The Rally

Coastal Alabama Tennis Association

formerly known as Friends of Orange Beach Tennis

Volume 1, Issue 1 Quarterly Newsletter

Happy New Year!!!! The Friends of Orange Beach Tennis are

changing the name to Coastal Alabama Ten-
nis Association (CAT). The change allows the organization to continue with their mission
statement and supports the ability to expand on their goals and focuses of the local tennis
communities. The change has also allowed us to increase the board members to include players
not only from Orange Beach but also from the Foley and Gulf Shores/Peninsula area.
We are very excited and looking forward to an Awesome 2010!!!!!!!!

Tennis Swap January 20, 2010

Money raised will help Gulf Shores High School Tennis Team
to purchase team uniforms

Do you have tennis clothes that no longer fit?

Inside this issue: A NEW outfit you never wore or forgot about it?
Men Player Spotlight 2 TAKE them to a drop off location for the “TENNIS SWAP”………….
Junior Player Spotlight 2 What is a tennis swap? New or Lightly worn Ladies/Teens tennis
apparel gathered and resold. Items are given a price range of $3-$10
Woman Player Spotlight 3
depending on the condition of each. Items include
Tennis Swap 3
tennis apparel, shoes, rackets, etc….
Pro Tip 4
When: Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Upcoming Events 5
Time: 11am to 1pm/5pm to 7pm
Success Story 7
Where: Fairfield Inn located in Orange Beach
(Continue on page 3)
Page 2 The Rally

Men’s Player Spotlight: BOB CLARK

Bob spends 5 months out of the year for the local high school.
in Orange Beach, AL. His hometown Bob also plays an impor-
is Grand Ledge MI. tant role in the Gulf
He began playing tennis at the age of Shores Tennis Club.
35 with the influence of his younger Bob follows Roger
brother, David. Federer on the profes-
Bob has been visiting the south for sional level. He appreci-
over 60 years and enjoys the people ates the humbleness that
of the southern coast. he shows on and off the court.

When Bob goes home to Michigan, he man-
ages his company in the Parts and Auto Re-
pairs business in order to save up for the
next visit south. Bob is a retired Teacher/
Coach. He still spends time enriching stu-
dents life's by coaching tennis each year
Tennis has really been a joy to Bobs life. This
is due to a lot of great people he has gotten to
meet from young to old. Bob can be seen al-
most any Monday night in Orange Beach or
Wednesday night in Gulf Shores playing the
sport he loves, Tennis.

Junior Player Spotlight: MACI GOGGANS

Maci Goggans is a Junior at
Gulf Shores High School. She
moved here from Birmingham.
She began playing at the age
of 7 with the intentions of
being able to play in college on
the Collegiate level. She has
MACI GOGGANS
plans to play at a Division 1 university.
Her goal for the current season is to become the #1 State
player in Girls 18’s this year. She feels that her single most
accomplishment in tennis was reaching the Top 50 in the
South. Each year she attends the Florida State High School
Performance camp and practices approximately 14 hours a
week with local pro’s.
Maria Sharapova is her favorite professional tennis player.
Maci says that Maria moved to the US while not having hardly
any money and a few friends. She likes her drive and the way
she competes.
In Maci’s spare time she enjoys going to the beach and hanging
out with friends. Since moving to the gulf coast, she really
enjoys the weather and the laid back atmosphere
Check out Maci’s record and other tennis information on
the www.tennisrecruiting.net
Volume 1, Issue 1 Quarterly Newsletter Page 3

Continuation from page 1——-Tennis Swap January 20, 2010

Money raised will help Gulf Shores High School Tennis Team to purchase Team uniforms

Each person donating 2 or more items at a drop Thank you to our sponsors:
off location will be provided 2 tickets as credits
toward purchases at the door the day of the
event. There will be a $10 fee at the door.
Also there will be door prizes during the event.
Drop off locations:
Lucca at the Wharf
Wildflowers— Canal Rd, Orange Beach
Peninsula Tennis Shop-- Gulf Shores
Island Drug & Gifts, Hwy 59, Gulf Shores
Please no lingerie or apparel with holes or stains. Thank you

For more information contact: Christine

Slaughter 942-3141, Farrah Keel 747-4867
or Perry Benton 228-0013

Woman’s Player Spotlight: SARAH BROWN

Sarah grew up in Minnesota and graduated
from UM-Duluth where she played colle-
giate Golf. In 1991, after marrying her
husband, Grant, Sarah moved to Gulf
Shores.
She began playing more competitive tennis
3 1/2 years ago when Suzette Taylor and
Brandi Eslava needed two more players in
order to have a doubles court. Prior to
then, she played for
fun.
Sarah’s daughter, Tay-
lor (11), also plays ten-
nis.
Sarah grew up playing
golf, volleyball, softball and basketball.
What does she enjoy most about tennis???
“The People! I have met so many great
friends through the game ^ LOVE IT!”
Sarah also spends time camping, kayaking
and boating with her family. She also en-
joys taking pictures, coaches her daugh-
ters basketball/softball teams and works
part time for the City of Gulf Shores
with the Youth Athletics.
She loves having the kids involved in a
life long sport. So the great camps
and clinics that are available through
Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are
awesome!
Volume 1, Issue 1 Quarterly Newsletter Page 4

Pro Tip: Christer Olsson

Strategy tip for Doubles: When playing doubles, serve down the middle.
This allows your partner to execute a poach on the return.

Friends of Orange Beach Tennis — Success in 2009

Friends of Orange Beach Tennis (FOBT) be-
gan with a Crawfish Boil Kickoff that was a In October 2009, FOBT organized a Mixed/
success of getting the information and gath- Combo Tournament held at the Orange Beach
ering memberships to start the organiza- Tennis Center.
tion. This too was a
By July 2009, FOBT success. We had
had completed the 52 players includ-
first project of in- ing local pros and
stalling the Blue junior players.
Canopies over the
benches located at
the Orange Beach Tennis Center.
In December
The success of this project was not only
2009, we received
through the hard work of the board mem-
enough can goods
bers but of the spon-
to prepare 4 bas-
sors that made it possi-
kets for local families in need. We had 2
ble by donating funds to
smoked turkeys donated by Jonathan Langston
cover the cost.
at Orange Beach United Methodist Church.
You can find these spon-
And lastly, the money that has been raised
sors located on page 9.
throughout the 2009 year through the tour-
Those sponsor will be
nament and social has been used to buy
displayed on the metal
windscreens for Courts 1-4 at the Orange
signs for 2 years.
Beach Tennis Center. The windscreens
In August 2009, FOBT organized a social to should be in-
celebrate the City of stalled by the
Orange Beach 25th end of January
Birthday. We had 2010.
food, cake and 40
players.
Volume 1, Issue 1 Quarterly Newsletter Page 5

Orange Beach Tennis Center Upcoming Events:

Tennis Pro’s: Rhett & Amy Russell
Contact Information: 974-6387 obtennis@gulftel.com
January 16-18, 2010: Orange Beach Polar Bear Classic Jr. Tournament
USTA Tournament ID#: 703210110
Deadline Monday, January 11, 2010
February 13, 2010: Valentine Social at 9am
February 20, 2010: Al Peck Century Tournament
March 20-21, 2010: Combo Classic
March & April: Socials TBD

George C. Meyer Tennis Center (Gulf Shores) Upcoming Events:

Tennis Pro’s: Jean Coberly and Buck Bobo
Contact Information: 968-1431
January 8, 2010: Swingers at 5:30pm
February 6-7, 2010: Winter Classic - Men & Women Dou-
bles (entry forms at ProShop)
February 27, 2010: Gulf Shores Tennis Club Mixed Doubles
March 12-14, 2010: 1st City of Gulf Shores Spring Break
Shootout Jr. Tournament. USTA Tournament ID#: 703228710
Deadline Monday, March 8, 2010

Other Local Events:

January 20, 2010: Spirit Park (Spanish Fort). 6-9pm
Contact Coach Sonya Rogers 370-0081
Bring $10, can of balls and a snack food to share.
Money raised goes to Spanish Fort High School
Tennis Team
March 5-7, 2010: Rock Creek Winter Classic Jr. Tournament
USTA Tournament ID#: 703230310 Deadline: Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Volume 1, Issue 1 Quarterly Newsletter Page 6

Peninsula Golf & Racquet Club, Gulf Shores AL

Pro’s: Eph Walker & Christer Olsson

Contact Info: 968-4164
Peninsula Pro Shop
Full Line of brand name Men/Women Tennis apparel
Baldwin County tennis players receive 15% discount on Regular
Priced Items
Pro Shop Hours: Monday-Saturday 7am-7pm
Sunday Noon-5pm

7.5 Senior Women win 2009 State Championship (Gulf Shores)

Theses women will compete in Mobile, AL at Combo Sectionals the weekend of January 22-25,
2010. In October 2009, they participated in the State Championship at Peninsula Racquet
Club. They competed against 6 other teams from around the state of Alabama. They were un-
defeated with a record of 6-0. GOOD LUCK ladies!!!!!!!!!
Pictured:
Back Row: Susan Andrews, Jane
Rivers, Carol Nonnenmann, Laura
Elliott, Kathy Cunningham, Barbie
Doherty
Front Row: Jan Guilfoyle, Janet
Asher, Captain Cindy Key, Debbie
Holder, Monica Davidson
Not pictured: Lynn Norwood
Volume 1, Issue 1 Quarterly Newsletter Page 7

3.5 Gulf Shores Team goes to Sectionals in 2009

Co-Captain, Sheri Hicks, was ask the following questions:

The 3.5 USTA Adult Women Gulf Shores Team was defeated by Birmingham in the finals at
State competition. Luckily, they received a wild card that would allow them to advance to Sec-
tionals in Birmingham.
How did you feel about the competition at State??? Sectionals???
The competition at state was tough, but not any tougher then our local league play. We're very fortunate to
have great tennis players and to be able to have competitive matches in our local community. The competition at
sectionals was much more difficult. We gave it
our best, never gave up, but my goodness it was
tough!
What is your opinion for a team to suc-
ceed past state competition???
Team commitment and dedication.
What was your most memorable moment
on the court or off the court during 3.5
State???? 3.5 Sectionals???
State - We had two memorable moments on the
courts that deserve equal mention.
1st moment was when Joannah Martin was play-
ing singles in 120-130 degree heat and she knew
it came down to her court winning in order for
the team to win the match and remain undefeated. Joannah fought hard for the team, won her court, the
team won the match and remained undefeated in our group. Joannah fought so hard for the team, that after
her match, she had to go the medic area for evaluation and received an IV. If it wasn't for Joannah fighting so
hard and not giving up, our 2nd memorable moment may not have occurred.
2nd moment was during the semi-finals when it came down to one court. Whoever won this court would advance
to the finals. We wanted it so badly, but so did our opponents B'ham. At this point we had split courts GS won 2
courts and B'ham won 2 courts. It came down to the last court playing a 3 1/2 match in 120-130 degree heat both
teams digging deep, not giving up, going 3 sets, both team watching the match, both teams wanting to advance to
finals. GS won. Sheri Hicks and Sarah Brown defeated B'ham in a third set tiebreaker. The crowd cheered,
players rushed the court, it was exhilarating. GS was advancing to the finals to meet another B'ham team.
Sectionals - Most memorable moments at sectionals:
We had a great time on and off the court. We were so proud to be competing at sectionals and we were going to
enjoy every moment whether we won or lost. We made some lifelong memories that we will never forget and still
laugh about. The competition was tough. We played great tennis, enjoyed spending time with each other, and had
a blast hanging out in the "suite" and laughing until we couldn't breath!
Volume 1, Issue 1 Quarterly Newsletter Page 8

2009 USTA State Champions……...

3.5 Senior Team—Gulf Shores

3.5 Super Senior Team—Gulf Shores

3.0 Adult Team—Pensacola Tri Level Team—Gulf Shores

2010 USTA Adult & Senior Leagues in Progress

Good Luck to everyone during their Local League competition.
Please keep us posted on your team.
You can contact us at coastaltennis@gmail.com
Volume 1, Issue 1 Quarterly Newsletter Page 9

Thank you to our Sponsors of the Blue Canopies:

Contact Information: 
Coastal Alabama Tennis As
PO Box 454  sociation
Mission Statement:
Orange Beach, AL 36561  We are a non-profit organiz
ation
coastaltennis@gmail.com  with the sole purpose of pr
omoting
tennis by partnering with co
mmunity
groups and city agencies to
promote
youth, adult and senior tour
naments
and events to encourage pa
rticipation
in the sport.