SCTA News – April 20, 2025 updated 4/26
The Mix & Match tournament had another beautiful day for tennis yesterday. The standings are close – let’s see what Saturday brings! 
WTO Match Point will begin at 12:00 on Court 1. Come and watch the fun as each doubles team plays one point to advance. Don’t miss this exciting event!Directly after Match Point, we will hold the raffle for the Yeti cooler donated by Vaden Automotive. Players must be present to win! Tournament matches will start at 1:00 today. We had a good crowd of friends and neighbors out to watch the great tennis. Keep ‘em coming and have them cheer you on! Burgers, veggie burgers, and hot dogs are only $3 – lunch and music at the tournament! The plaques are going to good homes, and we still have some left. Grab a memory!Saturday is Sponsor Appreciation day! Be sure to stop at the sponsor tables and thank them for their support.
4/23/2025
The SCTA is pleased to share that we will be launching a new website the weekend of 4/26-27. See attachment
4/21/2025
Mix & Match Set-up Crew: For volunteers willing to help hang sponsor signs and banners, we will commence work on TUESDAY following the 4.0 Intraclub matches, which means shortly after 2:00 PM. (NOT after Monday’s party).
Onsite Therapeutic Massage – We are blessed to have Caroline Coleman of Low Country Therapeutic Massage onsite for the entire Mix & Match tournament. Caroline is offering pre-match loosening and post-match stiffness 20-minute massages at the greatly reduced rate of $45, and there is a $5 discount if you book ahead online. Here is the link:
Look for a full description of Caroline’s expertise and experience coming to your InBox soon.
Sponsor Appreciation – We have a record number of sponsors this year, and several of the most generous Platinum Level sponsors will be onsite during the tournament. PLEASE drop by their display tables and offer your thanks for their support. These onsite sponsors are:
Vaden Automotive Group – Our most generous and longest Mix & Match Sponsor – donated a new can of Penn balls to every player!
Players World of Sports – Your tennis and pickleball headquarters, back for a second year and offering 10% discounts to players!
Oschner Novant Health 65 Plus – The new health provider on the block, squarely in our demographic and promising same or next day appointments! Donated a cooling towel for all.
Conscious Capital – Super nice people to help with retirement financial planning – donated water bottles and cooling towels
Optim Orthopedics – Another sponsor who has been with us every Mix & Match year – donated mini-first aid kits for every player
Savannah Wealth Group – A very personal financial planner seeking to expand into Bluffton – donated the bag tags for every player
Contact Dudley Kay for more information: dudkay69@gmail.com or 919-414-3861
Makin’ It Shine!
The Bucket Brigade made the south side courts shine for Mix and Match! We had a couple of hours of hard work punctuated by short coffee and doughnut breaks. We cleaned the walks, fastened windscreens, scrubbed players benches and spectator seating, cleaned recycle bins and scoreboards, and shined up the tops of the nets.
Please thank Gerry Fagan, Chris Scott, Mickey Boisvert, Donna Ryan, Russ Johnston, Tyler Tollstrup, Gary Roy, Dave Campbell, Irene Randall, Debbie Costello, Jerry Costello, Sally Bouthout, Stan Grabiec, Robert Schwarz, Diane Amedei, and George Walton when you see them around the courts. This is SCTA! – Michael Ryan
Tennis Socials
We are trying again to pull off a Tennis Social event. This time in the first part of June, date yet to be decided. Let’s hope it doesn’t rain again. Thanks everyone for your patience, but it WILL happen. This will be fun filled, noncompetitive, no Club ratings required, friendly tennis. Using new and quite unique formats of play. Basically, a fantastic tennis party for SCTA members.
WOMEN TENNIS ORGANIZATION HOST MATCH POINT
Last chance to sign up for Match Point sponsored by WTO at the Mix and Match Tournament this year. Registration closes on April 26th. On-line registration form can be found here: bit.ly/WTOMatchPoint25. Flyer is also attached for your viewing.
If you have signed up, please assemble near court 1 on April 26th at 11:30am. MP will begin at noon.
Three categories: women, men, and mixed doubles. Don’t have a partner – no problem, one will be assigned. Cost is $5 per person per category charged to your CAM card. Each partner must sign up individually. Match Point is open to all players.
All money raised goes to promoting tennis in our community by offering high school tennis scholarships and supporting local charities such as Bluffton Self Help, and Public Tennis Inc.
WTO BAKE SALE AT Mix & Match
The Women’s Tennis Organization is hosting a Fundraising Bake Sale during the Sun City Tennis Association Mix & Match Tournament. Bake goods will be available for purchase on April 24 from 4-8pm and on April 25th from 2-6pm (weather permitting). A variety of baked goods will be available for purchase such as cookies, brownies, blondies, cupcakes, and lemon bars, muffins, and sugar/gluten free options. Cash preferred, check made out to WTO will be accepted.
Proceeds will be donated to the Memorial Scholarship program, Public Tennis Inc. and other charities.
Mix & Match Tournament
Last Call for Mix & Match!
The Mix & Match tournament is right around the corner – April 24-27! There are still opportunities for you to participate as a volunteer or substitute player.
Volunteers:
Work in the Grill area – contact Erin DePascale at erin8315@yahoo.com
Help at the Information table – Contact Sandy Holz at sandyholz117@gmail.com
Mix & Match is still in need of subs!
The Mix & Match tournament is right around the corner – April 24-27! We are still looking for subs at the 2.5 Men and 3.0 Men rating levels. Contact Mike McCombs at mailto:mem48116@yahoo.com if interested.
The Pro Event Friday April 25 at 6:00 PM Has Been Cancelled
This fantastic event has been cancelled due to a scheduling conflict. We will look forward to it again next year.
Call for large coolers
The Mix & Match tournament is in need of 5-6 very large coolers. If you have a cooler we can borrow for the next week, please contact Donna Ryan at donnaryan0813@gmail.com. Thanks in advance!
Please reach out if you have any questions to:
Donna Ryan
Mix & Match Tournament Director 2025
517-304-4751
Mix and Match Related Volunteers
After Monday’s party we will need a crew to help hang sponsor signs and banners, a record number this year. It’s always helpful to have one or more sturdy and safe ladders. We will need a large number of zip ties and perhaps some cord for the big banners, too. This year we have a very large 3×8 foot banner showing all of the sponsors to be hung in a very prominent location, tentatively suggested from the Court 1 windsock rod to a nearby lamp post.
Dudley 919-4143861
Happy Court Memories!
Remember Hot Shots? How about Gator Girls or Sun Strokes or Volley Dolls or Ball Busters or Harpy Eagles or Geriantics? Remember the plaques and awards these teams won? You can relive those days and take a plaque home with you!
These plaques were stored in the tennis shed for many years. They are now cleaned and ready for a new home. The images have been digitized for posterity. The average dates on these are mid-2000s to mid-2010s, with the earliest being 2000 and the latest 2018. There are also plaques for individual and team USTA recognition and past president pictures.
These would look much better in your home than in the tennis shed. Come down to the display table during Mix and Match (April 24-27) on the South Side courts and take a memory home. Tell your friends that may no longer be active in tennis to view these plaques too – there may be a treasure in there for someone.
The New SCTA Website
The SCTA is pleased to share that we will be launching our new website the weekend of 4/26&27. Stay Tuned for more details. Great thanks to Bud Brooks and the crew of board members working on this.
The Summer Lottery is Coming
If you want a summer social group or team (mixed or combo USTA), you must request a link before Apr 21, 7pm.
To request a link, use the Sign Up Forms page on our website, or click here —> Request a Summer Group/Team.
You must COMPLETE the form by Apr 30. The summer Lottery is May 8, Hidden Cypress, 6 pm.
Recruiting for Summer Mixed 3.5 USTA 40+ and 55+ Leagues
If you are going to be around this summer and interested in participating in the Mixed USTA league, please reach out to Patti Gilchrist (patti_gilchrist@hotmail.com) for additional details. There are still spots available for 3.5 players.
The season runs May 12 to Aug 3. Home matches will be played in the evenings at 5:30 PM. Going to be a great season!
Presentation on Knee and Hip Problems by Optim Orthopedics
Here is notice of an upcoming talk on knee and hip problems on April 30th by the Optim specialist Dr. Christy. How good is he? He did my hip and I won two pickleball tournament medals. He then did a knee replacement and I won the 7.0 Mixed Doubles. Optim is our perpetual $500 Mix & Match sponsor and they are damn good. – Dudley
Please see the attached information. Contact Jennifer for further specific information:
Jennifer Clanton/Physician & Community Liaison
Cell: 912.650.9475
From the Logo Building
When using the ball machine mower on court 4 with the ball machine, please do not take it across any of the white lines on the court.
You may only use the ball machine if you have taken the orientation. You may not use it with a person who has taken the orientation if you have not gone through the orientation yourself.
The “Need an Opponent” under the Main tab in the Tennis Chelsea system has been cleared of all past information and is ready to start fresh to be used to meet tennis players on your level and arrange play time, or to find a tennis player to fill in when someone cancels in your group for the day. You can specify the time of day you are available, and it you would like to play singles or doubles. Since the level of play includes a broad range of ability level, please use the comments area to specify your rating level if you know your level of play. Looking forward to this being a great way to connect tennis players! – Pam LOGO Building
Parking Lot Closure
Please see the below information regarding parking for the Lifestyle Mayfest event. Parking lot closed all day– May 2 & 3, 2025. Please advise players to park on the other side or walk around.
Fence will be closed off each day starting at 4 pm until the end of the concert. – Elysa Koch
Victory!
Beth Peter’s 3.5 55+ team won their league and advanced to states. (Tyng TLC with a 9-1 record. We had more set wins as the tiebreaker)
Tyler’s Tennis Trivia
The first correct responder to the trivia question was Brian Matteson. He answered with a plethora of male and female Italian tennis stars of old and new. He seemed to be very connected. Then I got the call from Milan. Brian was to win. He didn’t have any idea what their Nonnas fed them at lunchtime, but I have given him the extra two cans of Tyler’s Famous Balls (Patent Pending) anyway. Brian, please tell the boys I gave you all of the four cans. Please.
Searching For Life’s Meaning Off the Court
“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”
Thanks for submitting your contributions to the blissful well being of your fellow tennis members. Please forward your favorites to tylertollstrup@aol.com.
The Next SCTA Board Meeting
The next board meeting is a General Membership Meeting. It will be on Tuesday May 13 at 6 PM in the Edisto Room at Pinckney Hall.
Call to reserve a seat as it will be quite crowded. Immediately after the meeting Tyler will give a 1,500 slide show presentation on Spain and Italy, complete with maps and commonly used phrases and hand gestures. Spell binding to be sure.
Great thanks to all the volunteers who showed up to clean up the courts for the Mix and Match. The SCTA is made up of, and made great by its volunteers.
It is a pleasure to serve the SCTA as its president. Thank you – Tyler
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