Captain Betsy Harrigan, Co-Captains Bonnie Johnson and Shari Schneider, Tami Graeber, Carol Zupancic, Cinda Haugsby, Kay Sullivan, Jan Mattson, Mimi Israelson , Janet Fabio, Joannie Dragon and Lynne Donovan; not shown, Janice Tuttle
Tami Graeber and Mary Jo George
USTA Southwest Sectionals Tennis championships were held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the week of September 15 through 22. SaddleBrooke’s own Doubles Troubles Ladies 6.0 Tennis Team (Captained by Betsy Harrigan), represented southern Arizona in the fierce competition. A dozen team members along with many spouses and fans traveled to the event and enjoyed the many touristy things Albuquerque had to offer when they weren’t at the Jerry Cline Tennis Center.
Despite arriving on the tail end of Hurricane Odile and daily changing weather reports of rain, lightning, heat and wind, the team somehow made it onto the practice courts for two days to prepare for the high altitude and then three days of competitive matches.
After months of preparation, with a strong team spirit, we had a great start by defeating the team from New Mexico. The two Texas teams won the next two days although a few of the matches went to third set tiebreakers; unfortunately, the SaddleBrooke team wasn’t able to advance to the National Championships.
The night before the tournament started, the team presented Captain Betsy with an Arizona Flag Quilt made by SaddleBrooke Quilt Club member Tami Graeber. Tami also made matching flags for the team shirts, and her partner Carol Zupancic (another SB Quilt Club member) stitched them onto all of the shirts. The team dedicated this weekend to Betsy for her long time commitment to this team and for her own personal perseverance with life’s challenges.