119th St. Tennis Association

Welcome to the 119th St. Tennis Association Website.

You've come to the right place to find association news, learn about upcoming events and tournaments, find new hitting partners, and learn about all of the benefits of membership. We have put together a section for people that are interested in joining. We hope to count you among our members in the coming 2009 season. The 2009 Membership & Activity Form is ready for your convenience!

Note: NYC Parks and Recreation Tennis Permits are required from Saturday, April 4th through Sunday, November 15, 2009. See the NYC Parks and Recreation website for further information and to renew online. Permits will be available at the Arsenal at 61st Street and 5th Avenue beginning March 30th (Adults $100, Seniors $20, Juniors $10). First-time permit buyers must purchase their permit at the Arsenal, Paragon Sporting Goods or by mail.

Court time at the 119th Street and Riverside Park location cannot be reserved in advance. Courts are signed for on a first-come, first-served basis. A season permit or a Parks issued single play pass are required to reserve a court. One hour for singles, two-hours for doubles. Repeats allowed only if there is availability.

Letter from the President

Our tennis tournament season is in full swing! The Men's Open concluded Sunday. John Fumi def. Will McCord 6-4, 6-0. The Women's Open is in its 2nd round, set to conclude over the 4th of July weekend. Rain delays have plagued the match schedule but we've been pleased with the efforts made to move the tournaments forward. We've had sold out Speed Tennis and Mixed Doubles Mixer events, coordinated by Dorlene Kaplan. There are still three remaining mixed doubles mixers so reserve your spot now.

We held our Annual General Meeting for Members on Monday, March 9th, 2009. Twenty-three people attended and we had lively discussions on a variety of topics. Jim Dowell, President, Riverside Park Fund and John Herrold, Administrator, Riverside Park joined us and responded to our inquiries. We are pleased to learn that the invasive mulberry trees that drop berries on our courts will be removed this spring. We are also going to schedule spring repairs to the courts including pressure washing and crack filling. We are looking into the possibility of upgrading our website so that paying dues and registering for events can be done on-line by credit card. Our resident Pro, Mallika Fernando suggested we have Junior Membership at a reduced fee. She encouraged us to start a ladder for juniors who join the Association. She will "feed" her students into the junior program. Will keep you posted on progress of these initiatives as well as other items of interest!

As in the past, local schools are practicing at our courts on weekday afternoons through May. The full schedule is posted at the courts. No more than 4 courts will be permitted to schools at a given time slot so that there will be court availability to the general public when the schools are present. Practice sessions are generally Monday - Friday between 3:00 - 6:00 p.m.

We appreciate your support especially in these troubled financial times. We don't want to let the courts fall into disrepair as they did years ago. Many thanks.

*2008 Season Highlights*Your Dues at Work*General News*

We reached a total of 168 Members in 2008 - a new record!

We concluded our 2008 season with a festive Tournament Trophy Award Presentation and Reception held on Oct. 20th at Symposium Restaurant. We had a record turn-out of 70 plus guests. A good time was had by all - check out our photo gallery to see pictures of our proud champions and all the guests who came out to honor them. Chris Binioris and his restaurant staff hosted a wonderful party with delicious Greek savories. A good amount of wine was consumed as well!

Court maintenance: all courts were pressure washed in March '08 and we completed crack repair in early June. This latest round of work done to the courts cost $8,600, all paid for by the 119th Street Tennis Association. As always, your support is needed and much appreciated!

Court attendants work hard to keep the leaves and snow off the courts as well as control chaos at the gate! Please be considerate of your fellow tennis enthusiasts and give up your court at the appointed hour if others are waiting to play. The official permit season has concluded.

We were pleased to host a number of US Open Qualifiers and Juniors practicing at our courts in August. Among those seen include, Youlia Fedessova, Bradley Klahn, Rhyne Williams, Blaz Rola, and Tom Kocevar Desman.

An exciting tournament season commenced with the Men's Open on June 7, 2008. The Men's Open final took place on Sunday, June 29. Jon Levey defeated Wataru Yanai in three sets, 0-6, 6-1, 6-4. The third set could have gone to either player and had the added drama of a thunder storm heading our way. Luckily the match was completed just as drops began to fall from the sky! Newcomer to our courts, Liron Weiss defeated our defending champion, Niki Sandoval, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 on Sunday, July 13. Michael Newberry defeated Tony Lance 6-4, 6-4 in the The Men's 45+. We also had good participation in the Mixed Doubles Round-Robin and the Men's Invitational. The tournament season wrapped up on Labor Day weekend with a lively Men's Doubles tournament.

On May 17, we co-hosted our second "Speed Tennis Event" with NYC Tennis Partners wherein participants changed opponents every twenty minutes over a two-hour period. It was a great way for players to find new partners and meet fellow tennis enthusiasts. The event was sold out and raised over $900 for our Association. We wish to thank our Association Member Dorlene Kaplan for coordinating all the details of this well run and popular afternoon of mix and match tennis!

Roger Salzman, our Electronic Ladder guru, coordinated a "Ladder Play May Day" on May 31. Rain cut the event short but given the enthusiasm of the participants, we hope that ladder play will continue to be popular.

We hosted three "Mixed Doubles Mixers" on Wednesday evenings, coordinated by Dorlene Kaplan. These events were open to men and women 3.0 (low intermediates) and above. Mixing and matching of players took place throughout each evening, providing everyone an opportunity to play with and against different players. A good time was had by all and funds were raised to maintain our courts.

Mallika Fernando is our resident pro. She is at our courts giving lessons and has a variety of clinics for adults and children. She can be reached at 917 679 0548.

In January, Anne-Marie Jannuzzo, our Director of Public Affairs wrote a grant proposal to Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell and we received word from him that we are eligible to receive community funding from the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation. Anne-Marie attended a required grant workshop and did more paperwork in June. We're pleased to report that a $2,500 check to defray costs of the court repair was received in August!

As we are always seeking ways to continue to grow the game of tennis, we hosted the City Parks Foundation's free summer tennis camp for kids of all ages this summer.

In order to ensure that you are invited to events sponsored by the 119th Street Association, we hope you will support our efforts by joining or continuing your membership in the Association.

The courts will remain open this winter, weather permitting. Come on down and play tennis!

Sincerely,

Liz Westbrook Hydes
President

The 119th Street Tennis Association is pleased to be an affiliate of Riverside Park Fund.

To reach someone at the Association, check out our contact page.