Fall Update

In the Region

Each fall is a time when all the community tennis clubs wrap up their summer programming and hold their own AGMs to set the stage for organizing business come next spring. Likewise, the OTA regions also hold their AGMs and invite the regional club president's to attend this important meeting to confirm the regional committee volunteers for next year and also get updated on regional budgets, accomplishments and plans for the next year. As President of the OTA, I try to attend as many of these events as possible to thank all the volunteers and reflect on the year that was and the year that will be in 2014.

Annual NYTA Member Appreciation BBQ Oct 25

Two such activities occurred first on Oct 25th with NYTA's second annual president's appreciation social, held at the NYTA South bubble in Bond Park. The theme again was Halloween and even more attendees dressed up (and even played) in their favourite scary costume (see picture below and more on our facebook page). Their AGM will follow shortly.

My second regional AGM just attended happened on Nov 16 for the Scarborough Tennis Federation. STF President Dianne Weatherby and her board presented summaries of all activity over this past year. Of particular interest was the discussion around court resurfacing. There are a handful of resurfacers out there and not all are created equal. STF clubs have had some issues in the past with poor workmanship. Some municipalities share in the cost of this resurfacing with the clubs (as STF does), and others don't. Court resurfacing can cost anywhere from $7,000 for simple crack repairs and colour coating, to $40,000 for a full reconstruction. We provide some contacts on our website, but it's always best to call Jay Neill to get some advice first. We may also put together an education seminar at the OTA's AGM next April 11th that covers the key aspects of resurfacing and what questions to ask.



Dustin Sexton reviews Junior Development at the STF AGM on Nov 16

A new executive was voted in and I'm happy to say that Dianne will again be returning as STF President with some new faces to the mix.



Distinguished Service Awards

The Distinguished Service Award is the Ontario Tennis Association’s highest honour. On October 26th, this honour went out to three very special individuals. All three were being recognized for their contribution to tennis over many, many years: Sheila Hunt and Erica Gilbert from Leaside Tennis Club, and Rob Dawson from North Bay Tennis Club.



DSA Recipients Sheila Hunt, Rob Dawson & Erica Gilbert

It is important to point out that all our DSA recipients are volunteers. Their commitment to tennis and their community is an inspiration to volunteers in clubs throughout the province. Sheila and I met for the first time at the awards ceremony. She spoke so fondly of her time at Leaside and her emotional first meeting with her late husband John. Rob and I had never met in person before but I had spoken to him in the past about how to promote tennis at the club level, what programming is the most effective and what will grow the membership base over time. I've always appreciated his insight. Erica and I first met back in August at the Vancouver Lawn. I was officiating at the senior nationals and she came by to visit some friends and we had a nice chat. What a beautiful lady she is, both inside and out. And if you watch the video of her speech, she has quite a sense of humour to boot!

Gala Dinner Fundraiser



ED Jim Boyce with Team Ontario Gold Medalists KK, Ayan, Marie and Raheel

The OTA had another successful fundraiser on Nov 9th with our Gala Dinner in support of Junior Development. From the amazing balloon tennis players, Ed Morton's piano playing, to the fantastic buffet dining and the draw prizes, those who attended were not disappointed. Our specials guests were Team Ontario who won gold at this year's Canada Summer Games. Managers Tyler Prescott and Kirsten (KK) Magi along with players Maria Patrascu, Ayan Broomfield and Raheel Manji were highlighted for the evening with a short Q&A. Over $14,000 was raised through dinner ticket sales and individual donations. Many thanks to all the volunteers involved in organizing this event, and to the guests who attended the dinner. More pictures of the Gala can be found on our Facebook Page

Concurrent with this fundraiser was the U9 Champions tournament being held at Tennis Canada's Centre of Excellence. This inaugural tournament would not have been possible without the generous donation from Murray Rubin and his wife Roda. Forty boys and thirty-two girls participated in the final weekend showdown, and four young players were honoured at a final award presentation made on the Sunday afternoon. A feature article was published in the Hamilton Scores paper. Full results can be found on the OTA's website, with more pictures posted on our Facebook Page.