The Tennis Club Scholarship—its legacy and today

Tennis Talk

To all you “New to the Tennis Club” members and to the older members like me who sometimes forget, I’d like to share a bit about the Tennis Club Scholarship that was started way back in 2004, before today’s winners were born. The recipients are graduating seniors from Silver Creek High School—just down the road from The Villages. They are tennis players, just like us, and must enroll in a post-secondary school.

I wanted a way to give back to our community, and the Tennis Club agreed scholarships were a great way to do just that. The first scholarships were $500 each and in the last few years they’ve increased to $4,000 each. We were able to increase the amount because of fundraising events (like the upcoming tournament) and donations from folks like you. 

So register now for the Scholarship Tournament on Saturday on May 10! You can scan the QR posted at the Viewing Stand or sign up online. Simply go to the Tennis Club website (https://villagestennis.vgcc.club) and click either “Scholarship Tournament May 10th” at the top right, or scroll down to the green rectangle that reads “Scholarship Signup May 10th.” Both links take you to the registration form. We hope you’ll add a donation and be sure to click “Submit.” 

Jim Ferguson promises that you’ll have a blast playing in this tournament where you’ll meet and play with new folks in each round. Questions? Call Jim at (408) 693-5431. An added bonus: you’ll enjoy delicious food (as usual) for both breakfast and lunch. And participants will have a chance to win gift certificates to the Clubhouse.

Meeting new folks can also be about the “Jump Start” lessons held on Tuesdays from 5-6 p.m. where new and rusty players can learn and hone their tennis skills. And it can also be about playing at Rossmoor (more about that next week). 

Now for some USTA news: Our women’s 65+ team is proudly in second place and are going to play-offs next week at BayClub/Courtside, Friday, April 25 at 11 a.m. Winners of this match go on to regionals in the east Bay. Another proud bit of information: our men’s 55+ team is currently 5-1, and instead of hunting for Easter eggs, they’ll play a match that day here at 4:30 p.m. What a way to ham it up!

Speaking of winners, the Villages Tennis League notes that the “season” has reached mid-point, and that folks have played friendly but competitive matches. Many of the matches have been decided by third set tiebreakers.