SaddleBrooke Women’s 7.0 Team
SaddleBrooke Men’s 8.0 Team
SaddleBrooke Men’s 7.0 Team
Mary Jo George
What do SaddleBrooke Tennis members Rob Schween, Jim Abrahamson and Mary Jo George all have in common? Each of them captained a 65 plus team last spring, 2016 (February through mid-April) that captured first place in their respective USTA divisions (Men’s 8.0, Men’s 7.0 and Women’s 7.0). All three of these teams came in first place in their Southern Arizona Section and then went on to the USTA 65 plus Sectionals Event which was held in Surprise, Arizona the second weekend of December.
It was perfect weather and the hotel accommodations were great. The weekend started off Thursday evening in a very nice private room at the hotel with a social hour and potluck organized by Deborah McGeehan and Mandy Leith. There were lots of appetizers and about 40 plus participants including our team members and their spouses and/or guests, not to mention a few stragglers from other hotel guests that thought they should let themselves in and join in the fun.
The next day – let the competition begin. In addition to our three SaddleBrooke teams in Surprise, there were 10 other teams from southern New Mexico, northern New Mexico, central Arizona and other southern Arizona areas all vying for the Sectional title. All teams fought hard and there was some incredibly great tennis being played there. When it was all said and done, the Men’s 7.0 and Women’s 7.0 each captured second place.
Although not all team members were able to attend Sectionals, it was everyone on these teams that made it possible for us to win our right to attend the USTA Event. The 8.0 Men’s team was led by Rob Schween. Members of the team included Jim Baysinger, TJ Duffy, Walter Fritz, Craig MacPherson, Gene McGeehan, Ed Murphy, Gary Rowell, Gary Simpson, Chad Stettler and Bob Stocks. The 7.0 Men’s team was led by Jim Abrahamson. Jim’s team members included Darrell Jackson, Bob Johnson, Al Kacer, Jim Marchisio, DeWayne Nicholes, Gary Rowell, Bill VanLueven and Jim Ward. Our 7.0 Women’s team was led by Mary Jo George and Co-Captain Carol Bidwell. Ladies on this team included Linda Bailey, Ellen Efron, Barb Eisenberg, Susan Goebel, Sue Hagerty, Mary Hlushko, Mandy Leith, Liz Meisegeier, Karen Schmidt, Cheryl Simpson, Leila Smith and Linda Triboulet.
Browse through hundreds of photos and find event details on our Facebook page; you don’t have to have a Facebook account.