APRIL 2024 E-NEWS

IN BETWEEN THE LINES

Presiding Points...

Hello members,

Thanks to your support, we've allocated over $75,000 in grants this year. You have all made a huge difference in helping six wonderful organizations accomplish their goals by growing the sport of tennis and pickleball.

The 2024 TCD grant recipients are as follows:

Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation; Dallas Tennis Association; ACEing Autism; Buddy Up For Life; Paddles Up Pickleball Club; and the Dallas Wheelchair Club (Please see the links below for more information about these organizations.)

We have just a couple of weeks left before the spring season ends. Hang in there Flight Coordinators and captains, you're doing an amazing job!!

Happy Tennis!!

Gail Trostel

Presiding Director

presiding@tcdtennis.org

Greetings Ladies,

It’s been a rainy March that has made communication and working together a HIGH priority. Captains communicating with their players, while also working with other captains takes a lot of organization and diligence! Before the season ends, PLEASE take a moment to thank your captains for all the time and effort they dedicate to their teams.

Captains, while you work through situations with each other, PLEASE always include your Flight Coordinator regarding any changes to a match. Our amazing team of Flight Coordinators are your support system and are a great resource of information.

On a sad note, I was disheartened to hear too many stories regarding defaults that are not communicated ahead of time. We define this as a “courtesy” to let your opponents know about defaults before they travel to a match site. Really, it comes down to treating others as you would like to be treated. Planning your

day around a TCD match, only to find out at match time you don’t get to play is a bummer. Sometimes life happens and we all understand that, but please think of your fellow TCD members when making these decisions.

Good luck with the last weeks of the season!

Shelley Vick

Ladies Director

ladies@tcdtennis.org

It’s hard to believe the spring season is almost over. Time flies when you're having fun! We’ve been lucky with the weather for the most part with only a few days of rain. Our Flight Coordinators and captains have done a fantastic job getting makeup matches entered and played.

In these last few weeks of play, let’s remember how fortunate we are to be playing this game we love, and to be kind and courteous on and off the court.

Shelley Wainer

Love-50/60 Director

love50and60@tcdtennis.org

Hello fellow tennis enthusiasts!

Can you believe our Spring 2024 season is almost over!!!! There have been some great matches played throughout the season. Keep those competitive, fun matches going!

As always, I’m available to assist you with anything you might need.

See you on the courts,

Alma Gomez

Mixed Director

mixed@tcdtennis.org

WOW! How fast time happens…only 2 more matches until the spring season ends. By now word is out that we will only consider hourly sustained wind readings when rescheduling matches. Though wind is an unfortunate hinderance during spring outdoor play, both teams have to play in it and it’s what we have to tolerate in the great state of Texas!

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN through April 25 for the TCDPickleball Summer League Pilot!

Fee: $10/player (rosters must have a minimum of 8 players and a max of 18)
5 weeks: May 31-June 28 (Fridays between 9-noon)
Packet request: Teresa Risley, pbplacement@tcdtennis.org
Court approvals: Karen Eubanks, rules@tcdtennis.org (All indoor courts must be approved before registration can be completed.)
General information: Renee Hinterlong, pickleball@tcdtennis.org
Approved indoor facilities:

o Chicken N Pickle (CNP) – Grapevine & Grand Prairie

o DFW Indoor Pickleball (DIP)

o The Courts McKinney

o Preston Playhouse (TBM)

o Pickleball Kingdom-Plano (pending) – Grand Opening April 25

MARK YOUR CALENDARS for our End of Season BOOT CAMP on MAY 17. This Event will be held at 2 INDOOR locations, PRESTON PLAYHOUSE and PICKLEBALL KINGDOM-Plano. Gifts, lunch, drinks, drills and tons of F-U-N! Curtis Reese will again be podcasting at one of the

locations. Registration will open MAY 1…first come, first serve to the first 100 players to sign up. A flyer with all the details will be sent out closer to that date.

There’s always time for pickleball…have fun out there!

Renee Hinterlong

Pickleball Director

pickleball@tcdtennis.org

Happy Spring!

I know we have had a lot of rain this season but look at the awesome weather we are having now! Only two more weeks left in the season and you all have rocked!

Let's finish the season strong.

Encourage each other
Congratulate good shots
Say "Thank you!"
Give your opponents the benefit of the doubt

Sadly, we never know what may be going on in our opponent's life. Let's try and brighten their day. SMILE! Enjoy these last two weeks and we can't wait to see all your end of season team party photos.

Stay safe!

Karen Eubanks

Rules Director

rules@tcdtennis.org

MEMBERSHIP NEWS!

Thursday May 9th

9:00 am Check-In

9:30- 11:30 am Boot Camp

Celebrate the end of the TCD season with Tennis Boot Camp.

Take this opportunity to experience different teaching styles from different tennis professionals in the TCD Community!

Box lunches provided after your awesome workout!

Spots fill up fast!

Registration opens Monday, April 22 at 9:00 am.

Please register on-line (TCD Ladies tab Events/Social)

Laura Schussler

Membership Director

membership@tcdtennis.org

TCD GRANTS

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Tennis Competitors of Dallas accepted grant applications from mid December 2023 through the end of January 2024. The grant committee then proposed awardees and grant amounts to the TCD Board for approval at the March board meeting. We are pleased to have the opportunity to provide funds to several outstanding organizations. Grants were distributed the end of March to the following charities:

Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation

To further junior tennis development in the USA and worldwide through the “Little Mo” tournaments, MCB provides travel grants to deserving young players who are talented and gifted, but their parents don’t have the financial means to pay for their travel to the Little Mo tournaments.

Dallas Tennis Association

DTA relies on grants and donations to fund its life-changing work. The TCD grant will be used to open two new sites, one in Richardson and one in South Dallas, for their Adaptive Program. This program caters to students with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and the new sites will enable 50 athletes to have access to this program.

ACEing Autism

ACEing Autism helps autistic children develop social connections and fitness through tennis. The TCD grant will be used to take a team of 12 players and coaches to the State Special Olympics competition in San Antonio and to also purchase additional equipment for the programs.

Buddy Up for Life

Buddy Up for Life serves individuals with Down Syndrome and helps build athletic, social and emotional development in a fun, active, and supportive environment. The TCD grant will be used to provide training to coaches to ensure they are up to date on the latest adaptive techniques, and refresh tennis equipment.

Paddles Up Pickleball Club

Paddles Up Pickleball Club promotes the sport of pickleball to juniors in the DFW area. The TCD grant will help cover registration costs for tournaments, uniform costs, and equipment costs and also, to provide teaching and competitive experience to all juniors in the DFW Area

Dallas Wheelchair Tennis Club

The primary purpose of the DWTC is to provide opportunities to improve the mental and physical well-being of persons with mobility disabilities through the growth and development of wheelchair tennis with a focus on the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and Texas. The TCD Grant will be used to purchase three specialized tennis wheelchairs.

Click on the organization name for more information.

Will Flynn

Financial Director

financial@tcdtennis.org

NEW "TEAM SPORTSMANSHIP"

AWARD

They say “time flies whether or not you’re having fun”…….and I truly hope y’all ARE HAVING FUN because after all, isn’t that why we play tennis and pickleball? It’s the reason I play! As you have heard, this is the first season we are trying out a “Team Sportsmanship Award."

We thought introducing a TEAM focused award was a great way to encourage everyone to put their best “racquet/paddle” forward and spread the LOVE, FUN and CAMARADERIE that brings us to the courts every week. We, as a committee, are excited to see how this pans out and our hope is that this award is something everyone finds value in and it continues for years to come!

Please be on the lookout to see who our winners are! THANK YOU ALL for truly behaving your best on the courts to represent your team, as well as, TCD as an organization!

HAPPY PLAYING!

Lesa Wracher, Past Presiding Director and Special Committee Chair

Sue Deeke, Website Administrator and Special Committee Member

Shelley Vick, Ladies Director and Special Committee Member

Anita Whitney, Past Board Member and Special Committee Member

THANK YOU TCD!

April 14, 2024

Dear TCD board and members,

Greetings! On behalf of the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation (MCB), I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your tremendous donation of $35,000 to our junior tennis program. TCD was established in 1977 by MCB, and we marvel at the way you have been such extraordinary ambassadors for tennis in the communities you serve. TCD’s generosity will fund travel grants to promising young players who participate in the “Little Mo” national and international tournaments.

My mom, Maureen “Little Mo” Connolly Brinker, would have been just another talented player on the public courts of San Diego if not for the generosity of the San Diego Tennis Patrons, an organization that paid her travel expenses for national and international competitions. Similarly, many deserving players today would not be able to compete in the “Little Mo” tournaments without travel grants. The most gifted young national and international players compete in “Little Mo” tournaments. Coco Gauff, a “Little Mo” champion at age eight has said, “The ‘Little Mo’ is where the belief began.”

As importantly, MCB stresses fair play, gratitude, and giving back. We present Sportsmanship trophies and Kindness trophies at “Little Mo” tournaments to emphasize strong moral character and honorable conduct. MCB wants to help create champions both on and off the tennis court. MCB knows our young champions will be future leaders given their discipline, determination, and devotion to pursuing excellence.

Dear friends, again, many thanks for TCD’s generous donation of $35,000 to MCB. We are appreciative beyond measure for the opportunity your donation provides these talented young athletes to compete effectively and rigorously. Continue to play “Mo” tennis!

With warmest regards and profound gratitude,

Cindy Brinker Simmons

President

Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation

Dear TCD Board of Directors,

From the bottom of our hearts, we sincerely thank you for the kind donation to our Paddles Up Pickleball Club. 2024 promises to be an even bigger growth year for our club!

In addition to our returning members, we recently added 8 more juniors to our Club and have been approached by several more families interested in having their kids join us! Our plan to hold Open Practices once a month has proven to provide more opportunities for new kids to learn what we are all about! Tournament season is kicking in and we plan to pay entry fees for all our kids to participate and we are thrilled with the progress we are seeing at each week's practice.