Sonoma Valley Tennis Association Newsletter March 2017 Message from the President/Treasurer Messa ge f r om t he Pr esi dent /Fi na nci a l Of f i cer Dear Members: As you probably know, the main income for the SVTA comes from membership dues from people like you. In addition, a small amount of income comes from donations and tournament fees. Our funds are used to pay for the following expenses: Liability insurance to cover our members while participating in events and leagues Social events Maintenance of the Maxwell courts Our website and newsletter Finally, our largest expense is the resurfacing of the Maxwell courts which is done approximately every six years. No public funds from Sonoma County are available for maintenance and resurfacing of the Maxwell facility - the SVTA does it all! Noel Barbulesco MESSAGE FROM THE BOARD We have begun the new year with the storm of the century followed by the storm of the century. Maxwell Farms courts have been underwater much of the time. League matches and court lessons have been rained out and league play make-ups may go into April. We won't fully know the long term effects to the courts until we dry out...april?? At the February 2017 board meeting, the board named new officers: President and Financial Officer- Noel Barbulesco; Vice President - Genevieve Blanchard; Membership Director and
Teaching Pro Liaison - Erin Collins; Junior Tennis Program Director - Isaac Raboy; Publicity Director- Judy Muller; Maxwell Courts Facility Directors: Mike Kelly and Bruce Lamoreaux. We are looking forward to business as usual, beginning in April with our annual Free Clinic for Adults and annual Free Junior Program. The board welcomes input from the membership. If you would like to serve on the board, and help shape the delivery of SVTA, please let us hear from you. SVTA Board of Directors Meetings are open to all. They are scheduled for the third Wednesday of the month. Locations may vary so check the Board Members tab at the SVTA website for info. The next meeting of the board will be held Wednesday, March 15, 2017 at 6:30pm, 4 70-First St. East. Membership Dues 2017 TIME TO RENEW YOUR SVTA MEMBERSHIP We are still accepting dues for 2017 membership. Please renew if you intend to play on a women's league team, a USTA team, or if you just want to feel good about contributing to maintaining the excellent courts at Maxwell Farms Regional Park. Dues are as follows: $125 family membership $100 individual membership $50 out-of-town membership (Napa, Oakmont) Mail dues to: SVTA PO Box 766 El Verano, CA 95433 SVTA Free Community Adult Program
SVTA Juni or Pr ogr a m SVTA Juni or Pr ogr a m Upda t es
The USTA Norcal H.I.T.S. Coaches Training session took place at Maxwell Courts on Saturday, February 25 with 8 volunteers and our tennis pro, Felipe Monroy. Michelle Skipwith, our USTA representative, arranged for the required training, taught by a USTA teaching pro, in anticipation of our annual free Junior Program. This year, the SVTA is working in cooperation with Betzy Chavez, head of the El Verano Family Resource Center and Marcelo Defreitas of the La Luz Center to promote and encourage the parents and children within our Hispanic community to participate in opening the world of tennis to as many as possible. Michelle will be meeting with resource center parents to explain the programs available. The FRC and La Luz will help in spreading the word with our flyers and providing direction to parents and children. As in past years, the junior skills program will be open to all Sonoma Valley children from ages 6 through 14 for 8 consecutive Saturdays starting April 1. There will be 2 one-hour sessions starting at 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. The program will follow the H.I.T.S. program format for the 6 to 10 year olds that was started lasted year and works with kids on important life skills in addition to tennis skills. Each child will be given a T-shirt and an easy to follow manual that will be covered during the weekly sessions. With the help of the USTA, each child will also have the opportunity to be awarded his/her own brand new racquet. H.I.T.S. a nd Red Ba l l Juni or Tea m Tenni s FOLLOW- UP PROGRAM TO H.I.T.S. What is H.I.T.S. - Red Ball Junior Team Tennis? A follow-up program to USTA NorCal's H.I.T.S. 10 and under tennis program, H.I.T.S. - Red Ball Jr. Team Tennis is a new program for kids 10 and under, that will not only have a continued focus on life lessons and actual tennis play, but also an emphasis on exhibiting great teamwork on and off the court. H.I.T.S. - Red Ball JTT provides a great transition for kids to move from the introductory aspect of H.I.T.S. into the team concept without a heavy emphasis on competitive play, which appears
later on in orange, green and yellow ball tennis. The core lessons remain a part of this program to continue to help develop the child as well at the athlete. Just like the introductory H.I.T.S. program, H.I.T.S. - Red Ball Junior Team Tennis can be run anywhere kids can play tennis, including through programs at clubs, Parks and Recreation facilities, community centers, afterschool programs, etc. Kids will be put on teams within the program so they can experience the team tennis experience at a level they are comfortable playing as they continue to grow their skills. HITS Tr a i ni ng Sessi on Febr ua r y 2017 On February 25, 2017, the USTA sponsored a 3-hour HITS training session for local coaches and high school tennis players who will assist in coaching the April and May Free Junior Tennis Clinic. USTA Lea gue Pl a y Thanks to Corky Rosengren, SVTA continues to be well represented in USTA league play. Last fall she led her USTA Women 55+7.0 team to Sections. She currently has the SVTA Women 40+3.5 in play, and she also now has the Women 18+3.5 in registration.
Isaac Raboy, another dedicated league captain, has the USTA Men 4.0 65+ team in action, with a season start date of March 8, 2017. Sonoma Na pa Ma r i n Women's Tenni s Lea gue Pl a y S o no ma-napa-marin Wo mens Tennis League S ec o nd Half - 2016-2017 January 9, 2017 - Second Half Play Begins --March 10, 2017 - Last Day Regular Season Play SVTA DIV 3 Team Rose Kelly, Captain Lisa Dierking, Co-Captain ++++ SVTA DIV 4 Team Sue Vargas, Captain Molly Johnston, Co-Captain ++++ SVTA DIV 6 Team Judy Muller, Captain Genevieve Blanchard, Co-Captain ++++ For League Information and Current Standings and Results, visit S o no ma Napa Marin Wo men's Tennis Women's Fl ex Tea m This women's flex team will hold their first social event once the rain goes away. The group of women started playing tennis with Felipe Monroy, USTA Teaching Pro, after watching their children participate in the Sonoma Valley Tennis programs at Maxwell. They continue to practice together and take lessons regularly, as well as share in regular tennis events
throughout the year. GALS: - please get acquainted with SVTA's Women's league. We have women's teams who would love to practice with you and would welcome you as a team member. and SNMWTL CAPTAINS: looks like a recruiting bonanz a! A Chr i st ma s Hol i da y i n Col ombi a Our USTA Teaching Pro, Felipe Monroy, visited his native Colombia this past December and January and conducted tennis clinics for juniors and coaches. SVTA 2017 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Noel Barbulesco, President and Financial Officer Genevieve Blanchard, Vice President Erin Collins, Membership Director and Teaching Pro Liaison Mike Kelly, Facilities Director Bruce Lamoreaux, Facilities Director Judy Muller, Publicity Director Isaac Raboy, Junior Program Director USEFUL LINKS Sonoma Valley Tennis Association Sonoma-Napa-Marin Women's Tennis League USTA NorCal Maxwell Teams Find a Team Tournament Info USTA 2017 Rules and Regulations
Ra cquet St r i ngi ng NOEL BARBULES CO Member URSA C usto m stringing available with synthetic gut, polyester, multifilament and natural gut - plus hybrid set ups. (h) 938-1274 (c) 364-9211 Visit our website sonomavalleytennis.org