Local Tennis News 

As of 5-15-13

As summer approaches here on the Vineyard there are lots of exciting tennis happenings we would like to report..  Most notably is that Eric Gorman, the former head pro at the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club, will not return.  Brian Cunniff will take over the roll as the Tennis Director and has hired two new assitants to help with the junior program. In other Club news, Raj Maharaj will return to Eastchop, Eddie Stahl back to Chilmark, Paul Pertile to Edgartown, Chad Empey returns for his third summer at Eastchop and Doug Browne will return to the Boathouse with his wife Leslie. Mike Johns and Mas will continue with their good work at Farm Neck with of course a slew of clinics and tournaments happening over the summer and George Brown is a mainstay at Mattakeesetts.  Connie McHugh , owner an director of the Vineyard Tennis Center will of course be returning for another busy season. Please visit www.tennismv.com for the dates of the upcoming 2013 tournaments. Vineyard Youth Tennis will host its first ever 5K Race/Walk on Sunday,June 30th at 9:00 am.  This race will benefit the VYT Scholarship and Activities Fund. You can register by obtainng a form at Vineyard Youth Tennis or by visiting their website at  www.vineyardyouthtennis.org Eastchop Racquet Club  has reconfigured two of their courts and now has a better drainage system as well as shaded areas.

USTA Tennis Comes to Martha’s Vineyard

Welcome Martha’s Vineyard Community Tennis

Tennis is booming on the Vineyard! While it has always been a popular summer activity, tennis has taken off in the past decade as a year round sport. Since then, courts are always in use and tournaments are held year round. Women’s and men’s leagues of all abilities bring out hundreds of players each spring and fall, and children’s tennis programs have doubled in size, assuring a growing tennis population for years to come.

To keep this enthusiasm alive and assist players of all abilities in enjoying tennis, a new association has been formed. Last month a group of island tennis players and professionals established Martha’s Vineyard Community Tennis, or MVCT. Approved by the United States Tennis Association (USTA), MVCT is an officially sponsored Community Tennis Association.

The goal of MVCT is to promote and develop tennis on Martha’s Vineyard through a variety of programs and services. MVCT will provide information to the public regarding tennis leagues, tournaments, clinics, court locations, tennis pros and their club affiliations, and exhibition matches. While only in existence for a month, MVCT has already received a grant from the USTA. Part of this money will be used to publish a directory of tennis players, making it easier for players to find tennis partners for matches and to broaden the scope of players island-wide.

One of the first events MVCT will sponsor is a tennis tournament, hosted at the Vineyard Youth Tennis Center, to raise money to help purchase uniforms for the high school girls and boys tennis teams. The event will be held March 27 and 28. The entry fee is $50 per adult. The founding members of MVCT are: Nina Bramhall, Adam Bresnick, John Cahill, Penny Franklin, Kelly Hess, Mas Kimball, Lorne Lewis, Sarah Moore, Doreen Rezendes, Tony Omer and Scott Smith.

For anyone interested in learning more about Martha’s Vineyard Community Tennis, volunteering, making a donation, or being listed in the tennis directory, please email the group at: membership@vineyardtennis.com