WOW! OMG! Indian Wells! National Championships!

On October 11 - 15, 2012 several of our Senior Jammers aka Racquetheads along with their teammates traveled to Indian Wells CA to compete in the 2012 USTA 3.5 Senior National Championships.  The weekend in Indian Wells was one of the first times ever for the girls and the most memorable experience for the team.

 

The team left Springfield MO on Thursday, October 11 for a 9:20 AM flight to Forth Worth/Dallas TX and connects a flight there to Palm Springs CA.  All the team members were eager and excited about our trip.  The plane trip went smoothly and we got to Palm Springs with no problem.  We landed at Palm Springs Municipal Airport around 1:40 PM.  Coach/Co-Captain Huong has already made arrangement for a team practice at 3:00 pm at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.  No chance of goofing off for the team, have to get in our last practice before the first match on Friday.

At the Springfield Airport

 

 

 

The Indian Wells Tennis Garden was AMAZING!  The only thing the team could say when we walked into the tennis center was ‘WOW’…’OMG’.  This tennis facility in Indian Wells, CA, in the Coachella Valley, it is the home of the Indian Wells masters tournament, a.k.a. the BNP Paribas open (previously the Pacific Life Open), a joint event of the ATP World Tour and the WTA tour which constitutes the fifth largest tournament in the world.  The $77 million facility was built in March 2000, and was designed by Rossetti Associates Architects.  It includes a 16,100-seat stadium court.   WOW!  The stadium court is the second largest tennis-specific stadium in the world.  WOW!  The largest stadium court would be the one in New York, the Arthur Ashe Stadium.  That one has a 22,547-seat stadium court.   Beside the stadium court at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, there are also 24 hard courts that are match courts and practice courts.  Yes, this is where the pros play.  The Racquetheads had a hard time concentrating during the practice session, since there are beautiful mountains in the background.  WOW!

The team manages to practice for about 2 hours before we had to head to the Miramonte Resort & Spa, where the team would be staying while they are playing.  While the team were busy checking into their rooms.  Kelly and I had to go to the Team Captain’s Registration and Captain’s Meeting.  Nothing really new at the meeting, it was the same stuff we hear at the Captain’s Meeting at Sectionals.  By the time the meeting was over, it was time for the Players’ party.

 

Nancy & Albie - Practice Session
 

Teresa & Carol - Practice Session
 



Kelly & Beth - Practice Session

 

Lisa - Practice Session
 



Mary Ann & Julie - Practice Session

 

 

Miramonte Resort & Spa

 

 

 

It was a great Players’ party, much better than the one we had at Sectionals.  Great foods, music, dancing, and door prizes give away.  Kelly managed to win a Penn USTA back pack as well as Nancy.  It was at the players’ party that Nancy finally found her husband’s picture.  During our get together at Nancy’s house, the week before we left for Indian Wells; Beth manage to borrowed a picture of Nancy’s husband and have taken it with her to Indian Wells.  For days, Nancy has no idea what could have happened to her husband’s picture that was on her mantel at home.  While we were at the players’ party, Beth took the picture that were all wrapped up in a nice box, and talked to the DJ and asked him if he would call Nancy’s number so she could come up to claim her prize.  When she does, he would hand her the box.  It was great, in front of a whole group of people; Nancy opened the box and found her husband’s picture.     The things we do to our teammates.

Albie, Nancy, Mary Ann - Players Party


 

Nancy, Mary Ann, Lisa - Players Party

 

Beth, Carol, Teresa - Players Party
 

Huong, Kelly, Teresa - Players Party

 

Nancy is about to find a big surprise!
 

Nancy finally found her husband!

 

Friday morning came; our first match for the day was at 9:00 AM against the Texas Section, a team from Fort Worth-RTC Driver.  We all were very eager to play our first match at Nationals.  Lisa Powell teamed up with Julie Skinner to play against their opponents, Deena Nutt and Linda Gilson.  Lisa and Julie did great together; it was a very tight first set.  They had to go to a set tie break.  I can tell Lisa’s arm was hurting her close toward the end of the set.  Both Lisa and Julie fought hard, but couldn’t win that set tie break.  I thought they could come back on the second set.  It wasn’t their day, Lisa and Julie lost the match with the scores 7-6, 6-3.

Lisa & Julie - Match against Texas
 

 

Lisa - Texas match
 

Lisa & Julie - Texas match
 

Julie - Texas match

 

Our second doubles team of Teresa Emerson and Nancy Winters were playing against Texas’ players Marilyn Trevathan and Gina Tallent.  Teresa and Nancy lost in the first set 2-6, they fought hard and come back to win the second set 6-3.  In the match tie-break, all the players played hard, points by points.  It wasn’t our day; we lost 8-10 in the match tie-break.  Yes, two lousy points. 
 

Teresa - Texas match
 

Nancy & Teresa - Texas match
 

Nancy - Texas match
 

Nancy & Teresa
 

 

Captain of the Racquetheads, Kelly Kramer, teamed up with Beth Wilson for our third doubles.  They played against Gayle Hale and Susie Gilinsky.  Kelly and Beth had a great match.  They took the first match win for the team in two straight sets 6-3, 6-3.

 

Kelly & Beth - Texas match
 

Beth - Texas match
 

Kelly - Texas match
 

 

It was a hard lost for Teresa and Nancy, if they would have won the match tie-break; we could have won our first match as a team.  It could have gone either way, why couldn’t it have gone our way?

Our second match for the day was at 2:00 PM against the Intermountain Section, a team from Idaho-Senioritas.  Yes, the potatoes people.  Since their lost in the morning was a little bit hard to swallow.  Teresa and Nancy were ready for the second match of the day.  They teamed up once again to go against the Idaho’s doubles team of Lori Ewing and Ramona Hildebran.  They didn’t have any problem at all in the first set; they dominate the Idaho’s team with the score of 6-1.  On the second set, it wasn’t that easy, but they hung in there to win it at 6-4.  Our second match win for the day.

 

Kelly Kramer teamed up this time with Carol Rollins to play against Kara Hoge and Rochelle Cullum.  They played a great match but couldn’t come up with a win.  Kelly and Carol lost in straight sets 7-5, 6-3.

 

Carol & Kelly - Idaho match
 

Kelly going for a lob.
 

Carol going for a winner.

 

 Julie Skinner and Mary Ann Daum teamed up for our third doubles.  It was a tough afternoon for the girls.  Nothing seems to be working for them.  The shots that they usually make weren’t there for them.  They also lost in straight sets 6-2, 6-2.

Mary Ann - Idaho match

 

Mary Ann & Julie - Idaho match

 

 Two matches down for the day, the girls were ready for a drink at the pool.  Wish they could have won the matches, but they didn’t.  We just have to move on.

 

Saturday morning come, another match day for the Racquetheads.  The match wasn’t until 10:30 AM against the New England Section, a team from Maine-Shades of Gray/Robidoux.  Such an interesting team name, don’t you think?  I should have asked the captain of the team if they got their team name from the famous book, ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’.  Hmmm, interesting indeed.

 

For this match, Beth Wilson teamed up with Mary Ann Daum to play against Cindi Howard and Anne Gibson.  Mary Ann played much better in this match, she made some incredible shots.  But it wasn’t our day again, Mary Ann and Beth lost in two sets with the scores of 6-3, 6-4.

 

Beth - New England match

 

Mary Ann - New England match
 

Beth & Marcy Ann - New England match
 

Mary Ann - New England match
 

Beth - New England match

 

 

Carol Rollins and Julie Skinner played together against the doubles team of Tacy Ridlon and Melissa Hale.    Carol and Julie played well together and won the first set 6-4.  They were ahead on the second set 4-1.  I thought for sure they would win the match.  But their opponents fought back and won 5 games in a row to win the second set 6-4.  Carol and Julie couldn’t seem to recover.  They lost in the match tie break 10-7 to the Idaho’s team.

 

Julie - New England match
 

Carol & Julie - New England match
 

Carol & Julie - New England match
 

Julie - New England match
 

Julie & Carol - New England match
 

Julie - New England match
 

 Our 77-year old teammate, Albie Nacke, teamed up with Nancy Winters for our 3^rd doubles.  They played against the doubles team of Kathy Hughes and Sue Loustaunau.  Albie and Nancy started out great; they won the first 3 games.  Again, I thought we would win this match for sure.  For the next game, it went to the Maine’s team.  Then Albie and Nancy won the next game and the score was at 4-1.  The match got tougher and tougher after that.  Albie played great, Nancy was yelling for her to go get all the shots that were going her way and Albie were getting to all the shots.  They played well together.  But the odds weren’t in their favor.  Albie and Nancy ended up losing in two straight sets 7-5, 6-3.

 

Albie - New England match
 

Nancy - New England match

 

Albie - New England match
 

Nancy & Albie - New England match

 

Nancy & Albie - New England match
 

 

The team didn’t make it to the Finals, but they didn’t get blown away on the courts.  It was the team first National Championships.  There will be more Nationals in these players future, I will guarantee that.  I love the quote that Teresa got from Lisa Fernandez, the star pitcher for the US Olympic softball team. 

“The team with the best athletes doesn’t usually win.  It’s the team with the athletes who play best together.”

That’s what the Racquetheads are all about.  There will never be another team like the Racquetheads; we are one of a kind.  We are friends on and off the courts.  We will always have each other back.  We are the dream team.

 

This last week, all of us had a chance to do something that many people don’t have a chance to do.  We were at the place where the pros played.  The team had a chance to step out into the stadium court at Indian Wells.  Now how cool is that?  (Yes, I went and lay in the middle of the court. )  We got a chance to tour the stadium, see where the pros hang out before their matches.  It was an awesome 5 days we had together.  No, we didn’t make it to the Finals, but the team had the best time ever.  The team played the best tennis and saw a lot of great tennis.  We’ve made some new friends, players from Idaho and North Da-Ko-Ta.   Who can ever forget George Anich, a nice gentleman who gave us the tour of the stadium, and who was nice enough to let us see the stadium court up close.  Thank you George! 

Years from now, we will still be talking about the first time we ever played at Indian Wells-where the pros play.  WOW!  So in the year 2016, when I will turn 50, we all will make a trip back to Indian Wells to play in the Senior Cup.  But between now and then, we hope to make it to Indian Wells once again for another USTA National Championships.

 

OUR PHOTO GALLERY:

 

Stadium Court

 

Yes - that's me in the middle of center court

1-2-3-Jump

Again

 

Our Friend - George Anich
Tournament Director - BNP Paribas Open Senior Cup

 

 

- Our Last Morning Before Heading Home -

 

 

  

- Last Look At  Indian Wells -

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

RACQUETHEADS - THE DREAM TEAM

"There Will Never Be Another Team Like This"

 

Front:  Huong  Doan / Lisa Powell / Carol Rollins / Albie Nacke
Back:  Beth Wilson / Mary Ann Daum / Nancy Winters / Kelly Kramer / Teresa Emerson / Julie Skinner
 

 

Coaches & Captains -  Huong & Kelly

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WE'RE JUST SAYIN...