One for the Season

From left: Termeh Moini, Laetitia Feghali, Ana Palma,
Nicole Baumann, and Alice Pinheiro

September Lessons Schedule

The season was supposed to finish last Saturday, September 6, but with rainouts to makeup, lessons will continue until the end of September. The makeup schedule is as follows:

Saturday, September 13
9 am to 12 noon – HP Orange & HP Green (3 hours, bring some snacks)
12 pm to 2 pm – Beginner and Novice
2 pm to 4 pm – HP Development
4 pm to 6 pm – HP Tournament

Saturday, September 20
9 am to 11:30 am – HP Orange & HP Green (2.5 hours, bring some snacks)
11:30 am to 2 pm – Beginner and Novice (2.5 hours)
2 pm to 4 pm – HP Development
4 pm to 6 pm – HP Tournament

Saturday, September 27
10 pm to 2 pm – HP Development
2 pm to 6 pm – HP Tournament

As the teachers' strike continues, we have a chance to arrange club closed matches during the week. Please check your email for your match times (check your spam box too!). Next week match times will be out on Sunday morning before noon.

Saturdays: July 26 and August 2

Due to the two recent rainouts for Kids Tennis session C, we need to extend the 1 hour long lessons to 1.5 hours in order to complete this session over the next two Saturdays (July 26 and August 2). As such all the lesson groups from 11 am will be moved back by 30 minutes.

Saturday, July 26

8:30 am to 10 am – Kids Tennis

10 am to 11:30 am – Kids Tennis

11:30 am to 1 pm – HP Orange/Green

1 pm to 2:30 pm – Beginner and Novice

2:30 pm to 4:30 pm – HP Development

4:30 pm to 6:30 pm – HP Tournament

Saturday, August 2

8:30 am to 10 am – Kids Tennis

10 am to 11:30 am – Kids Tennis

11:30 am to 1 pm – HP Orange/Green (not scheduled, added to August 2 as a rainout makeup)

1 pm to 2:30 pm – Beginner and Novice

HP Development (no lesson, not on schedule due to the Duncan Road Trip)

HP Tournament (no lesson, not on schedule due to the Duncan Road Trip)

The HP Orange and Green lesson groups will also have a lesson added to Thursday, July 31 from 4:30 pm to 6 pm as a rainout makeup for Tuesday, April 15.

Junior Tennis Spring Session

Re-writing Club History

Club Statistics  |  History are made and records are meant to be broken. After 18 and 19 years, two sets of records fell in 2012.

For the first time in club history, more than one sibling have become club singles champions. This year Alexander and Steven Baumann captured the under 18 and under 10 singles titles respectively and joined their brother Kevin as club singles champions. In the past we have four different pairs of siblings who came closest to earning two singles champions in the family, including the Baumanns in 2010. The Baumanns are now in a league of their own as they have managed to attain club singles champion status with three brothers.

In 1990, both Hu brothers, Sherman and Sheldon were runner-ups in their respective under 18 and under 14 singles events. Sheldon took the under 16 crown the following year. Rahim Mulji was runner-up in 1991 in the under 18 event and the following year his younger brother Arif took both the under 16 and under 18 titles. In 1993, both brother and sister, Bryan and Michelle Ie, were runner-up in their respective under 18 events. But Michelle also became the under 16 club champion in the same year. There was no more additions until two years ago when the Baumanns got on board. When Kevin Baumann laid claim to his under 12 singles crown, his older brother William was the runner-up junior in the under 18 event. This year the tie has been broken in a very fashionable way. Not only did they did it with three siblings, they also achieve a rare double with two singles champions in a year.

Alexander added the under 18 doubles title with partner Steven Shen to his under 18 singles crown. He had an opportunity to do a triple in the under 18 mixed doubles event. As defending champions with partner Anastassia Krasnova, he was unable to make it three in a row in 2012. He and Krasnova failed to make it to the podium. 

Back in 1992, as a 16 year old, Nadia Wilkinson won all three under 18 events in singles, doubles and mixed. Five years later in 1997, 18 year old Ronnie Jagday did the triple. The following year 18 year old Carla Byers became the third junior to do so. Arif Mulji did win 3 titles in 1992, but two were in singles. His doubles title was shared with his brother Rahim, who also partnered Wilkinson for their mixed doubles title. Alexander joined 14 other juniors in achieving double champions status in the same year. Wilkinson had done it in 1991 and again in 1993. In those two years no girls doubles were held. Jamie Leckie had done it twice, the first in 1995 and second double in 1997.

If doubles titles are included, the Baumanns are now tied with the Muljis with 6 club titles among families. It is 3 singles and 3 doubles titles for the Baumanns. The Muljis have 2 singles and 4 doubles. Followed by the Ies with 4 (1 singles and 3 doubles) and the Hus with 3 club titles (1 singles and 2 doubles). The Baumanns have a good chance to break the tie as they currently still have eligible juniors in the family.

Nadia Wilkinson is the current leader with 9 club titles followed by Danny Camozzi and Jamie Leckie with 6 titles each. Rahim Esmail has 5 titles. Alexander Baumann and Arif Mulji are both tied with 4 titles each. A unique statistic for the mixed doubles event. Wilkinson made the finals for 6 straight years, each with a different mixed doubles partner. She won the first 4 finals and the last final.

Over to the club awards section, Alexander Baumann won the Best Junior of the Year award this year for the fourth consecutive year. This moves him past second place Arif Mulji who had won the Best Boy of the Year awards from 1992 to 1994. In previous years, this award was split between a boy and a girl. Now that Baumann is in the lead among the boys, he is still behind Wilkinson, the all time leader for the Best Girl of the Year award with 5 consecutive wins from 1991 to 1995. Alexander Baumann has another chance to tie her record in 2013.

Gone Live at Facebook!

Here's another social media avenue for the junior program. Finally a facebook page to call our own among the millions... eh... useless pages. Come visit us at http://www.facebook.com/CoquitlamTennisClubJuniorProgram and like us!

Here We Go Again!

Here we are, half a generation into the new millennium. Time seems to past by too quickly. It wasn't too long ago we had just wrapped up the season with the Awards & Banquet evening in October. After much needed rest (or maybe not enough!) from the hectic junior program of last season, we are once again standing at the door step to another season. My groundhog says it's less than 6 weeks to the start of the spring session.

This will be my 5th year since I took up the reins of this program for the second time. This program has grown steadily from its initial 2008 groundwork. This year is no different than the previous years. This program has expanded once again.

The Kids Tennis benefits from the addition of a High Performance session. Over the past four years, many of our home grown youngsters have worked hard on their basic tennis skills and are now ready to step forth to the next stage of their skills development.

The High Performance 9 is for youngsters between the ages of 7 and 9+. In addition to the an hour and a half lesson on Saturdays, there is also a play component to the session during the summer. This will allow them to put their newly learned skills into action. This High Performance is geared towards a competitive environment. The idea is to prepare them for competition in not too distant future.

This season will also see the re-introduction of the BC Junior League Tennis into the summer schedule after an absence of 6 years. This is basically an under 18 team tournament for the tennis clubs in the Lower Mainland. From 1992 to 2006, after which this event was cancelled, our club has won it 3 times and was runner up on 2 other occasions. We were champions in 1993, 1994 and more recently in 2005. Our runner up years were 1992 and 1995. The club was also victorious in 1975 and runner up in 1980. There is no doubt we can be as competitive as any other big tennis clubs in the region. I am confident we will have a good team this year.

Our ever popular summer series of tennis camps had seen long wait lists over the past 3 seasons. The good news is there will now be a 5th week of tennis camp this summer.

A number of our older juniors have mature into highly competitive ranked junior players. Five of these juniors are available for a hitting session or two. If you are looking for a good cardio workout for yourself or looking for a good hitting partner for your child to practice against, these hitting sessions will be ideal. Take advantage of these juniors for an hour or more for a minimal cost and work your game into shape or help your child's game improve. This will go a long way in helping these juniors with their tournament entry expenses. Please contact me directly.

Tennis is once again on the upswing in the Lower Mainland. This community junior program has continued to attract interests from communities far beyond the Tri-Cities boundaries. As such it may have already become the largest outdoor program of its kind in our province. As our outdoor junior tennis program continue to develope, it has something for everyone. Download the registration brochure and check out our program.

Final Day for Makeup Lessons

The tennis courts at the Coquitlam Tennis Club are dry. Lessons will still be going ahead at 10 am for Beginners, and 11:30 am for Novice and Intermediate. Watch for further updates if the weather turns wet.

Change of Lesson Schedule

Due to the change of dates for our Coquitlam Junior Open tournament from August 20-26 to August 26-September 2, lessons for the following group lessons will also be switched around. Beginner, Novice, Intermediate and both High Performance groups will now have lesson on Saturday, August 20 instead of August 27. Also, High Performance groups Tuesday's lesson is also being switched. Lesson will now be on Tuesday, August 23 instead of August 30.

Saturday, July 30th Lessons

The Coquitlam Tennis Club is hosting the Pocomo wheelchair tournament this weekend at the club. All lessons will be moved to the Eagle Ridge tennis courts on Guildford Way at Lansdowne Drive. It's beside the Eagle Ridge pool. Lessons time will remain the same. The weather is forecasted to be sunny and warm.  Don't forget your water bottle and sunscreen lotion.

Finally, Good Weather For A Saturday

This Saturday's weather is looking good with sunshine, blue skies and warm temperature. After a soggy Kids Tennis session B, session C will start tomorrow on the bright side. All other lesson groups will also be going on for this Canada's Day long weekend. Don't forget your water bottle!

It's Time!

2011 Summer Season |  Tomorrow marks the start of the summer program for the beginners to high performance sessions. After one of the coldest and wettest April and May on record, Mother Nature should spare a thought for these youngsters who are eager to make tennis part of their summer season. We will keep our fingers and toes crossed and hope the warm and dry weather makes a return to our west coast. And soon!

Registration has been going well. The sessions B and C of Kids Tennis are fully registered. Both sessions have a wait list. Session D of Kids Tennis is 99% filled. Both of our High Performance sessions (12 & 18) have also reached the registration limit. A fourth Beginner group has recently been opened up for registration. There are only a few spots left in the Novice and Intermediate sessions. The four summer Tennis Camps in July and August are still available for registration.

The write up and pictures from the recently concluded Coquitlam Junior Spring Challenger tournament will be posted very soon. Some of our club juniors did very well. There is also a new twist in another chapter of Big Brother versus Little Brother. All these will be in my next posting.

Spring Sessions Begin

Our spring sessions will kick off later this morning. It looks like the weather will hold off. The courts are still wet. We will be down to squeegee the courts to have it ready for the Kids Tennis session starting at 11:00 am. The sun is poking through as well. We will see all of you down at the courts soon.

Why You Should Play Tennis

McEnroe's Mission  |  John McEnroe wants you to play tennis. Me too! But I think it is best you hear it from the tennis legend himself. He is a former World No.1 tennis player, and a seven times Grand Slam singles winner plus he has won the Grand Slam doubles titles ten times over including a mixed doubles title. He spent a total of 170 weeks at the top of the rankings between 1980 and 1985. He now works as a sports commentator during major tennis matches on a number of the US TV and cable networks.

RE-POSTED FROM BBC SPORTS, TENNIS 

Tennis does have a stuffy image. That's not just in the UK but everywhere, even the United States. But I can tell you tennis is one of the best all round games that I've been lucky enough to be part of. It combines a lot of strategy and the mental part of the sport is huge because you're out there by yourself. It can be difficult being on your own, I know this myself. When you lose you feel really naked out there and it's difficult to accept it but that's part of the process.

Tennis is one of the most difficult sports to learn, but when you do master it, it's so enjoyable because things happen without you even thinking. You can win points in lots of different ways and be totally creative on the court too. 

People talk about attitude and in the UK it seems very important to be a good loser. While in America you are taught to win at any cost. I personally feel that somewhere in the middle of that would be ideal. I always say that the greatest match I was ever part of was the 1980 Wimbledon final which I lost to Bjorn Borg. Even though it sounds corny, I felt like I came out of that match a winner. My respect level among players and fans went up by 20 or 50 times more and that's the match people always ask me about.

It's a lot harder to go out and fail or lose than to try at all. I give automatic respect to people who are willing to get themselves out there. You should take great pride in giving 100 per cent effort. Maybe you don't always win but you'll be amazed that a lot of good things will happen.

Never give up!

So why you should play tennis? My take is apart from the obvious reasons of fitness and it promotes a healthy lifestyle, it is also fun, social and can be competitive. You only need one other person to play a game of tennis, and it is truly a lifetime sport and can be played at any age. No expensive equipment to buy, public courts are free and easily accessible. Even the competitive player can enjoy the competition as an individual or on a team through league play. Competitive juniors can even look forward to obtaining a tennis scholarship at one of the post secondary colleges across North America. Other than playing on a team, you have to utmost control over your game and yourself. Tennis is such a unique sport. Take that hockey!

2010 Novice + Intermediate Groups

Some of our Novice and Intermediate level juniors.

July 17 Tennis Lessons

All tennis lessons will take place at the Eagle Ridge tennis courts on Saturday, July 17. This is due to the wheelchair tournament happening at the Town Centre tennis courts this weekend. The Eagle Ridge tennis courts are on Guildford Way at Lansdowne Drive and is about 4 minutes from the Town Centre tennis courts. It's next the swimming pool.

Tennis Lessons on May 8 & May 15

The Coquitlam Tennis Club is hosting the Coquitlam Open tennis tournament starting May 5 until May 16. Due to the tennis courts at the Town Centre being used for tournament matches, all lessons on Saturday, May 8 and May 15 will be held at the Eagle Ridge tennis courts at the corner of Guildford Way and Landowne Drive. See map. It is located next to the swimming pool and across from the 7-11 store. These tennis courts have been booked for a mid to late afternoon reservation. Please see the following time schedule:

Saturday, May 8

Makeup Lesson: 12 noon Kids Tennis 1 & 2 will start at 3 pm

Makeup Lesson: 1 pm Kids Tennis 2 & 3 will start at 4 pm

12 noon High Performance 1 will start at 3 pm

2 pm High Peformance 3 & 4 will start at 5 pm

Saturday, May 15

Makeup Lesson: 12 noon Kids Tennis 1 & 2 will start at 2 pm

Makeup Lesson: 1 pm Kids Tennis 2 & 3 will start at 3 pm

Makeup Lesson: 12 noon High Performance 1 will start at 2 pm

Makeup Lesson: 2 pm High Peformance 3 & 4 will start at 4 pm

Registration 2010 Update #1

Our Kids Tennis 2 session B starting May 22 has now been filled. Session B of Kids Tennis 1 and Kids Tennis 3 are nearing full registration. The summer sessions for High Performance 1, 3 & 4 are also reaching full registration.

Our summer junior tennis lessons at the Coquitlam Town Centre tennis courts will start on May 29 for the Beginner, Novice, Intermediate and High Performance group sessions. The next two Kids Tennis sessions, C & D, will begin on July 3 and August 14 respectively, and our first of four 2010 Summer Tennis Camps will kick-off on July 12. Please see our registration brochure for more information. The link to the pdf file is on the top right corner of our home page.

MAY 12th UPDATE: For session B there is still one spot open for Kids Tennis 2 and Kids Tennis 3 at 10 am, and Kids Tennis 1 registration is now closed.

MAY 13th UPDATE: Beginner session – only 2 spots are open, Novice session – only 1 spot is open, Intermediate – only 1 spot is open. Kids Tennis 1 session C2 at 10 am is full. The 9 am session is still open. A second group has been added for the High Performance 1. Registration is now closed for the High Performance 1 session.

Awards & Dinner

Junior Program | After a successful season stretching across six months, our junior program wrapped it all up with an Awards and Dinner on September 26. During the evening, we handed out trophies to the winners and runner-ups of our junior club tournament. Ilya Tihanenoks successfully retained his singles title, beating out an impressive showing from young Alex Baumann in the finals. Jason Wong was also present to receive his consolation winner trophy. He had defeated his older brother Justin and Kenan Hu in the final consolation round-robin contest.

The highlight of the evening was revealing the winners of the three year-end club awards. In the past, six club awards were given out to acknowledge the various junior accomplishments over the season. This year we were able to re-introduced three of six awards back into the program. Winners were selected by votes from fellow juniors and coaches.

Award for Best Effort

Seven juniors made the list of nominations. This award is given to the junior who puts in his or her utmost effort in training and matches. And this year's award goes to 15 year old Paul Kim. "I'm surprised that I've won this award. I'm happy and it does feel good." he said after receiving the award. "Obviously, it will encourage me to work harder to improve my tennis farther."

Most Improved Player of the Year Award

Six nominees made this list. This award is bestow to the junior who showed an all around improvement in his or her tennis including tournament matches as compared to the previous year. Ryan Sandrin, 14, claimed this award for this year. "I didn't see it coming. I thought probably Paul or Marcus would have won or even Claudia." he answered. He was happy to have won the award, but reflected on what it meant to him "this is only a small step in becoming a better player, there are still many other aspects of my game to work on."

Best Player of the Year Award

Four names made the list of nominees: Alex Baumann, William Baumann, Ilya Tihanenoks, and Tyron Wheatley. This award encompasses criteria such as sportsmanship, best effort, attitude, all around improvement in tennis skills and match play, and tournament results. Thirteen year old Alex Baumann, who reached a high of number 30 in the province under 14 ranking, is the youngest amongst the nominees to walk away with the year's biggest award. "I'm surprised." Alex remarked modestly, "Anyone else on the list could have won it." He reflected on this past season and added, "I must say I've made improvement in my tennis this year." He certainly has. Under the new Tennis Canada ranking system implemented at the start of this year, Baumann had an initial ranking in the low 100s and he slowly climbed his way up to No. 30 in early September.

To end the wonderful evening, most of us moved on to Planet Lazer for a few games of laser tag.

AWARD FOR BEST EFFORT

Nominees:

Alexander Baumann

Peter Hu

Paul Kim (Winner)

Meagan Lens

Marcus Thian

Ray (Rui) Wang

Tyron Wheatley

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Nominees:

Alexander Baumann

Peter Hu

Claudia Longauer

Ryan Sandrin (Winner)

Ray (Rui) Wang

Tyron Wheatley

BEST PLAYER OF OF THE YEAR AWARD

Nominees:

Alexander Baumann (Winner)

William Baumann

Ilya Tihanenoks

Tyron Wheatley

Alexander Baumann's 2009 Tournament Highlights

Singles Winner

• Junior Grass Court Championships (July)

U14 Singles Challenger Main Draw

• Coquitlam Junior Open (August)

U14 Singles Championships Consolation Draw

• BC Junior Hardcourts (July)

U14 Singles Challenger Consolation Draw

Doubles Winner (with partner Steven Shen)

• Junior Grass Court Championships (July)

U14 Doubles Challenger Main Draw

• Coquitlam Junior Open (August)

U14 Doubles Championships Main Draw

Singles Runner-Up

• Junior Spring Break (March)

U14 Singles Championships Consolation Draw

• CTC Junior Club Closed (July–September)

U18 Singles Main Draw

Singles Semi-Finalist

• Coquitlam Junior Open (August)

U16 Singles Challenger Main Draw

Singles Quarter-Finalist

• Junior Spring Break (March)

U14 Singles Championships Main Draw

• BC Junior Provincial Championships (June)

U14 Singles Championships Consolation Draw

Singles Round of 16

• Stanley Park Open (July)

U14 Singles Championships Main Draw

• Stanley Park Open (July)

U16 Singles Challenger Main Draw

• Coquitlam Junior Spring Challenger (May)

U14 Singles Challenger Main Draw

Pictures from Summertime