Contents
Doubles Surprise Tournament
The Club's second tournament for the year will be the Doubles Surprise Challenge to be played on Sunday afternoon 26 May
As with the Fastennis Singles Challenge, entry in this tournament is restricted to current financial members of the University of Queensland Tennis Club, the Brisbane Hardcourt Tennis Association and the Metropolitan Tennis Association.
Although this is a Doubles tournament, players will enter as individuals. All players (male or female, all standards) will be paired initially through a random draw (that's the "surprise") and allocated to numbered courts for the first match. After each match, the winners will move up a court and the losers will move down a court. Once the players have moved to their new court for the next match, they swap partners (another "surprise").
Each match will consist of a single set (first-to-six games). All entrants will get lots of Tennis and will play with and against a large variety of players.
Gradually, during the afternoon, the better players should move towards the No. 1 court. In the 2001 tournament, every player got 7 sets during the afternoon and three players managed to play on all 5 courts (one who started on Court 5, one who started on Court 4 and one who started on Court 1).
All players will maintain a Personal Result Card listing the number of matches & games they have won and lost. There will be lots of small prizes for the best performed players, determined from their win/loss averages, in designated levels (based on provisional NTPRs).
In addition, all participants will go into a draw for a Dunlop Max Reflex Ti Tennis racquet and other Dunlop/Slazenger products.
The tournament will be followed by a free Pizza Feast for competitors.
Because the exact numbers are needed to book enough courts, entries will only be accepted up until Wednesday 15 May.
The first tournament for the year, the Fastennis Singles Challenge, will be played on 21 April. Entries for this tournament closed on 10 April.
Social Tennis
The Club's Social Tennis Program on Sunday afternoons is going very well with 40 to 50 people turning up most Sundays.
The program is a success thanks to the efforts of Ibrahim Diallo, Ross Markwell and Ben Tsang who rotate the hard job of organising the sets for the afternoon.
For a bit of variety, a barbeque will be held after Social Tennis at various times throughout the year. So far two barbeques have been held (27 January and 17 March).
Comment
Everybody on the Committee is feeling a bit exhausted after the start of the semester. We conducted 6 Grading Sessions in the space of 11 days and then had to have 159 teams organised for 7 competitions starting in the space of 10 days. Including the teams in the competitions that started in early February, the Club is currently fielding 165 teams in 9 competitions this semester. It certainly has been hectic but the Committee met all of its deadlines and got everything out to all players on time. This was a major achievement by all concerned since we now have eight vacancies on the Committee.
Of course, not everything went smoothly. A number of players didn't get their entries in on time and can't understand why we didn't know they would be playing and keep a spot for them in a team. Many players didn't read any of the information sent out to them and didn't know which team they were in, where to go or what to do. Even now, a number of teams haven't managed to collect their balls and draws for the season and lots of players don't seem to know what to do with the scorecard when they win.
There is a limit to what the Committee can do to organise things for members. Players do have to make some effort on their own behalf and read the information sent to them. Virtually everything that players need to know has been condensed down to one double-sided Information Sheet for each competition. There is more on page 4 about the areas where we find most problems.
There have been a few changes in the Clubhouse over the last few weeks. The new Club Service Awards and Office Bearers Honour Boards have arrived and been installed. The new Tournament Scoreboards have also been installed.
By now, all Club members should have received their Club Membership Cards and Information Packs.
On a sad note, Tennis has lost one of its hardest workers with the passing of Hazel Imber. As a tribute to her tireless work for Night Fixtures, the BNTA is inviting all of its players, past and present, to the Hazel Imber Memorial Trophy Dinner on Tuesday 23 April.
Doug Bergman
President
** URGENT MATTER ** - Intervarsity Tennis
Representing their university in Intervarsity sport should be a career highlight for all university athletes.
The 2002 Intervarsity Tennis competition will be played in Adelaide as part of the Australian University Games (AUG, 29 September to 5 October).
To compete in the AUG, UQ has to qualify through the Northern University Games (NUG) which will be played on the Gold Coast from 30 June to 4 July (at Queens Park Tennis Centre, Southport)
If you are a UQ student, a high level player and wish to try out for UQ's NUG Tennis Team, please phone the Intervarsity Tennis Manager, Graham Prickett, on 3351 4483 (h) [e-mail: s361427@student.uq.edu.au] to find out about training times and selection trials.
The costs of competing in the NUG, not covered by UQ Sport, are:
- Behaviour Bond $100 (compulsory)
- Accommodation $200 (optional)
- Team polo shirt $35 (compulsory)
- Team Tracksuit $80 (optional)
This is extremely urgent, as nominations for the NUG Team and the behaviour bond payment must be lodged with UQ Sport by Friday 26 April.
Copies of the NUG Information Sheet and Bond Payment Form are available from the Tennis Club and UQ Sport.
Uni Open
The 2002 University Open Tennis Championships will be played on 13-14, 20-21 & 27-28 July. The Uni Open, which is the largest open tournament in the State, is a tournament for all players as it caters for all ages and standards.
The Uni Open is the Club's major undertaking for the year. However, it can only be a success if there are enough voluntary workers to run it. Helping to stage an important community event, like the Uni Open, can be a rewarding experience.
If you are interested in getting involved in running this year's Uni Open, please come to the Uni Open Info Session on Sunday 21 April at 6 p.m. (after the conclusion of the Fastennis Tournament).For more information. Phone the Tournament Director, Doug Bergman, on 3870 9252 (h).
- VALE -
HAZEL IMBER (16/11/1919 to 20/1/2002)
For over 40 years, Hazel Imber made a tremendous contribution to Tennis in Brisbane as an honorary administrator and umpire.
Hazel worked in a voluntary capacity with five Tennis organisations - Early Birds Tennis Club, Brisbane Night Tennis Association, Brisbane Hardcourt Tennis Association, Greater Brisbane Junior Tennis Association and Tennis Umpires Australia (Queensland Division).
Hazel never held high office in these organisations. She always held "working" positions.
Fixture players knew Hazel best as the BNTA's Tuesday Night Results Officer; a position she held for around 25 years until her retirement in 2000 because of ill health. In the days when Tuesday Fixtures was its only competition, Hazel was the "face" of the BNTA.
Tournament players will remember Hazel as a regular umpire and linesperson for 40 years at local tournaments and international events such as the Davis Cup.
Hazel devoted herself to Tennis out of her great love for the game, not to get any accolades. However, her contribution to Tennis was recognised by the BNTA (Life Membership, 1973), TUAQ (Life Membership, 1976), TUA (20-year Star, 1981 & 40-year Star, 1999), Tennis Queensland (Geoffrey E. Griffith Order of Merit, 1994), Brisbane City Council (Lord Mayor's Australia Day Sports Medallion, 1987) and the Australian Government (Australian Sports Medal, 2000).
In an age when all sports organisations are struggling to find enough volunteer workers, it is timely to remember that it is only because of people like Hazel Imber that there is any organised sport to play.
Committee Vacancies
Despite its near-record membership, the Club is now running with a record 8 vacancies on the Executive Committee.
This cannot continue. A club can only operate successfully if a reasonable number of its members are willing to volunteer their time, enthusiasm and expertise to running the organisation.
The current vacancies are:
- Senior Vice President (female) 1
- Vice Presidents (female) 2
- Hon. Treasurer 1
- Executive Officers 4
Anybody interested in nominating for a position on the Committee should contact the President to discuss what is involved.
Reminders
Forfeits
UQ teams should not forfeit. All competitions have pretty flexible rules about using fill-in players to minimise the number of forfeits.
Players registered in the same or a lower grade in the same competition can be used. Emergency registrations can also be used. Refer to the particular competition rules to see what fees and procedures apply for emergency registrations.
In all competitions, sets played by unregistered players will be forfeited.
The complete Teams List supplied with this newsletter provides an almost unlimited source of potential emergency registrations.
Scorecards
Scorecards must show the date, competition, team names, players' first name & surname, the score in each set, the overall result and must be signed as correct by both team captains.
Once the scorecard has been completed, the winning team is responsible for sending it to the appropriate association. Unless the competition is being run by the UQ Tennis Club, do not send scorecards to the Club.
There are penalties for the late lodgement of results.
Who's Who
The UQ Tennis Club is not the University Tennis Centre. The Club has nothing to do with the hiring of courts, coaching, the sale of equipment or restringing. Ring the Tennis Centre on 3365 6933 for these services.
The UQ Tennis Club is not the Brisbane Night Tennis Association. Apart from the Wednesday Pairs competition which the Club runs for the BNTA, do not contact the Club about progressive points or finals draws for BNTA competitions. Contact the relevant BNTA Results Officer listed on your draw and information sheets.
Office Hours
It is not possible to have the Club's Office open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Generally, the Office will be open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Office will often be open at other times but only on a random basis as volunteers are available.
During Fixtures, the Clubhouse should be open if any Committee members are playing at UQ. Check the whiteboard above the cold water fountain to see who is on duty and where to find them.
N.B. From Wednesday 17 April to Thursday 9 May, the Office will only be open at odd times because the Administration Officer, Gail Bates, will be on leave. Gail will be in Florida with her husband Max, who will be competing in the ITF World Veterans Championships.
