Spring, 2013 - New England Senior Tennis Foundation

Senior Tennis 2013 – 1
Volume Six • Number Seventeen • Spring • 2013
THE NEW ENGLAND SENIOR TENNIS FOUNDATION BULLETIN
USTA Honors Irving Levine
with Annual Seniors’ Service Award
The United States Tennis Association (USTA) presented to Irving Levine of Rehoboth, Mass., its Seniors’
Service Award. Levine was recognized for his outstanding dedication and contribution in helping grow tennis at
the local level. He was honored at the USTA Annual Meeting on March 17 in Weston, Fla.
The Seniors’ Service Award was established in 1958 to recognize and honor a person for service to senior
tennis. It is given annually to the person deemed most deserving of the respect and honor of all seniors and is
awarded on the basis of the recipient’s willingness, cooperation and participation, either in play or organizational work, for the betterment and furtherance of senior competition.
Levine began playing tennis when he was 13 years old and has continued to be heavily involved in the sport
at age 90. He still plays many tournaments annually and remains an icon in the sporting community of Rehoboth.
Levine and his wife, Bernice, have been an inspiration to their local community. In 1996, they founded the
New England Senior Tennis Foundation (NESTF), an organization committed to promoting and supporting
tennis among New England seniors. Levine has donated approximately $20,000 annually toward the effort and
has been an active leader of the foundation, serving as a member of its board of directors. The NESTF provides
year-round opportunities for seniors to play, including an international annual tournament called the Friendship
Cup, which has been held
for more than 40 years and
features competition between
teams from USTA New England and Canada.
“Irving truly embodies what it means to be an
advocate for our sport. He is
a true inspiration, and thanks
to his efforts on and off the
court, hundreds of senior
players have been able to
enjoy the game,” said Kurt
Kamperman, Chief Executive, Community Tennis,
USTA. “We are proud to
recognize him for all that he
has given to senior tennis in
his community.”
L - R: Andrew Wong from Hawaii, a member of the selection committee; Cliff Drysdale, a
friend of Irv’s since 1972, and a 2013 inductee to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
2 – Senior Tennis 2013
New England Senior
Tennis Foundation, Inc.
An organization established by Bernice and Irving
Levine for the general purpose of promoting tennis
among senior adults in New England.
Administration
Peter Allen, President
Rich Heath, Treasurer
Dorcas Miller, Secretary
Board
Irving Levine
Wade Frame
Amy Read
George Ulrich
Carol Redden
Ken Miller
Jeanne Hulsen
Bats Wheeler
To facilitate the promotion of senior tennis, the
following strategies will be implemented:
1. To provide instruction for seniors interested
in learning how to play the sport or improve
their skills;
2. To support the publication of material to
help seniors learn how to play the game, improve
their skills and knowledge of the game, and understand the latest health research information
relating to the sport of tennis;
3. To distribute a newsletter on a regular basis
that freely discusses issues in the sport of tennis and at the same time reports the results of
tournaments and other competitions and news
of interest to seniors;
4. To run tournaments and other competitions for seniors innovatively and in such a way
as to help participants fully enjoy the sport;
5. To develop and support interstate, intersectional and international competitions for
seniors;
6. To respond to changing needs and interests
of senior tennis players;
7. To recognize and respond to opportunities
to provide leadership within a larger context
for the development of tennis (i.e., to support
or oppose actions by tennis groups that either
further or diminish the growth and support of
the sport);
8. To provide where possible and to support
facilities for senior players at either a reduced
rate or at no cost to them;
9. To create and support a governance structure that ensures continuity to the Foundation
and support for its goals and strategies.
Irv Levine in Action
Senior Tennis Newsletter editor
Dick Ernst of Cranston, R.I. The
Barrington High School boys
tennis coach and a ranking
senior circuit player.
Send stories, pictures and articles to:
Dick Ernst
71 Philmont Ave., Cranston, RI 02910
401-785-0532; or [email protected]
Advertising in this publication is available at
$500/page and $300/1/2 page.
N.E.S.T.F. website www.neseniortennis.org
Senior Tennis 2013 – 3
Editor’s Corner...
with Dick Ernst
At 77, Lazar Lowinger still recruits and trains
for Maccabiah Games
By Dick Ernst
If Lazar (Larry) Lowinger makes the US team for the 19th Maccabiah Games, he hopes the grand
masters tennis division is played on the games’ five new red clay courts.
The 77-year-old Newton resident had a total knee replacement in early February after bouts with arthritis. The softer courts are easier on the legs. But if the Maccabiah World Union, the games’ organizer,
says no, Lowinger will maintain his training regimen and book his flight to Jerusalem. He’ll still play.
“Of course,” he said. “We’re going to play like the youngsters play. I’m counting down the days to
the 2013 Maccabiah.”
Trials for Lowinger’s 65+ tennis division will take place in fall.
Maccabi USA (the American spelling is different) hopes to send more than 1,000 Jewish athletes to
Israel to compete in 35 sports according to Jed Margolis, the executive director.
Lowinger is one of more than 300 board members, “mavens” of their sports, who scout for athletes
through national sports associations and the JCC Maccabi Games. Because of their efforts, Margolis
expects tryouts to draw 3,000.
“We have people on the board who are out there all the time, looking for Jewish names, talking it up
and running receptions in their homes,” Margolis said. “It’s a matter of education – letting people know
what the games are.”
Lowinger attends tennis tournaments wearing a Maccabiah or Israeli Tennis Centers shirt and makes
a point of introducing himself to Jewish players. He sees the games as a way to bolster Americans’ pride
in their Jewish identity.
Among his recruits is Ben Soloway of Weston, who won a silver medal in the singles at the Pan
American Maccabi Games in Brazil last year. Soloway, 16, is now applying for the 19th Maccabiah.
“You bring new players in, you bring in kids like Ben Soloway, you’re preparing the ground for the
future leaders of Maccabi USA,” Lowinger said.
Soloway said he had seen Lowinger wearing his Maccabiah Games shirts around the Hazel Hotchkiss
Wightman Tennis Center in Weston, where both are members. Lowinger would praise Soloway’s strokes
during practice, he said.
Soloway said the atmosphere at the Pan
American games was different from that of
other tennis tourneys. “Everyone was on your
side,” he said. “It makes you feel like you’re
special.”
He said that at other tourneys, he tends to
avoid talking to the competition. But in Brazil, after defeating his first opponent, a Venezuelan, the two became friends.
Lowinger said sports have helped him develop mentally and physically throughout his
life.
Lowinger was born in 1933 in Belgium to
parents who had met and married in Cuba.
Lazar Lowinger surrounded by cheerleaders at the 2005 MacHis
father was originally from Romania and
cabiah Games in Israel, where he won a silver medal in doubles
play.
Continued on page 4
4 – Senior Tennis 2013
Continued from page 3 (Editor's Corner)
his mother from the Ukraine. The family spent the war years in Romania and then moved to Cuba.
Growing up, he saw gentiles participate in athletics, but was consistently excluded, he said.
“How does it feel to get kicked in the rear end and told, ‘Get the hell out of here, you Jew?’ he said.
“As a child of eight years old, it feels pretty bad.”
He first set foot on a playing field after World War II in Bucharest. With a team of other Jewish youth,
Lowinger played a gentile public school in soccer.
“It was a feeling of rebirth,” he said. “Like you’re born again, and you live in a new, free world.” The
team – playing its first game with a real soccer ball instead of one made of stockings – beat its seasoned
opponents.
Lowinger didn’t pick up a tennis racket until he moved to Cuba when he was invited to hit some balls
with a friend of his father’s.
“I said, ‘Are you kidding me? This is not male, this is not a macho game,” Lowinger recalled saying.
But he was persuaded to give it a try. Thanks to strokes he had perfected playing ping-pong, he amazed
his partner and fell in love with the sport.
“I got bitten by it,” Lowinger said. “I got bitten to the point where I lived to play tennis, especially to
help Jewish kids get into the game and to participate.”
After his family moved to the United States in 1954, Lowinger became a lawyer in 1964. A Newton
resident since 1967, he considered himself Massachusetts’ first Hispanic lawyer and still practices, primarily representing immigrants.
Lowinger’s two sons do not play tennis – one enjoyed lacrosse, one baseball.
“I always dreamt to play father and son with my boys” he said. “But if they weren’t into it, they
weren’t into it.”
Though he played in social and competitive-area tennis tournaments, he did not try out for the Maccabiah Games until 1987.
Lowinger played his first game for the Maccabi USA tennis team in 1987 in Venezuela as part of the
Pan American games. He won a bronze medal in the world Maccabiah Games in 2001 for the team from
Mexico, where he had established an additional residence after not qualifying for the US team. In 2005,
he represented the US and took home the world silver medal in doubles.
“When I represented the United States, and I came onto the court as part of the Maccabi USA team, it
was the proudest moment of my life,” Lowinger said.
He’s medaled at the Pan American games representing the U.S. in 1991, 1995, 1999 and 2003, he
said.
Among Lowinger’s tennis buddies and rivals is Sam Sporn of Brooklyn, New York. Sporn beat
Lowinger in the 1989 Pan American games in Argentina. Together, they won the gold medal for doubles
in Chile during the 2003 games.
Between tournaments, they played in
both Boston and Central Park, Sporn, 82,
said.
To prepare for this fall’s trials, Lowinger
plays matches and uses ball machines at the
Weston tennis center. His regimen includes
an up to two-hour workout two or three
times a week.
Lowinger can’t imagine living – or dying,
for that matter – without tennis.
“My rackets go with me,” he said. “If
they don’t have tennis courts up there, I’m
not going.”
For details on the 19th Maccabiah, visit Among Lowinger's recruits is Ben Soloway of Weston.
maccabiusa.com.
Senior Tennis 2013 – 5
NESTF President’s Message
I hope you kept active over the past winter because the 2013 lineup of tournaments is chock full again.
Mark your calendars now for a fun, full season with all senior tournaments conveniently listed at http://
www.neseniortennis.org/NESrTournsched.htm.
The highly attended Senior Slam tournaments will retain their great attraction, thanks to the continuing devotion of Ken and Dorcas Miller and major support from NESTF:
1. The Hard Court Slams at Yale on June 6 through 9 retain their national "Category II" significance,
for men’s and women’s 50, 60 and 70 age groups.
2. The Clay Slams on August 8 through 11 will again be held at Beverly and Concord.
3. The Grass Slams on September 9 through 12 will return to the International Hall of Fame in
Newport, RI.
NESTF’s Board remains dedicated to the Foundation’s goals adopted when it was generously founded
by Irving and Bernice Levine in 1996. Focused entirely on promoting senior tennis, NESTF continues to
invest roughly $20,000 annually in a mix of areas: grants (up to $2,000 each) for effective senior tennis
programs and events, plus online publication of these semiannual Bulletins.
The NESTF Board was recently delighted to learn that Irving Levine has been honored by the national US Tennis Association as the latest recipient of its very prestigious Seniors’ Service Award! The
USTA press release said, “It is given annually to the person deemed most deserving of the respect and
honor of all seniors and is awarded on the basis of the recipient’s willingness, cooperation and participation, either in play or organizational work, for the betterment and furtherance of senior competition.”
Established in 1958, this award had never gone to a New Englander. I had the extreme pleasure of
participating in a two-minute video honoring Irv, prepared for the March 17 awards ceremony at the
USTA Annual Meeting in Weston, Florida. Here is a link to it, featuring our legendary 91+ New England
tennis duo, Irving Levine and Henry Tiberio: http://www.usta.com/awardsmedia/. Irving is rehabbing
from a September hip replacement and hopes to compete
again nationally in the spring.
Please call me (508-366-0312) or e-mail (pallen@
neseniortennis.org) whenever you have a suggestion for
NESTF improvement. Best wishes for a fun 2013 season
with your senior tennis friends!
P.S. If you aren’t receiving occasional “NESTF Breaking
News” emails but wish you were, please add or update
your email address to our file by simply e-mailing our
Webmaster Ken Miller at [email protected].
Pete Allen, President
New England Senior Tennis Foundation
6 – Senior Tennis 2013
The New England 2012 Senior Slams
Reporting from the 2012 Senior Slams is originator and New England No. 1 ranked senior player,
Dorcas Miller. Dorcas notes that 411 entries in three premier events for this, the third season, reflect an
ever-increasing interest in this challenging format.
Breaking down the total reveals 127 individual competitors playing the Hard Court Slam at Yale; 136
in the combined Clay Slam at Concord Country Club and Beverly Golf and Tennis Club; and 148 in the
Grass Slam at Essex Country Club. Dorcas thanks all who competed fiercely throughout the days and
stayed for the parties afterward. “That’s what it is all about in senior tennis.”
Dorcas also notes that approximately 20 entrants from sections other than New England livened up
this season’s competition, and she hopes they enjoyed the tennis and will return next year.
Some high points from the tournaments include
• a large men’s 50 singles draw at Concord, finally won by Scott Snow (Windsor, CT) after many
rain delays;
• club members Kevin Barry (Beverly, MA) and Hamilton Mehlman (Manchester, MA) captured the
men’s 50 doubles title at Essex – Where had they been all year?
• a nail-biter final won by Joe Bouquin (Delray Beach, FL) in the men’s 60 singles at Essex –
Welcome back to New England, Joe;
• a squeaky-close men’s 55 doubles win by Wade Frame (Marblehead, MA) and Alan Turner
(Brookfield, CT) at Essex;
• a battle of the women’s teams in the 50 doubles at Essex, finally won by Johanna Bickford
(Hingham, MA) and Jean Osachuk (Belmont, MA) – It was good to see more women playing this
year;
• Mal Swanson’s (Windham, NH) 75 singles marathon win at Beverly;
• Kimm Fisher (Milford, CT) and Richard Makepeace’s (Naugatuck, CT) men's 55 doubles win in
three tough
sets at Concord;
• Pennsylvania's Al Hernandez’s (Yardley, PA) wonderful play in the men’s 50 singles in the
Category II at Yale;
• Jonathan Bates (Stamford, CT) and Harlan Stone’s (Darien, CT) win in the 55 men’s doubles at
Yale;
• and finally, participation in the tournaments by our former New England tennis stars, John Mayotte
(Clarksville, MD) and Ted Hoehn (Vero Beach, FL) – We loved having you back!
Going into the final tournament there were three Triple Slam candidates: Paul Shaw, the team of
George Ulrich and John Fournier, and the team of Whitey Joslin and Tom Diehl. All did not make it, as
Paul Shaw opted to play only doubles, and Ulrich and Fournier and Joslin and Diehl both lost in their
respective finals. Maybe next year?
So the lone triple-crown winners to date remain Carolyn Fournier and partner, Ruby Curtis. Congratulations, ladies.
More detailed information regarding the Senior Slams may be found at www.neseniortennis.org/
NESlams.htm.
Senior Tennis 2013 – 7
Two More NE Players Receive Gold Balls
by Winning National Tournaments
Judy Smith of Brookline, MA, won the women’s 75 Grass National held in Philadelphia in late July.
Her partner was Roz King from California. They were unseeded, so scored an upset over the seeded
teams.
More recently, Henry Tiberio managed to win two gold balls at the 90’s Grass National at Longwood
Cricket Club in late August. In the singles, he defeated first seed Robert Sherman in three tough sets in
the semis, and then went on to win the finals, 6-2, 6-1, over second seed W. Mathes.
In doubles, there were three teams and they played round-robin. Henry and partner Steve Parson won
two of three matches to win, and thus win two gold balls in the same tournament.
Congratulations to both Judy and Henry for a great achievement!
John Kielty
We all thought we knew senior mixed doubles player John Kielty, a ranking New Englander at least
since 1986, until he showed up in The Boston Globe this past March wearing ski equipment! Turns out
he’s been racing down mountains winters instead of heading for Florida along with many other New
England tennis enthusiasts. John revealed that he’s skied all his life (which may explain why he’s so
agile on the court).
John Kielty, 84, shown after a downhill race, recalled that his first pair of hickory skis
were strapped to his street shoes.
8 – Senior Tennis 2013
2012 Atlantic Coast 45’s
by Wade Frame
The 32nd annual Pauline Betz Addie Cup competition was held recently at the
Longwood Cricket Club in Brookline, Mass., May 30 and June 1.
It’s early spring, and time to get everything in order for the 2013 Atlantic Coast 45’s. This intersectional match features teams from New England, Eastern, Middle States, and Mid-Atlantic sections.
A round-robin format is used and has each team playing four singles and three doubles matches against
each of the other sections. Mid-Atlantic is the host section and the matches will be held on Har-tru
courts at split sites at the Columbia and Woodmont Country Clubs. It's great to be back on clay after
having to go indoors for the past two years at the Middle States and Eastern sites.
Hosting teams are usually able to put together tough teams, and we are scheduled to start play
against host Mid-Atlantic at Columbia Saturday morning, and then face off against Middle States in the
afternoon at Woodmont. We’ll finish on Sunday morning against Eastern, the 2011 AC45 winner.
New England’s travel team is looking good at 11 players, with nine returnees and two rookies.
Heading up the singles ranks are David MacBurnie, Bill Mountford, Dave Cox, Anthony Ditulio, and
Phil Kadesch – who will also play a doubles match. With decades of doubles experience, we have three
long-standing teams of Jon Bates and Harlan Stone, Scott Snow and Mike Kolendo, and Chris Holmes
and Wade Frame.
Saturday morning's match starts with a change as we are to play at Woodmont instead of Columbia. We’re ready to go with our No. 1 lineup when we find there is another change – we’ll play Middle
States, not the home team from Mid-Atlantic. After a bit of lineup juggling, we’re ready to go.
David MacBurnie at 1st singles, followed by Bill Mountford, Dave Cox, and Anthony Ditulio; at 1st
doubles, Stone and Bates; 2nd, Kadesch and Frame, and Kolendo and Snow at 3rd. New England gets
off to a quick start winning both 1st and 3rd doubles in straight sets. These wins are offset as Middle
States takes straight-set wins over Cox and Ditulio at 3rd and 4th singles. Bill Mountford plays a strong
match to take second singles 6-2, 6-2. Kadesch and Frame take the 1st set from Al Hernandez and
Brad Werner at 2nd
doubles, but drop the
2nd set when Frame’s
serve heads south.
The serving troubles
continue through
the 3rd set and even
Phil’s great play can’t
turn it around. Middle
States wins to tie the
match at 3-3. David
Mac is playing a
very tough Jim Kohr.
While Jim dominates
the first set 6-3, and
Mac fights back to
take the second set in
a tight tiebreaker. It’s
a tough set and costs
him an injured back.
Battling a rejuveThe team before play started.
nated Kohr, dry and
Continued on page 25
Senior Tennis 2013 – 9
Irving Levine Winner
of the USTA 2013 Senior Service Award
by Richard Heath
Irving Levine, my longtime friend and benefactor of many different tennis activities here
in New England, was awarded the highest USTA National award for doing so many good things
for tennis here in the USA. This event was on the 17th of March during the USTA’s annual
meeting in Weston, Florida.
Back in the year 1996 William Powers and Jack England asked Irving to meet with them
to discuss the idea starting an organization that would be helpful to senior tennis here in New
England. Irving liked the idea and was happy to give a generous sum of money for the start-up
of the New England Senior Tennis Foundation. This arrangement has been active since the start
in 1996, and has assisted many different senior events here in New England.
One of the outstanding events has been the New England Senior Slams played on three
different surfaces: hard courts at New Haven, Ct.; clay courts at Concord, Mass. and Beverly,
Mass; and grass courts at Newport, RI. These events came about because of the hard work of
Ken and Dorcas Miller, board members of the NESTF. The NESTF has backed them all the way.
The enclosed photograph is of one of the past annual awards gathering at the Newport Hall
of Fame courts for tennis players ranked No. 1 in their age brackets. If you look closely you will
see Irving talking to his longtime partner Henry Tiberio. Irving has been No. 1 in many different
brackets.
This article is written by Rich Heath, longtime friend of Irving Levine, who has been very
active in running tournaments and helping out with various tennis activities for the past 59 years
here in New England.
10 – Senior Tennis 2013
How Important is an
Olympic Gold Medal in Tennis?
By Paul Fein
What is more treasured: a Grand Slam title or an Olympic gold medal? When
tennis returned to the Olympic Games as a medal sport in 1988 after a 64-year
hiatus, posing this question was unimaginable.
Cynics and critics, including the esteemed writer-broadcaster Bud Collins, then contended tennis
didn’t need the Olympics and the Olympics didn’t need tennis. In 1994, Cliff Drysdale, a TV commentator and former US Open finalist, told Tennis magazine: “Those who advocate for Olympic tennis believe
it’s an idea whose time has come. In fact, it’s an idea whose time has passed.”
They couldn’t be more wrong. In a 1982 World Tennis magazine editorial, International Tennis Federation secretary David Gray provided four compelling reasons for readmitting tennis: “The universality
of the sport, the growth of participation and public interest, our history (Baron de Coubertin had regarded us as suitable for the first modern Olympics in 1896), and the simplicity of our requirements.”
There will always be skeptics and bitter-enders. As recently as 2004, all-time great Rod Laver told
Tennis magazine, “I just think tennis doesn’t lend itself to being an Olympic sport. To me, the Olympics
is track and field.” But the overwhelming support and enthusiasm of players, fans, sponsors and media
for tennis in the Olympic Games is now a happy fact of life, not a subject for debate.
John McEnroe, a 1980s champion and now a leading TV analyst, recalled, “When Andre Agassi won
his gold medal in 1996 and stood oh so proud with that USA on his back, other players started thinking:
‘Maybe it’s a good thing if we play this; maybe pros in the Olympics makes sense.’ In the beginning
more than 50 percent of the top [men] players didn’t play. After Andre won it, more and more of the top
players played each subsequent Olympics.”
The fields have grown steadily stronger since 1988 and now equal those at Grand Slam events. At
the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the singles competitions featured 17 of the top 20 men, and 18 of the top
20 women, with all of the top five men in attendance. The only top 20 women missing at the London
Games were Kaia Kanepi and Andrea Petkovic, both injured, and Marion Bartoli because of her refusal
to accept any coach other than her father. All of the top 10 men, except injured Rafael Nadal, competed.
Nadal, the 2008 singles gold medalist, called his withdrawal, “one of the saddest days of my career.”
When Russian veteran Elena Dementieva captured the singles gold medal at Beijing, she stressed
it meant much more to her than winning a major title would have. The tears of joy Roger Federer shed
after he and Swiss compatriot Stanislas Wawrinka took the doubles gold medal in Beijing were so
poignant that IOC President Jacques Rogge said it was one moment he would never forget. Grabbing
his 17th major title at Wimbledon gratified The Mighty Fed and silenced his critics, but he failed for the
fourth straight Olympics to win a singles gold medal, the only prestigious prize that has eluded him.
Although Federer now owns a singles silver medal, he remains in the club of “greatest players never
to win a singles gold medal,” which includes Pete Sampras, Martina Navratilova, Ivan Lendl, Boris
Becker, Stefan Edberg, Novak Djokovic, Martina Hingis, and Maria Sharapova. When Djokovic was
asked early in the London Games what a gold medal would mean to him, he replied, “It would be probably right up there with all the Grand Slams that I won because I’m playing here for my country.” Like
Federer, the Serb was thwarted by surprise gold medalist Andy Murray.
Although a gold medal won this century keeps increasing in value, it’s fair to say not all Grand Slam
tournaments are valued equally. While some players may cherish a Wimbledon title more than an Olympics gold, far fewer would take an Australian title over a gold medal. Opinions vary about the French
and US Opens. Specifically, Europeans consider Paris more prestigious than Flushing Meadows, but
Americans would disagree. What isn’t debatable is that gold medals possess such great value partly
because they are rare – 16 major titles are contested for every Olympics. Top 50 players may get three
Senior Tennis 2013 – 11
chances in their careers-if they’re healthy and are selected.
“The Olympics is a tremendous address for tennis, and contributed greatly to the surge of importance
and respect for the sport in countries like China and Russia,” points out respected tennis and Olympic
Games analyst Mary Carillo. “I remember [1950s champion] Tony Trabert – an old-school man in so
many ways – who said of the inclusion of tennis in the Olympics, “I think it’s a great thing. I’d have
loved to play for my country in the Olympics. Who wouldn’t?"
National pride also factors heavily in the equation for many players, tennis associations, fervent media and patriotic fans. When No. 133-ranked Jie Zheng stunned everyone by making the 2008 Wimbledon semifinals, the headline in a Chinese newspaper read: “Wimbledon semifinal greatly enhances your
Olympics preparation.” Put differently, the message was: Nice going, Jie Zheng, but what really matters
is the Beijing Games and we expect you to excel there.
The WTA and ATP Tours have some catching up and explaining to do. The WTA Tour awards only
an insulting and unfair 685 and 470 ranking points to gold and silver medalists, respectively, compared
to 2,000 and 1,400 ranking points for the champion and finalist, respectively, at Grand Slam events. The
ATP Tour isn’t much better, awarding 750 points for the gold, but even fewer, 450 points, for the silver.
“Toronto [Rogers Cup] is worth more points [1,000 for the winner] than the Olympics. That’s what’s
bizarre,” rightly criticized McEnroe. “I don’t know why the Olympics aren’t as important now in terms
of ranking points as a major. If you only play the Olympics once every four years, how in the world is it
less important than 14 other tournaments – not just the four majors, but also 10 other tournaments?”
After falling to Federer in the Wimbledon final and disappointing British fans again, world No. 4
Murray said he was “desperate” to win an Olympics gold medal at the All England Club. “I think a gold
medal is the pinnacle of every sport. Novak Djokovic won a bronze medal at the last Olympics and was
in tears,” asserted Murray. More relaxed, confident and aggressive than ever in big matches, Murray
reached that pinnacle by edging Djokovic 7-5, 7-5 in the semis and outclassing favored Federer 6-2, 6-1,
6-4 for the gold medal.
When American twins Bob and Mike Bryan, winners of 11 major doubles titles, defeated Frenchmen
Michael Llodra and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to capture the doubles gold medal and complete a career Grand
Slam, Bob said, “This is the biggest win of our career right here. It’s unbelievable.”
Before the London Games, Serena Williams said the gold medal she won playing doubles with her
sister Venus at the Sydney Olympic is “my favorite thing I have” and the only award she shows off to
friends. After trouncing Sharapova 6-0, 6-1 for the gold, ecstatic Serena jumped several times in joy, did
a little dance and gushed, “Winning Wimbledon is the best feeling in the world. Now that I won the gold
medal, I didn’t think it could get better than winning Wimbledon.”
That the premier women from Steffi Graf in 1988 to Serena in 2012 have
won the gold medal “shows you the importance of tennis to the Olympics
and the players,” pointed out topnotch NBC analyst and former Australian
doubles standout Rennae Stubbs. “Tennis is becoming more and more important every single Olympic Games.” Adds Carillo: “Staging the Olympics
here [at Wimbledon], the greatest venue in tennis, has added so much more
luster.”
How important is a tennis gold medal?
Andre Agassi, who boasts a career Grand Slam and a gold medal at the
Atlanta Games, summed it up best: “To win a Grand Slam [title] is the
greatest thing in the sport, but to win an Olympic is the biggest thing you
can do in all sports.”
12 – Senior Tennis 2013
Jerry Johnson’s New Book of Poetry
Has Been Published
by Dick Ernst
Since 2001, Jerry Johnson has been
one of the Bulletin’s most prolific writers.
He has contributed almost 50 tennis stories and poems. He recently published Up
the Creek Without a Saddle, a book which
took him eight years to complete. It contains 99 poems and his artwork on 150plus pages. Jerry has assured me that at
least two of the poems are tennis poems!
Sixteen of the poems were set to music by
Jon Gailmor and Pete Sutherland, two of
Vermont’s most beloved troubadours. A
CD of their songs accompanies the book
for free when people order on Jerry’s website.
Up the Creek Without a Saddle has
received high praise from noted Vermont
writers:
“What comes shining through from Jerry Johnson’s touching new collection of poems is his great love
of northern Vermont’s weather, seasons, animals, trees and wildflowers, farms and villages, mountains
and rivers, and, most of all, independent spirit. Jerry’s poems and the music of Jon Gailmor and Pete
Sutherland are a lyrical celebration of the ‘Vermont Tradition’ at its best.”
– Howard Mosher, award-winning author
“Jerry Johnson has the true songwriter’s gift: his lyrics seem so simple, but that’s a deception. The more one
listens – and the tunes are brilliantly served by the excellent Jon Gailmor and Pete Sutherland - the deeper they get.
What a pleasure this album is!”
– Sydney Lea, Poet Laureate of Vermont
“Who needs therapy lights and energy drinks when you
can read Up the Creek Without a Saddle? Jerry’s bareback
collection is a good ride – a kind-hearted and optimistic
antidote to so much dark elegy being written today. One by
one, the poems lift the spirit. As a whole, it’s an album to
savor all year round.”
– John Fusco, screenwriter/novelist
For information and to order visit <http://www.vtpoet.
com/> www.VTPOET.com. Buy one for yourself and one
for friends or family!
Senior Tennis 2013 – 13
Ann Murphy and Daughter
Kim Murphy-Francis Win Gold Ball
at National Mother/Daughter Tournament
Ann won the Super Senior Grass Court Mother/Daughter for the second straight year with her
daughter Kim Murphy-Francis at Longwood Cricket Club in Brookline, MA, on August 12-15.
There were five teams entered and the draw was set up in a round-robin format. In the first match
they defeated Kathy Powers and Elaine Cosseboom 6-4, 6-3. In the second they defeated Judy Bland
and Kristin Fusco 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, and in the third match they defeated Julie and Jen Roth from Illinois
3-6, 6-3, 7-5. Their last match, against Nancy Stoller and Amy Gorden from Florida, was won by default
after the results were already determined: the Murphy’s won the gold, the Roth’s won the silver, and the
Bland’s won the playoff against the Powers for the bronze.
Ann and Kim got some practice together before the nationals by playing in 50 women’s doubles at
the Walter Rapp tournament (Hartford Tennis Club) in late July where they won. Ann played way down
in the age group to win this!
The “Ball” winners: l - r: Kristen Fusco, Judy Bland (bronze ball), Kim Murphy-Francis,
Ann Murphy (gold ball), Kathleen Power, Elaine Cosseboom (silver ball).
14 – Senior Tennis 2013
You Answer the Question: What Kind of Year Did You Have?
Enclosed is a moronic, mish-mash of Dick Mount’s miscellaneous minutiae –
stupid stats and statistics (not tennis) are from Dec. 1, 2011 until Nov. 30, 2012!
No. of different license plates seen with the letter “Q”
No. of jars of sweet gherkin pickles consumed
Walks around Brookline’s Reservoir Park (one mile)
Lifted my five pound hand weights
Rounds putted on Coral Beach & Tennis Club’s 18 hole green
No. of “unlucky bananas” eaten
Times I wore my tuxedo (left at C.B. & T.C. – no longer fits)
No. of haircuts (Chestnut Hill Hair Co.)
No. of basketball games watched/attended in entirety
Points scored in those basketball games
Books read (best Kill Shot by Vince Flynn)
Wheelbarrows of stuff removed from Quincy Tennis Club
Alcoholic drinks (mostly scotch old-fashions by Maurice)
Crossword puzzles successfully completed
Palindromic license plates seen (best QQQQQ - Mass.)
Miles riding stationary bike at Badminton & Tennis Club
Calories lost while riding that bike
Tennis games played that did not end in a completed set
Movies seen (best: Bridge on the River Kwai)
Record of Brooklyn High School Girl’s Tennis Team (W/L)
My 16 year record with B.H.S. Girl’s Tennis Team
Surgical procedure (right shoulder – rotator cuff)
Sudoku puzzles successfully completed
Hits on the Badminton & Tennis Club’s backboard
Completion of license plate game (se A to Z in order)
Tie-Breaker record for the year (W/L)
Football games watched in their entirety
Ended my consecutive Yale/Dartmouth football games seen at
My Tennis record in Gstaad, Switzerland (W/L)
No. of times I was losing to 7-year-old Ana Driscoll
179
6
449
11,150
95
283
1
12
68/18
10,150
10
352
81
469
75
765
10,255
231
45
18/3
228-71
1
988
38,400
238
8/4
52
62
5/7
1
Per usual: My eleventh month Tennis record (W/L)
Winning percentage (lowest ever) Age? or Shoulder?
67-54
55.3%
18 – Senior Tennis 2006
CHONDROMALACIA PATELLA
by Jack D. Goldstein, M.D.
Member of the American
Arthroscopy Association
GENERAL
The word “chondromalacia” means cartilage (chronic)
softening (malacia). This may occur in any joint but is
commonly used to describe surface changes of the knee cap
(patella). The term truly describes cartilage changes seen
microscopically, but has been generalized to encompass
the clinical condition.
The patella, or kneecap, is an oblong bone which is embedded within the extensor tendon of the knee. The patella,
increases the leverage of the extensor muscles (quadriceps)
and acts also as a pulley, around the femoral groove. Both
the patella and the femoral groove which it contacts, have
smooth cartilage surfaces lubricated by snyovial fluid (joint
oil). The cartilage also absorbs enormous loads during daily
activities. Walking on level ground exerts a contact force of
one-half body weight. Climbing stairs increases the force to
three times body weight. Arising from a squat can generate
patellar forces up to eight times body weight.
Chondromalacia may occur as a result of a direct blow
to the patella, fracture
or dislocation, or more
commonly, over a period
of years because of wear
and tear. This occurs because of overuse, coupled
with anatomic malalignment and supporting soft
tissue imbalance. The anatomic factors responsible
for alignment and patella
tracking are: tibiofemoral angle (knock-knee or bow-leg),
tibiofemoral rotatory alignment, patellar and patellar and
femoral groove shape and congruity and capsules and muscular balance. In general, “maltracking” from any cause exposes the cartilage of patella and femur to localized excessive
load and accelerated wear. The condition is more common
in women and is frequently seen during adolescence. It is
often associated with activities which induce high patella
femoral loads such as hill climbing, cross-country running,
jumping, and squatting.
SYMPTOMS
Symptoms are fairly nonspecific but the history is relatively diagnostic. Pain is general dull, aching and generalized to the “front” of the knee. Pain occurs with, or more
commonly, hours or days after aggravating activities. There
is often mild swelling noted after aggravating activities.
Cracking, popping or grating is both palpable and at times
audible when flexing and extending the knee. Prolonged
sitting often results in aching and stiffness. The pain is
experienced in bone which feels abnormally high pressure
against it. The consequence of abnormal pressure is accelerated wear. The debris generated lads to inflammation,
swelling and pain.
DIAGNOSIS
Diagnosis is certain by direct visualization. No one test
is diagnostic; however, careful examination and evaluation
results in high diagnostic accuracy. Plain X-ray examination is often suggestive and sometimes diagnostic of
malalignment or abnormal wear. Specialized exam such
as CT scan or MRI are generally not indicated except in
Senior Tennis 2013 – 15
Board Certified by the American
Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery
Fellowship Trained in Orthopaedic
Sports Medicine
instances where other pathology is suspected. Although chondromalacia is an early form of arthritis, it rarely results in severe disabling symptoms, and has no relationship to generalized arthritis.
Typically, the patient experiences ups and downs in symptoms
related to their activities.
TREATMENT
Treatment is aimed at reducing the regularity and severity of
symptoms. This may be accomplished by avoiding or modifying
aggravating activities. Over time, the patella and femoral surfaces
will then smooth out the rough areas. An exercise program which
strengthens the quadriceps muscles (extensors) and stretches the
hamstrings helps to balance the forces holding the patella central
in the femoral groove. A strong quadriceps also dampens forces
the surface cartilage sees by absorbing more energy of acceleration
and deceleration. Short-arc extension exercises especially laying
partly toward the affected side, and straight leg raising also in this
position, are helpful early exercises. Stairmaster (with rapid steps),
mini-squats, bicycle with light load and the seat raised high, and
pulling yourself in a rolling desk chair by your feet
on the ground, are helpful
exercises. Icing the knee
for 20 minutes after aggravating activities and
short courses of aspirin
or other anti-in flam matory medications may
be ben e fi cial. A pa tel la
“brace” or sleeve may aid
symptoms of mild “maltracking.’ Swimming and cycling (straight
line exercises) are best tolerated, but the guide to activity should
be pain and swelling.
SURGERY
Surgery is considered only after refractory conservative management. This may consist of arthroscopic release of the lateral
knee capsule or more extensive realignment in the case of significant maltracking. In rare instances, removal of the patella is
necessary to alleviate symptoms of severe arthritis. This is a last
resort, but in the patient with total cartilage loss, the increase in
function and the decrease in pain can be dramatic.
REHABILITATION
Rehabilitation is very dependent on the procedure necessary.
Arthroscopic lateral release (dividing the lateral knee capsule)
although simple and quick to perform, requires a long period of
rehabilitation to regain strength of the extensor mechanism and
improve stability. Swelling of the knee, especially after activities which load the extensor mechanism, may take 4 months to
resolve. More extensive realignment procedures which move the
patellar tendon site of attachment, require healing of the bone
attachment site as well as soft tissue healing. Here improvement
may be expected for 4 to 6 months post operatively. Much of the
necessary rehabilitation may be undertaken on a home program of
therapy or at a gym facility, once the required exercise program
is familiar and progress is made to a safe and comfortable point
after surgery.
Compliments of: Center for Sports Medicine, Orthopaedics and Podiatry
129 School St. Pawtucket, RI 02860 (401) 729-9400
sportsmedcenter.com
16 – Senior Tennis 2013
Could You Have a Jeremy Lin Knee?
A Torn Meniscus Can Go Unnoticed, 42% of Older Men Have Some Damage
By Melinda Beck
Of the more than 7,500 parts in the human body, the knee’s meniscus may be the most vulnerable.
The crescent-shaped cushions of rubbery cartilage – two in each knee – act as shock absorbers as
people walk, run, pivot and bend. Sudden stops and twisting motions can cause the meniscus to rip or
experience a more gradual tear.
Jeremy Lin is the latest pro athlete to fall victim. The popular New York Knicks point guard will
have surgery this week on a small, chronic tear in his left knee and miss the rest of the season, the team
announced Saturday. Last month, Red Bulls power forward Juan Agudelo, Atlanta Braves third baseman
Chipper Jones and Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez all had meniscus surgery.
Many skiers, cyclists, joggers, golfers and other weekend warriors also damage their menisci, as do
a growing number of teens and adolescents who play sports.
It isn’t just athletes who are at risk. Cartilage weakens and frays naturally with age, so older people
can tear a meniscus just walking or rising from a chair. Excess weight also places extra weight also
places extra stress on joints and wears down cartilage faster.
“A lot of tear are due to chronic degeneration,” says Frederick Azar, chief of staff a the Campbell
Clinic in Germantown, Tenn., and a spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, or
AAOS. “People may attribute them to a sudden movement, but usually the trouble has been brewing for
a long time.”
Not surprisingly, knee injuries are rising with the aging population and the obesity epidemic. More
than four million Americans visited physicians for meniscus tears in 2009, more than double the number
of 2000, according to the AAOS.
Not every torn meniscus needs to be fixed. In a landmark study in the New England Journal of
Medicine in 2008, researchers randomly selected 991 people aged 50 to 90 to undergo MRIs of the right
knee. Overall, 30% of the women and 42% of the men were found to have a tear or other meniscus damage. Of those, 61% said they hadn’t experienced any pain or disability in the knee during the previous
month, meaning a torn meniscus can often go unnoticed.
That’s why orthopedists often say, “Treat the patient, not the MRI.”
Surgery is usually recommended in the case of a sudden, severe meniscus tear or in a young athlete
with a long playing career ahead. Surgery is also warranted if the knee makes a “popping” or “clicking”
sound or catches when bending, which often means that a piece of meniscus has come loose inside the
joint.
But if the tear is the result of long-term degeneration and osteoarthritis has set in, several studies
show that patients do just as well with physical therapy as they do with surgery.
“If the MRI shows a meniscus tear, but the patient isn’t experiencing catching or locking [and] their
X-rays show early arthritis, I don’t think they’d be a surgical candidate,” says Michael Stuart, professor
of orthopedics at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “But we would help with their pain. We’d suggest
weight loss, activity modification, anti-activity modification, anti-inflammatory medications, maybe an
injection of a local anesthetic and orthotics in their shoes.”
Much also depends on the size and location of the tear. While surgeons can suture a small tear on
the periphery of the meniscus, the inner portion of the meniscus doesn’t have its own blood supply, so
repairs there seldom heal. Surgeons remove the damaged portion instead.
As late as 1971, surgeons frequently removed the entire meniscus if part of it was damaged. Now
they leave as much of the meniscus in place as possible. Nearly 700,000 such “partial meniscectomies”
were performed in 2006, usually with arthroscopy, in which surgeons using tiny incisions and a lighted
scope that lets them both see and sculpt the tissue.
Senior Tennis 2013 – 17
Many patients report significant relief from the procedure, which is usually done on an outpatient
basis.
“I wish I’d had the surgery sooner,” says Haralee Weintraub of Portland, Ore., who hurt her right
knee skiing and put up with pain for 10 years before she had the procedure in 2003 at age 50.
But having only a partial meniscus does alter the way the knee joint handles body movement and
raises the risk of osteoarthritis later. Whether that’s inevitable depends on the patient’s age, health, genes
and activity levels.
Physical therapy and strength training before and after the surgery can be crucial. But patients are
often told to avoid high-impact sports, or they run the risk of needing a knee replacement later.
By the time he was 18, Anthony Baldinelli had torn his menisci thee times playing soccer and had
much of the cartilage removed. Now he gets a flare-up of arthritis when he plays sports more than once
a week. Doctor want to avoid a knee replacement because he’s only 23. “On X-rays, my right knee looks
like an old man’s,” says Mr. Baldinelli, a publicist in Raleigh, N.C.
In a 2008 study, 991 people aged 50 to 90 underwent MRIs of the right knee.
Of those: 30% of the women had tears or other meniscus damage
42% of the men had tears or other meniscus damage
Source: New England Journal of Medicine.
When a meniscus tear is very large or complex, a transplant may be an option. The tissue is taken
from cadavers that have been frozen and screened for infections. The risk of rejection is minimal with
cartilage; matches are based on size instead.
Follow-up studies have found that about 80% of transplant recipients find significant pain relief. But
the donor meniscus isn’t as good as an original. “After about 10 years, 40% of them will have torn and
require additional surgery or partial or total removal,” says Dr. Stuart.
Mike Schwartz, 43, who runs an Internet apparel company in Santa Monica, Calif., damaged his
knees as a gymnast in his teens and had a meniscus transplant in 2007. He is grateful that his knee no
longer swells up easily, but is still stiff and sore if he leaves it unbent too long. “My knee still pretty
much hurts all the time,” he says.
In many cases, physical therapy can stave off the need for meniscus surgery for a few years – or
indefinitely. The training strengthens and retrains leg muscles to put less strain on damaged tissue.
Some clinics are trying a variety of techniques aimed at coaxing the body to heal itself, with or without surgery. Injections of platelet-rich plasma, or PRP, are popular among pro athletes. Doctors withdraw
several ounces of the patient’s own blood, spin it and separate out the platelets, which secrete natural
growth factors, then inject them back into the site of injury, where they theoretically stimulate healing.
But thee have been few randomized trials to date and results have been mixed.
Injections of hyaluronic acid – originally derived from the combs of roosters – can lubricate knee
joint and stave off surgery in some cases. Patricia Lorenz, 66, of Clearwater, FL., who tore her meniscus “traipsing all over Europe” in 2000, was scheduled for knee-replacement surgery in January when a
sports-medicine doctor gave her a cortisone shot and three injections of rooster cartilage.
“The pain went away immediately,” says Ms. Lorenz, an author and speaker. “He says it will last six
to 12 months and then I can get three more shots.”
Researchers are hoping to develop steam-cell therapies to repair damaged meniscus tissue. Others
are engineering biodegradable scaffoldings that could serve as a matrix for growing a new meniscus inside patients’ knees. Until then, orthopedists advise patients to treat their knees with respect and assume
they are the only two they will get.
18 – Senior Tennis 2013
The Affliction of Athletes – and Couch Potatoes
COMMON TYPES OF MENISCAL TEARS
The size and location of the tear affect the treatment. The outer
rim of the meniscus has a rich blood supply, so a tear there can
often be surgically repaired or may heal on its own. The inner twothirds of the meniscus lacks a blood supply, so tears in this area
don’t heal. Surgeons may trim way the damaged cartilage instead,
especially if a piece pulls away and blocks the knee’s ability to bend.
The meniscus is a
crescent-shaped ad of
cartilage that acts as a
shock absorber in the
knee. Each knee has two.
Preventive Steps
JEREMY LIN
of the New York
Knicks will miss the
rest of the NBA season to recover from
a torn meniscus.
u Maintain a healthy weight. Men with
a body mass index (BMI) over 27
and women with a BMI over 25
have triple the risk of a torn meniscus.
u Exercise regularly to strengthen
hamstrings, quadriceps and calf muscles.
u Warm up and stretch before sports or
strenuous activities.
u Let muscles rest and recover between
activities.
u Wear proper footwear for your spots and
activity surface; keep laces tight.
u Learn proper techniques for landing, cutting,
pivoting and shopping.
CHEZ REAVIE had reconstructive
surgery on his knee for a torn ACL
and meniscus.
t
Atlanta Braves third
baseman CHIPPER
JONES injured his
knee when he slipped
during a pregame
stretching session.
t
Source: American Journal of Preventive Medicine 2005 WSJ reporting.
t
Red Bulls forward JUAN
AGUDELO tore his
meniscus in a game on
March 24.
Senior Tennis 2013 – 19
A Tradition to Celebrate: The Friendship Cup
By Richard Jakiel
As one of New England’s longest
running tournaments - and only
international tournament – the Friendship
Cup is a tradition to celebrate. Started
more than 40 years ago, the Friendship
Cup is a premier annual senior tennis
tournament that has both a rich history
and successful story of establishing
international camaraderie both on and off
the court.
The tradition started back in 1967
when Walter Foeger of Vermont was
looking to establish competitive senior
tennis play in alliance with the New
England Lawn Tennis Association
(NELTA), now USTA New England. He contacted George Barta of the Canadian Senior Division and
the Friendship Cup was created. The ball has been in play ever since.
Foeger, an Austrian Native, was a former member of the Austrian Davis Cup team. Foeger arrived in
the United States in 1956 to take leadership of the ski program at Jay Peak Resort located in Jay, VT.
In doing so, he was also to carry on his passion for tennis.
Foeger was a competitive tournament player capturing many titles including eight Vermont State
championships. After participating in the tournament for several years, Foeger returned to his native
Austria and took over the reins of the Austrian Tennis Association. Walter Foeger passed away in 2007
at the age of ninety.
Irving Levine, co-founder of the New England Senior Tennis Foundation, was one of the original
members. Today, at the age of ninety, Levine visibly and keenly recalls the details of the first few years
of the tournament.
In 1967, the first Friendship Cup was played on three courts at the Jay Peak Resort in Vermont.
Hosting the Canadians, New England’s team consisted of no more than a dozen players. They turned out
victorious in humble fashion.
When asked what the Friendship Cup means to him, Levine says, “The very beginning was the most
memorable, the places, the atmosphere, the competition. That is what made you want to participate year
after year.” Levine especially looked forward to the banquet every Saturday evening of the tournament
where the players exchanged gifts and stories.
The Friendship Cup has prospered well over the decades. At the very start of the tournament there
was only a 45’s men’s bracket with a select few players. Throughout the years the tournament evolved to
hold a men’s 45’s, 55’s, 65’s and 75’s with a 32 man roster.
The addition of the women’s category came in 1980. At first it only held a 15 women roster, now has
advanced to a 20 women roster with five age divisions: 40’s, 50’s, 55’s, 65’s and 70’s.
The format of the tournament is both singles and doubles with 32 singles and 16 doubles matches.
Each match gives the respective victors’ team a point. This format is the same for men and women
competition.
According to the initial guidelines established in 1967, the tournament changes the host country every
year. The latest tournament, in June of 2012, was played at Mont Tremblant Ski Resort Quebec, Canada.
While traveling between the two countries, the Friendship Cup has left footprints in the United States
20 – Senior Tennis 2013
Continued from page 19 (Friendship Cup)
at the original starting point at Jay Peak Resort, Sugarbush Resort in Vermont, and also at Mount Royal
Club of Montreal. In 2011, the tournament was played at Waterville Valley Resort, Waterville, New
Hampshire.
Levine’s long time friend and doubles partner of the Friendship Cup (and also an original 1967 team
member), Henry Tiberio says the travel and host location has been one of the tournament's key success
factors. “The travel was always something special, we just loved doing it. It’s fun going there and having
them here,” said Tiberio – who just celebrated his 90th birthday.
Neither Levine nor Tiberio play in the tournament anymore, but they continue to be active through
their support of the game. Levine added,
“If there were an opponent for me in the
90’s bracket, I would still be playing.”
The tradition continues on through
current captain Ken Moulton and his
teammates. He expresses the same
passion for the Cup as Levine and Tiberio
have all these years.
Moulton’s favorite recent memory
is New England’s 2012 victory over
Quebec. “We were down 17 to 15 and
needed 10 of the 16 doubles matches
to retain the Cup. It all came down to
a 3rd set match that Joe Bouquin and
Peter McPartland won 7-5 over Quebec's
captain Michel Dagenais and partner.
Team New England won a marginal
victory of 25 to 23,” explained Moulton.
“The competition is clearly still as good
as it was.”
Teammate and president of the New
England Senior Tennis Foundation,
Peter Allen, says the Friendship Cup is a
reflection of what tennis means to lifelong players. “You really look forward to
the reunion year after year as much as you
do the competition. You see an 85 percent
return rate every year. That number alone
speaks for itself."
To learn more about the Friendship
Cup, visit the New England Senior Tennis
Foundation website.
Senior Tennis 2013 – 21
Art Larsen, 87, Tennis Star
Known for Wins and Tics
By Bruce Weber
Art Larsen, a national tennis champion whose career was marked by eccentricity and cut
short by a motor scooter accident that nearly killed him, died on Dec. 7 in San Leandro, Calif.
He was 87. His death was reported on the website of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and
Museum.
With a solid if not overly powerful left-handed serve, reliable ground strokes, excellent foot
speed and quick hands at the net, Larsen was the top-ranked player in the country in 1950, when
he won the United States National Championship, the precursor to the United States Open, in
Forest Hills, Queens, defeating Herbert Flam in a five-set final. In 1954, he lost to Tony Trabert
in straight sets in the final of the French Open. He also won United States Indoor, United States
Hard Court and United States Clay Court titles. In 1955, he was ranked No. 3 in the country.
A champion who spoke to an imaginary bird on his shoulder.
More than for his victories, however, Larsen was known for his personality quirks. On side
changes during a match, his routine included stepping on certain lines and avoiding others. He
sometimes addressed an imaginary bird on his shoulder, and he was widely known as Tappy
because of his superstitious habit, perhaps a compulsion, of tapping people and things a given
number of times on given days.
“Every day was a onesie day, or a fivesie day – that’s what he called them – and if he happened to run into you on, say, a threesie day, he’d tap you three times,” Dick Savitt, the 1951
Wimbledon champion, said in an interview this week.
Savitt also recalled that Larsen was not an ascetic athlete. A smoker, a drinker and a partygoer, he earned his success in spite of his disdain for training.
“That’s the understatement of a lifetime, Savitt said. “I don’t think he knew what the word
‘training’ was, but he was in great shape. He was thin and he could play all day.”
Savitt, who lost to Larsen in the semifinals of the 1950 United States Championship and
beat him at Wimbledon in 1951, had a long history of playing against him, beginning with the
national collegiate tournament in 1947.
“The first time I met him, he came on the court wearing long pants with his pockets bulging
with cigarettes and keys and things,” Savitt said. “He thought he had a lucky eagle following
him; he’d always be looking behind him to see if the eagle was there. One day at Wimbledon,
a bird flew on the court, and it stayed there for a while, and then it started to fly off, and in the
middle of a point, he threw his racket at the bird.”
On Nov. 10, 1956, Larsen lost control of his Italian motor scooter on a northern California
highway, an accident that sent him into a coma for three weeks, eventually cost him the sight in
his left eye and left him partly paralyzed. Two months later, in a much publicized event, Savitt
and other tennis players, including Don Budge, held a benefit tennis match to raise money for
Larsen’s medical bills. He never competed on the tennis court again.
Larsen was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1969.
Arthur David Larsen was born in Hayward, Calif., on the east side of the San Francisco
22 – Senior Tennis 2013
Bay, on April 17, 1925, and grew up in nearby San Leandro. According to San Leandro Bytes, a
news Web site, he began playing tennis at 11 and won a tournament at the Olympic Club in San
Francisco when he was 14. After the high school, he fought in World War II, and the trauma of
that experience is sometimes offered as an explanation for the tics and peculiarities he evinced
afterward. After the war, he played tennis for the University of San Francisco, which won the
national championship in 1949.
Survivors include his companion, Aline Mestas, and a sister, Joyce A. Stengel.
“He was a very amusing sort of guy,” Gardnar Mulloy, Larsen’s former doubles partner,
said last week. “It was easy to play jokes on him because he’d believe everything. Just point out
some beautiful woman and say she said she’s frantically in love with him: ‘Just go up to her and
ask her if she wants to make out.’ A couple of times, he got slapped.”
Art Larsen at Wimbledon in 1950, the year he won the U.S. title.
Senior Tennis 2013 – 23
Gussie Moran-a Tennis Star Who Wore a Daring
Wimbledon Outfit-Dies at 89
By Lena Williams
Gussie Moran, who as a ranked American tennis player in 1949, caused an international stir and
gained worldwide fame for competing at Wimbledon wearing a short shirt and lace-trimmed underwear,
died at her home in Los Angeles. She was 89.
She had recently been hospitalized with cancer, Jack Neworth, a tennis writer and friend, said.
Moran’s daring tennis outfit worn in a bastion of English propriety won her more renown than
her tennis playing, though she was ranked as high as No. 4 in the United States, won the United States
women’s indoor championship in 1949 and reached the quarterfinals that year at Wimbledon.
By the end of her life she had come to know hardship – bouncing from job to job, living in near
squalor, telling of abortions and rape. At her death she lived in a small apartment. But for a time, more
than half a century ago, she was a household name around the world. A racehorse, an airplane and a
sauce were named after her.
Moran, who was 25 at the time, arrived in London for Wimbledon in June 1949 with a new outfit in
mind, having already reached out to the British designer Teddy Tinling to create one.
“I wrote him a letter prior to Wimbledon, asking him if he would design me something with one
sleeve one color, the other sleeve another color and the shirt another color,” Moran told The Orlando
Sentinel in 1988. “He wrote back, ‘Have You Lost Your Mind?’”
Tinling, a former tennis player and for many years the official Wimbledon host, told The Associated
Press during the tournament that Moran had asked him to make her “look more feminine.”
Sticking to Wimbledon’s all-white dress code, Tinling came up with a white silk sun-top jersey with
a tight waist and bodice and a short skirt that boldly bared her knees. Underneath were matching white
silk jersey panties trimmed with two inches of open lace.
Moran displayed her outfit during a pretournament tea party at the Hurlingham Club, instantly inspiring a nickname, “Gorgeous Gussie’s Lace-Fringed Panties No. 1 Attraction on Wimbledon’s Courts,”
a headline in The New York Times declared after the tea party preview.
By the time of her opening
match, photographers were jostling
for position, many lying flat in the
back court, the better to catch the
most risqué angle as she served the
ball. They were not disappointed.
The fringed panties are very
much in evidence when Gussie
races across the court or leaps for a
high shot,” The A.P. reported.
Moran, who was noted for a
powerful forehand, won her match,
defeating Be Walter of Britain, but
it was her underwear that became
front page news and a subject of
debate in the British Parliament.
The All England Lawn Tennis and
Croquet Club, the home of Wimbledon, accused Moran of “bringGussie Moran was accused of bringing “sin into tennis”
ing vulgarity and sin into tennis.”
after her 1949 Wimbledon appearance.
24 – Senior Tennis 2013
Although Moran did not wear the lace panties for the rest of the tournament, the sensation they
caused made her one of the biggest attractions in women’s tennis. She made a cameo appearance in the
1952 sports movie “Pat and Mike” with Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. The newspapers reported on her romantic life. And her underwear, soon christened “Gussie panties”, started a trend. Women
began taking to the court in lace panties, T-shirts and plunging necklines.
“Gussie was the Anna Kournikova of her time,” the former tennis champion Jack Kramer told The
Los Angeles Times in 2002, referring to the Russian star and sometime model. “Gussie was a beautiful
woman with a beautiful body. If Gussie had played in the era of television, no telling what would have
happened. Because, besides everything else, Gussie could play.”
But there were negative repercussions, too. Wimbledon banned short dresses from the tournament.
In 1950 there were grumblings among the tennis elite that the attention Moran had received was unmerited, in light of her being ranked seventh among American women at the time. In 1952 the United
States Lawn Tennis Association banned lace panties and low-neckline attire at the United States Open in
Queens.
Tinling had to resign as official Wimbledon host, not to be welcomed back until 1983, seven years
before his death. In the meantime he had designed tennis wear for players like Chris Evert, Evonne Goolagong, Martina Navratilova and Virginia Wade. Tennis wear evolved as well, rendering Moran’s outfit
relatively tame by today’s standards.
“Gussie wasn’t a revolutionary,” Tinling once told The Times. “She wore the dress for two reasons.
She wanted to look good, and the shorter dresses allowed her to move more freely on the court.”
Gertrude Augusta Moran was born on Sept. 8, 1923, in Santa Monica, Calif., and grew up in a
grand Victorian house overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Her father, Harry, was a sound technician at Universal Studios, and her mother, Emma, was a housewife.
After a life of celebrity, a single room was said to be home.
Moran said she learned to play tennis when she was 11. While competing on a junior circuit, she
and other young players were sometimes invited to play at Charlie Chaplin’s house on Sunday afternoons, trading volleys with stars like Greta Garbo and Olivia de Havilland.
During World War II, after her older brother was declared missing in action, Moran joined the war
effort, going to work at the nearby Douglas Aircraft Company.
She was well into her 20s when she joined the amateur tennis circuit in 1947, relatively late for a
newcomer. But in nine months she won three major tournaments. Her victory in the National Indoor
Tennis Tournament in March 1949 was on the wooden courts at the Seventh Regiment Armory in Manhattan, where she defeated Nancy Chaffee.
Moran retired from amateur tennis in August 1950 and signed a one-year, $75,000 contract to play
on a professional tour run by Bobby Riggs.
Playing alongside Pauline Betz, Moran did not do well on the tour and left it after the year was up.
She then began playing exhibition matches at military bases and hospitals as part of a tour managed by
the tennis great Bill Tilden. She also joined a U.S.O. tour.
Moran went on to work in radio as a sports director and in television hosting interview shows, all in
Los Angeles. She was also a television sportscaster in New York on WMGM, marketed her own line of
tennis clothes, wrote for tennis magazines and taught tennis. In 1970 she joined a U.S.O. tour in Vietnam
and sustained broken bones when a helicopter in which she was riding was shot down. She continued to
compete in tournaments into her early 40s, Neworth said.
She also publicly spoke of having abortions and of being found backstage beaten and raped during
a Lawrence Welk concert at a Santa Monica centennial celebration. There was no arrest.
Moran had three marriages, none lasting more than two years. She had no children. In her later
years she went from job to job, often living in reduced circumstances after losing her home in the 1980s.
Continued on page 25
Senior Tennis 2013 – 25
Continued from page 24 (Moran)
At one point, largely supported by friends and fans, she was reported to be living with cats in a single
room in a run-down building in Hollywood, the curtains made of bedsheets. In recent years she sold her
tennis memorabilia and autographs online.
At the height of her celebrity, Moran expressed frustration with all the attention she was receiving, some of it, in the gossip columns, exasperating. It was a Wimbledon title that she wanted more than
anything else, she said.
“Publicity follows me,” she wrote in an article for the A.P. at the time. “I cannot help it if people
cook up phony quotes about engagements with tennis players I’ve never even seen off the court. I am
interested in clothes I can play tennis in, not in creating a sensation and certainly not in anything anyone
at all would consider in poor taste.”
Continued from page 8 (2012 Atlantic Coast 45's)
dusty courts, and a painful back, David pulls off a great win with a 6-3 final set to give New England the
match, 4-3. A first round loss would make it hard to take home the trophy.
We’re off to Columbia next to take on Mid-Atlantic – late and with no time to eat, we’re back on
the courts as soon as we arrive (Yes, Phil, we should have stopped at Subway...) Mac’s back is feeling
better after the break and he’ll go again at 1st singles, Bill at 2nd, Dave Cox at 3rd, and Phil Kadesch
will switch from doubles to singles at No. 4. We need to find four points against the home team, who
just swept the East, 7-0. It turns out David’s back was better in the car than on the court – he falls fast to
Davy Houston. Dave Cox falls next at 3rd to a tough Dean Packard. Bill has a tight match at 2, but also
fails in straight sets. Mid-Atlantic is up 3-0, and we’re off to a bad start. Phil finds his singles legs at 4
and has a nice win over John Olson 7-5, 7-6; New England is on the board.
Mike and Scott take a straight-set win at 3rd doubles over captain Bill Rublee and partner, 7-6, 6-1.
At 1st doubles Bates and Stone drop the first set, 6-1, to Spencer Kersian and Joe Messmer. New England fights back to take a very tight 2nd set in a tiebreaker. Chris Holmes and Wade Frame take the 1st
set 6-3 but drop a close 2nd set in a tiebreaker. After playing a great tiebreaker, Bates and Stone get back
in their usual form and take the 3rd set with score of 6-4. New England and Mid-Atlantic are now tied
at 3-3. In the last match of the day Chris and Wade get an early break in the 3rd set, hold serve and get
another break to close out the match 6-2 and give New England its second win of the day with a 4-3 victory over Mid-Atlantic.
After a good long day on the courts we find the traditional event dinner is off! It’s disappointing that
another Atlantic Coast custom seems to be fading away. We find a nice steak house to celebrate the day’s
wins and plan on taking the final match against the East. Having beaten both Middle States and MidAtlantic, we just need to win 4 matches to take home the Cup!
On Sunday morning at Woodmont Country Club, Bill Mountford will take over at 1st singles with
David’s back keeping him out of the action. He’ll be followed by Anthony Ditulio, Dave Cox, and Phil
Kadesch. Anthony gets it rolling with a 6-0, 6-0 win, quickly followed by Bates and Stone at 1st doubles, 6-0, 6-1. Vets Scott Snow and Mike Kolendo dictate their match for a 6-0, 6-4 win. Team rookies
Dave Cox and Bill Mountford bring home the match with straight set wins! With five wins over the East,
New England wins the 2012 Atlantic Coast 45’s, and takes home the Atlantic Coast 45’s Cup for the 4th
time in the last eight years.
I have been very lucky to captain the team for nine years and had the honor of playing with some
of New England’s best veteran players. Thanks to all players for their effort, great play, and fellowship.
Rookie Bill Mountford will take over the captain’s duties in 2013 and I expect he’ll bring home even
more wins as New England’s captain. Thanks, Bill!
I would also like to thank the New England Senior Tennis Foundation and USTA New England for
their help and support each and every year.
26 – Senior Tennis 2013
Axel Kaufman
Obituary
Axel Kaufman, age 88, of Newton died on April 22, 2013. He is survived by
his beloved wife of fifty years, Marion (Allen), and by two daughters and their
spouses, Laura and Jeffrey McGlashen of Hopkinton, N.H., and Jessica and Bruno
Miquel of Waban, Mass., and five grandchildren.
Born in Frankfurt/Main, Germany, Axel spent his childhood in Berlin and came to
the U.S. in 1938. He attended DeWitt Clinton high School in New York City and
entered MIT in 1941 at the age of sixteen, graduating in 1949 after serving in the
U.S. Army in the Pacific during World War II. He was an architect his entire professional life, working for several Boston firms before establishing his own practice in 1965, then practicing as a principle at Jung/Brannen Associates on largescale projects from 1980 until his retirement in 2004. Axel credited his proudest
architectural achievement a nine-year stint as Design Team Project Manager for the Federal (Moakley)
Courthouse on Fan Pier.
An avid tennis player since age thirteen, Axel was active in the New England Tennis Association as
Publicist, Ranking Committee Chair, and Vice President. He held New England and national rankings;
was the writer and producer of "Tennis Fundamentals," a 1972 teaching film with tennis great Welby
Van Horn; was a co-founder and President of "Tennis/Now," with facilities in Watertown Square and at
Brandeis University that taught tennis to over 10,000 players of all levels; he also authored two anthologies of his humorous tennis writings and poems, "Pardon Me, Your Forehand is Showing" and "Which
Way To The Finals, Please?" He was the architect for numerous indoor and outdoor tennis and club
facilities throughout the U.S.; he also chaired of the USTA Facilities Committee for five years.
But it was his family that was the main focus of his devotion, and that brought him his greatest joys
during shared travels, holidays, and birthday celebrations which he always commemorated with personalized cartoons, poems and songs.
A Memorial Service in celebration of Axel's life was held at the First Unitarian Society in West Newton on Mat 11. Donations in Axel's memory may be made to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Donor
Services, P.O. Box 4072, Pittsfield, MA 01202; or the Foundation of Mass Eye and Ear Infirmary - Research for Juvenile Retinoschisis, to the attention Kristina Sym, 243 Charles Street, Boston, MA 02114;
or First Unitarian Society in Newton. Funeral arrangements were made by Burke & Blackington Funeral
Home, West Newton, Massachusetts.
Obituary taken from The Boston Globe
Senior Tennis 2013 – 27
NEW ENGLAND
SENIOR TENNIS
FOUNDATION
N.E.S.T.F. Has Financial
Support for TennisRelated Projects
The New England Senior Tennis Foundation is soliciting proposals for
programs which will support and promote the goals of the Foundation which
are: to promote tennis among senior adults (45 and older for men and 40 and
older for women) in New England and, by instruction and education through
the operation of clinics, programs and competitive events, to enhance their
physical and mental well-being and thereby their quality of life. The Board
of Directors of the Foundation will award a grant of up to $2,000 to an individual or organization that submits a proposal that is consistent with the above
goals. The deadline for submission is February 28, 2014. The program can be
run any time in 2013. If you have any questions on your idea for a program
you may call George Ulrich at 860-443-2098. Please consider submitting a
proposal using the attached form.
NEW ENGLAND SENIOR TENNIS
FOUNDATION, INC.
PROGRAM GRANT REQUEST
Description of Program:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Budget for Program (Please provide breakdown of all expenses,
e.g. salaries, materials, equipment, court rental, etc.)
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Grant Policy / Discussion
Our policy, as stated in our program grant request, is to “promote tennis among seniors in New England and by instruction and education through the operation of clinics, programs
and competitive events, to enhance their phsycial and mental
well being and thereby their quality of life.”
This is a good general statement but in the review of grant
requests other considerations arise. We are guided by the following:
Grant requests, where appropriate, are considered as seed
money only, and that after a short period of time, grantees
should become self-supporting.
We have been following a policy of partial funding,
and require grantees to tap other sources including participants.
As a matter of administrative policy, we request that grantees
report to us in detail as to the success of their ventures and
how the grant was spent. We also ask grantees make participants aware that NESTF is providing financial assistance.
George Ulrich
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Date(s) Program will be run:___________________________________
Geographic Location of Program:______________________________
Number of Seniors Expected to Participate in Program:____________
____________________________________________________________
Goals and Objectives of Program:_______________________________
____________________________________________________________
Mail to:______________________________________________________
Contact Person for Program:
Name_______________________________________________________
Address_____________________________________________________
Telephone___________________________________________________
Telephone
George Ulrich
New England Senior Tennis Foundation, Inc.
6 Shore Rd
Waterford, CT 06385
Tel. 860-443-2098
Fax 860-437-3175
e-mail: [email protected]
The Atlantic Coast Cup Grant, named for Ray Barbero,
a former captain of the New England team for ten
years, is to be given to the Men's Atlantic Coast team.
We look forward to receiving some worthwhile ideas. Let us hear from you! – Donations to NESTF
are accepted at any time.
28 – Senior Tennis 2013
L - R: Irv Levine; former Mayor of New York City David Dinkins who was a key mover in the construction of Arthur
Ashe Stadium.
Nonprofit Org.
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
Fall River, MA
02722
Permit No. 89