men’s and Women’s Doubles, Mixed Doubles, Changing Partners, and Fixed Partner formats.  If you want to play doubles tennis without worrying about finding courts, partners, or opponents, our monthly tournaments make it easy!

Our socials are just as diverse and fun.  The June theme was Skewer This! and everything came on a stick.  Appetizers, entrees, and desserts.  Strawberry Shortcake on a stick was perhaps the most unusual offering, and quite tasty.  We would even have asked that the salads be on a stick (somehow) but there was a last minute change of who was bringing what.

This year, we are enjoying an active membership with nearly everyone coming to the tournaments and/or socials.  Even though the tournaments are regularly filled to capacity, we have usually been able to accommodate those on the waitlist.  In June, several members offered to play a half day in order to create an extra space for a new member (whom none had met) to get to play!  This generosity of spirit is typical of the members of our club.  It’s why I love being a part of RSTC.

For more information about the club, explore our website www.rstc.org.

TOURNAMENT

Way back in mid-June, I returned from Hawaii to chilly Bay Area temperatures (and strangely enough it is nippy again now in mid-July) but the weather heated up admirably for the weekend for RSTC’s Team Tennis with a Twist Tournament.  Tournament Organizer Irene Muzio ran the tournament with help from Tom Salles providing the vital refreshments and Michael Garb providing the equally vital tennis balls.

 

Twisted Minds, Twisted Medusas, Twisted Olives, and Twisted Oaks did battle on the courts.  We had many new players joining us for the first time: Gavin Thompson, Jan & Bob Porter, Kevin Yates, Holly Roslow and Gary Schaezlein.  Welcome to all of you and we hope you enjoyed your first RSTC tournament.

 

The Twisted Medusas, captained by Ruth Waters, and Twisted Oaks, captained by Kathy Miles, tied for first place with 73 games won over 9 rounds.  Barb’s Twisted Minds came in second with 63 games.  Irene Muzio captained the valiant Twisted Olives to an honorable mention at 56 games.

 

Jennifer and Shane Dickinson put together cute prizes of gift certificates for Peet’s Coffee with a postcard of Lombard St. in San Francisco (the famous twisty street in the City.  SF expert tour guide Kristian says it is not actually the twistiest though.)  We drew straws to determine the 7 players to get prizes.

 

Court photographer Bob Brodersen used a new-found feature of his digital camera to take extremely rapid series of photos and put the results – sort of a stop-motion photography -- onto the TV screen at the social.  You could watch your form in excruciating detail throughout your stroke!  Photos were viewed at the social.

 

EAT LAUGH LOVE

The social theme was Skewer This! and held at the home of Judy and Michael Garb.  Appetizing skewers of shrimp, ham & cream cheese, tomatoes and cheese, etc. were followed by beef and vegetarian shish ka-bobs for dinner.  Dessert was strawberry shortcake on a stick, gourmet chocolate dipped marshmallows on a stick, and Hagen Daz Ice Cream Bars on popsicle sticks.   More deliciousness than you can shake a stick at!

 

Social photographer Kevin Yates wielded an impressive camera.  We’ll post the photos when we get them.  Clean up crew members were Ruth Waters, Erwin Seibel, Kristian Nergaard, Kathy Miles, Smita & Sundar Venkateswaran, and Jan Porter.  They left the Garbs house squeaky clean.

 

ON THE CALENDAR

Coming up next on the RSTC Calendar is the Mixed Scramble Tournament on July 24.

 

In August, we will have our fabulous BBQ Tournament with yummy barbecued meats from Armadillo Willy’s.

 

Pajaro Dunes is in September.

10 members of the Redwood Shores Tennis Club traveled to Arguello Courts on Saturday to meet a challenge from the San Carlos Tennis Club on their home turf.  SCTC welcomed us with smiles, Starbucks coffee, bagels, danishes, and yogurt.  After warm ups, we trooped out to the 4 courts (nice to have 4 courts in one setting!)  2 members of each team sat out each round which provided opportunity for interclub socializing

 

The first round was quite close, with only 2 games separating the clubs.  In the second round, RSTC surged ahead.  Both sides had great shotmakers and runners, making for long and spectacular points.  For example, our Tom hit an overhead at the net – a great putaway – but their Rick chased it down – barely.  Calona hit the ball crosscourt from the baseline to Jan who returned a low volley.  Tom poached the volley, but Rick ran it down again.  That one point probably lasted 15 strokes, with the momentum shifting constantly between the teams, and many of the shots being near-winners.

 

SCTC won that hard-fought point but RSTC won the match and eventually the tournament.

 

RSTC provided a delicious lunch of Green Salad, Pasta Salad, Chicken Salad Sandwiches on Raisin Bread, Chinese Chicken Salad, Chicken and Wild Rice Salad, Fruit Tart, Cookies, Wine, and Beer.  It was all delicious.

 

Thank you to our players for coming out, representing our club with generous line calls and good grace, bringing a delicious lunch, and bringing home the virtual trophy.  HUGE THANK YOU to Jan Enzone and the San Carlos Tennis Club for inviting us and hosting a fabulous friendly tournament.  We hope to see you again next year!

The May event had plenty of thrills and chills,  but a warm, thematic wind from the border arrived just in time. When the hard court dust settled, June Walker and Thomas Edwards were the top woman and man of the day. Later at Casa George, guests were greeted by margaritas, delicious appetizers and an array of tasty fiesta entrees. See the RSTC Blog for full details.


The original Fiesta Cap....