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The Ojai official 2014 event program 3 elcome to the 114th Ojai Tennis Tournament. Again this year we are excited about the level of competition and the everexpanding tournament. Basically, the tournament is the same now as it has been for the past 100 years, with the exception of ever-changing modern updates that keep the event fresh and exciting. The level of play in the Open Division has increased dramatically in recent years and will be at an even higher level due to perks that bring on high-quality players. The Pac-12 men’s change of format to team play has added a higher spirit of competition among the schools and will again be one of active and vocal play. Pac-12 women’s has always been hard-hitting and a joy to watch. The big change that occurred last year and will continue this year is the addition of the California men’s and women’s state championships. That means schools from both Southern and Northern California will compete in final matches to determine the state team championship. This will be in addition to play later in the week to determine the Ojai individual community college champions. As we work on down through Independent Colleges, Boys’ and Girls’ 18- 16-14 and under, there will be play sure to amaze you. All of us, our active staff of 40, some 500 volunteers and the entire community of the Ojai Valley, welcome you to the oldest and largest amateur tennis tournament held in the same location in the U.S. In 2009, Ojai was voted the second best tennis town in the U.S. which, considering the small size of our little valley, is some feat. On a personal note, I have been asked from time to time how long I have been associated with The Ojai. In the 1940s, all junior boys and girls were housed in private homes in the Valley. My parents had a home just two blocks from the main courts in downtown Ojai and always opened their home to players. I would move out of my bedroom, that had twin beds, to the shed next to the chicken pen for the duration of the tournament. That’s just the way we did it in those days. In 1957 I was asked to be a part of the management team, and a few years later, Jan, my wife, joined me and we have been active ever since. I served as president from 1998 to 2000 when we celebrated our 100th year. And this year, 2014, I wholeheartedly welcome you to enjoy The Ojai’s 114th year! President Alan Rains Alan Rains As always, there is plenty to be excited about Ojai Valley Tennis Club TOURNAMENT OFFICIALS Open Tournament Director: -----------------Anne Williamson Pac-12 Tournament Director:----------------------Jeff Jenkins Colleges Tournament Director: --------------------Terry Lynch Junior Tournament Director: -----------------------Craig Fugle Player Activities Liaison:-------------------------------Mark Weil I.T.A. Referee/Chief of Umpires: -------------Jane Goodman Pac-12 Women’s Referee: -------------------Joan Vormbaum Open Referee:---------------------------------------Annette Buck Men’s Division III Referee:---------------------David Martinez Junior Referee:------------------------------------David Martinez TENNIS CLUB OFFICIALS President: ------------------------------------------------Alan Rains Vice President: --------------------------------------Mike Borders Secretary:-----------------------------------------Robin Neumann Treasurer: -------------------------------------------Mandi Roberts YOUTH TENNIS PROGRAMS Chair: ------------------------------------------------------Jakob Vos Vice Chair: ----------------------------------------------Craig Fugle VCJTA Liaison: ----------------------------------------Terry Lynch Policy Board: ----------------------------------------Tony Thacher TOURNAMENT COMMITTEES Executive Director:---------------------------Duane Williamson Administration: --------------------------------Sandy McElwaine Directory & Draw Sheets:---------------------Cynthia Duncan Libbey Tournament Desk: -------------------------------Jan Key Libbey Tournament Desk:--------------------------Sandi White Score Reporting: --------------------Duane & Rhonda Basore Tournament Scheduling: -----------------------------Tina Leslie Volunteer Coordinator: ------------------------------------Jill Cox Volunteer Coordinator: ---------------------Suzanne St. Claire Competition Support: ------------------------Jim Kasser, Chair Accommodations: ------------------------------Anne Williamson Pac-12 Housing: ----------------------------------Nancy Pierson Ball Boys & Girls:-Peter Fagan, Rick Thompson & Brice Pace Trophies & Photos:----------------------------Jan & Alan Rains Volunteer Social: Leslie Gache, Jill Cox & Nikki Neumann Lunches: ------------------------------------------Robin Neumann Umpire Coordinator: ----------------------------------Jeff Becker Libbey Venue Management: -----------John Kretzers, Chair Vice Chair:------------------------------------------Dennis Jenks Security:---------------------------------------------David Breese Security Assistant:----------------------------------Terry Wright Safety:------------------------------------------------Tom McCalla Barbecue:-----------------------Mark Weil & George Conrad Orange Juice: ---------------------------------------Roy Bennett Merchandise Sales: -------------------------------Lori Herman Tournament Physician:--------------Dr. Kenneth Hartenstein Libbey Venue Set up:--------------------Bruce Purvine, Chair Vice Chair: -------------------------------------Kathleen Rogers Ojai Courts — Desk Managers: -------------------Mike Burke Venue Set up:---------------------------------------Gary Belshe Private Courts: -----------------------------------Carolyn Burke Private Courts:------------------------------------Susan Kasser Private Court Monitors: ------------------Mark Zimmermann Ventura Area — Venue Management: ----------Lester Tong Venue Set up: ------------------------------------Bill Flothmeier Merchandise Sales: --------------Pam Speitel & Kris Etzler Tickets: -------------------------------------------Brian Ford, Chair Marketing & Promotion: -----------------Steve Pratt, BZA PR Chair: ----------------------------------------------------Woody Gair Vice Chair: -----------------------------------Harry Oppenheimer Program:----------------------------------------------Vivian Perrett Sponsors: ----------------------------------Ronnie Wilson, Chair Media Relations:-----------------------------------Samuel Eaton Info Technology: ---------------------------------George Walden Tea Tent:------------------------------------Mandi Roberts, Chair Vice Chair: --------------------------------------------Anne Kaplan President’s Message W
• Pacifica High School: Community College Men’s Singles & Doubles • Residence Inn Marriot: Community College Men’s Singles • Oxnard High School: Junior Events Depending on venue, play generally starts at 8 or 9 a.m. and continues throughout the day. Schedule is subject to change without notice. 4 The Ojai official 2014 event program Tuesday, April 22 Schedule of Events • Ojai Valley Athletic Club: Men’s and Women’s Open Singles Qualifying Rounds • Libbey Park: Two Pac-12 Men’s Team Dual Matches and first round CIF matches • Pierpont Racquet Club and Ventura College: Men’s and Women's California Community College Team Championships Wednesday, April 23 OJAI SITES: • Libbey Park: Two Pac-12 Men’s Team Dual Matches, Junior Events • Ojai Valley Inn: Open Men’s Singles • Ojai Valley Athletic Club: Pac-12 Women’s Singles, Pac-12 Women’s Invitational Singles • The Thacher School: Boys’ CIF, Junior Events • Villanova Preparatory School: Junior Events • Ojai Valley School Upper Campus: Boys’ CIF • Ojai Valley School Lower Campus: Junior Events • Nordhoff High School: Junior Events • Matilija Junior High School: Junior Events • Private Courts: Junior Events VENTURA SITES: • Pierpont Racquet Club: Independent College Women’s Singles & Doubles • Ventura College: Community College Women’s Singles & Doubles, Independent College Women’s Singles & Doubles • Camino Real Park: Community College Women’s Singles & Doubles • Buena High School: Community College Women’s Singles & Doubles OXNARD SITES: • Oxnard Tennis Center:Community College Men’s Singles & Doubles Thursday, April 24 OJAI SITES: • Libbey Park: Two Pac-12 Men’s Team Dual Matches, Junior Events • Ojai Valley Inn: Open Men’s Singles & Doubles, Open Women’s Singles • Ojai Valley Athletic Club: Pac12 Women’s Singles & Doubles, Pac-12 Women’s Invitational Singles & Doubles • The Thacher School: Boys’ CIF, Junior Events • Villanova Preparatory School: Junior Events • Nordhoff High School: Junior Events VENTURA SITES: • Pierpont Racquet Club: Independent College Men’s Singles & Doubles • Ventura College: Community College Women’s Singles & Doubles, Independent College Women’s Singles & Doubles • Camino Real Park: Community College Women’s Singles & Doubles • Buena High School: Division III College Men's Singles and Doubles OXNARD SITES: • Oxnard Tennis Center:Community College Men’s Singles & Doubles, Division III College Men’s Singles & Doubles • Pacifica High School: Community College Men’s Singles & Doubles • Residence Inn Marriot: Community College Men’s Singles & Doubles ALL EVENTS IN OJAI: • Libbey Park: Pac-12 Men’s Team Final Dual Match, Pac-12 Women’s Championship & Invitational Singles & Doubles Semifinals, All Junior Event and Boys’ CIF Finals • Lower Libbey Park: Selected Junior Event Semifinals • Ojai Valley Inn: Open Men’s Singles Semifinals, Open Men’s Doubles Quarterfinals and Semifinals, Open Women’s Singles Semifinals, Open Women’s Doubles Quarterfinals and Semifinals • Ojai Valley Athletic Club: Independent College Men’s Singles and Doubles, Independent College Women’s Singles and Doubles, Community College Men’s Singles and Doubles, Community College Women’s Singles and Doubles • The Thacher School: Division III College Men’s Singles & Doubles • Villanova Preparatory School: Selected Junior Event Semifinals • Libbey Park: (all matches are Finals, unless otherwise indicated; all starting times are approximate) 8 a.m. Pac-12 Women’s Invitational Singles Division III College Men’s Singles Semifinals (2) Community College Men’s Doubles Semifinals (2) – Lower Libbey Community College Women’s Doubles Semifinals (2) – Lower Libbey 9:30 a.m. Open Women’s Singles Pac-12 Women’s Championship Singles Independent College Men’s Singles Independent College Women’s Singles 11 a.m. Open Men’s Singles Pac-12 Women’s Invitational Doubles Division III College Men’s Singles Community College Men’s Singles 12:30 p.m. Open Women’s Doubles Pac-12 Women’s Championship Doubles Independent College Women’s Doubles Community College Women’s Singles 2 p.m. Open Men’s Doubles Division III College Men’s Doubles Independent College Men’s Doubles Community College Men’s Doubles 3:30 p.m. Community College Women’s Doubles Friday, April 25 Saturday, April 26 Sunday, April 27
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6 The Ojai official 2014 event program Tournament Sanctioning Organizations • Pac-12 Conference: pac-12.com • CIF – Southern Section: cifss.org • USTA / Southern California Section: SCTA.usta.com • City of Ojai – Libbey Park • Ojai Valley Inn & Spa • Ojai Valley Athletic Club • Villanova Preparatory School • The Thacher School • Nordhoff High School • Matilija Junior High School • City of Ventura – Camino Real Park • The Ojai Valley School • Ventura College • Pierpont Racquet Club • Pacifica High School • Residence Inn Marriott • Buena High School • Oxnard Tennis Center (Tennis McAdemy) • Oxnard High School Venues • Mike Taggart • Ventura Rentals: (805) 644-4496; venturarental.com • Wilson: The official ball for The Ojai; wilson.com/en-us/tennis • City of Ojai: ci.ojai.ca.us • Rock-It Cargo USA, LLC: rockitcargo.com • Chobani Greek Yogurt: chobani.com • Plexipave Sport Surfacing: Official Surfacing for The Ojai: plexipave.com • Deer Lodge: deerlodgeojai.com • Capri Hotel: hotelojai.com • Hummingbird Inn: hummingbirdinnojai.com • Valerie & Alan Greenberg • Barry Golden • Solinco: Official stringer for The Ojai at Libbey Park: solincosports.com • Tom Rohrbacher Stringer at Ojai Valley Inn: (805) 640-2109 • Ojai Valley Inn & Spa: ojairesort.com • Ojai Valley Athletic Club: ovac.caclubs.com • Life Line Medical Transport: lifelineems.net • Coast Mayflower: (805) 646-1234 • E.J. Harrison & Sons: ejharrison.com • Ojai Valley Directory: ojaivalleydirectory.com • Mission Linen Supply: missionlinen.com • Harris Water Conditioning: harriswaterco.com • Tennis Warehouse tenniswarehouse.com • Dunn-Edwards Paints: dunnedwards.com • Adamson’s Automotive Repair & Towing: (805) 646-4494 • Friend’s Ranches, Inc.: friendsranches.com • Forbess Consulting Group: fcgenviro.com • George and Colleen Conrad • Ojai Donut Shoppe: (805) 646-1429 • Ojai Hospitality Group Inc.: ojainow.com • Ojai Pixie Tangerine Growers Assoc. ojaipixies.com • Ojai Valley Lions Club: ojaivalleylions club.com • The Ranch House Restaurant: theranchhouse.com • Suzanne’s Cuisine: suzannescuisine.com Tournament Sponsors The following organizations and individuals donated to the improvement of tennis courts at Buena High School and Camino Real Park in Ventura to accommodate the increase in competitors during the CCCAA state championships for the community colleges: ACE $2,500+ Ventura Lodging Association, United States Tennis Association, Ojai Valley Tennis Club, Bryan Brothers Foundation, Hammer-Hewson Associates, Limoneira, Ventura Downtown Lions Club Overhead Smash $1,000+ E.J. Harrison & Sons, Pierpont Racquet Club, Kaiser Permanente Volley $500+ Play It Again Sports, John Resurfacing Sponsors Brandt, Paul Schuster Forehand $250+ Ed & Val Wehan, Tony and Anne Thacher, Ed and Terry Lynch, Harry and Anne Oppenheimer, Richard, Ann and Layne Gallimore, David Loe, Wayne and Bo Bruce Backhand $100+ Jenise Wagar, Greg and Lori Frank, Kent Bodin, Gary Reeder, Stephan Beluris, Debra Jordan, Joann Cunningham, Allen Levesque, Caroline and Steve Doll Individual and Corporate About the cover Can you image a singles matchup between 1913 Thacher High student Amos Wilder (at left) and three-time Ojai Boys’ CIF champion Gage Brymer (at right)? The Ojai has always celebrated its past, but just as important is its present, and its future. This year, Brymer leads a powerhouse UCLA squad that looks to defend the Pac-12 title they won last year over crosstown rival USC. The Pac-12 coverage begins on Page 8 with a feature on former Stanford Coach Dick Gould and continues with men’s (Pages 12-15) and women’s previews (Pages 17-19). Once again this year, Heather Farley and her Nordhoff High School advance media and graphics arts class designed the program cover, as well as the logos used on all the merchandise.
The Ojai official 2014 event program 7 Understated Sophistication & Privacy Nestled in the Foothills of Ojai
hen Ojai Tennis Tournament organizers were kicking around names and ideas of whom they wanted to honor at this year’s Thursday night Welcome Reception Barbecue, names of past Ojai greats like Jimmy Connors, Michael Chang and Lindsay Davenport were brought up. But just like last year’s honoree, Tracy Austin, the committee wanted someone who had a true affinity for the tournament – someone who for years and years had a connection to the event. Mark Weil was the first to contact Stanford University coaching legend Dick Gould who happily agreed to be Ojai’s honored guest for the 114th annual event. A Ventura native, Gould has been associated with The Ojai for more than 50 years, as a player, coach and later a broadcaster for Fox Sports Network. He first entered the tournament as a student at Ventura Junior High in 1950, played the next two years and then represented Ventura High from 1953-55. As a player for Stanford, Gould said two of his biggest losses came at The Ojai, “and on the same freaking court.” As a junior, Gould led USC AllAmerican Ed Atkinson 5-3, 40-love in the third and deciding set, only to “choke it away.” A year later, Gould was a service point away from victory against UCLA No. 1 Norman Perry, leading 5-2, 40-15 in the third. But once again, Gould couldn’t close the door. “I played No. 6 my first year and No. 3 my senior year and I was behind Stanford University tennis coach Dick Gould (right), talks with Nick Saviano, one of his players during his early years as a coach. Photo courtesy of Stanford University As good as Gould W 8 The Ojai official 2014 event program
The Ojai official 2014 event program 9 those guys. I never played year-round because I was working during the summer teaching tennis and swimming for the Rec Department. Those guys played year-round. I was just about the point where I had caught up to them.” The losses taught Gould a valuable lesson to never look too far ahead. “I started thinking one more point then this happens and that happens. It doesn’t work that way,” he said. Gould says he doesn’t regret holding his star player John McEnroe out of Ojai the one year he spent playing for Stanford in 1978. The summer before, McEnroe made the semifinals at Wimbledon. “He was here one year and he had a chance to play the Alan King Classic in Las Vegas,” Gould said. “I would have been crazy to not let him do it. Personally I was sorry he wasn’t there.” Gould said he would rather see the Pac-12 men’s conference play an individual format, instead of the current team format. “It was always a great time of year to back off and it’s really the last competition until the NCAAs so it would give someone depending on their position a chance to knock off a player they might not normally get to play,” Gould explained. “It might help them get into the NCAA tournament with that win. I felt it was a great change of pace at a great time of year. “I love the individual tournament and I think it’s great for the players, but the team format is also very exciting, especially for the fans.” While he wasn’t able to bring McEnroe along, Gould treasured the days when players like Scott Humphries, Paul Goldstein and Ryan Wolters would arrive in Ojai for the first time. “We get in the car and we have a five-and-a-half-hour drive and then it gets dark and we’re in the middle of nowhere,” Gould said. “Then we get to the courts in the morning and there’s a lot of people around and everyone’s busy and getting their orange juice and they really start getting into it.” And then there are the SoCal kids like the Bryan twins, Ryan Thacher and Bradley Klahn who would reminisce with their coach about their glory days playing the juniors at Ojai. “That’s the beauty of Ojai,” Gould said. “It’s the one tournament where you have juniors, college and even out of college. It’s just a wonderful mix and you don’t see that at any other tournament.” Gould (left) on the sidelines with a young John McEnroe. In 1985, Anson Thacher (from left) presented the Stanford team trophy to Erik Rosenfeld, coach Dick Gould and Dan Goldie, a soon‐to‐be NCAA singles champ and Wimbledon quarterfinalist. Photo courtesy of Stanford University Photo courtesy of Dick Gould
10 The Ojai official 2014 event program CANOPIES CHAIRS TABLES FLOORING ARCHES HEATING LIGHTING FLATWARE CHINA & MORE 1601 CALLENS ROAD, VENTURA, CA 805.644.4496 WWW.VENTURARENTAL.COM Ventura Rental PARTY CENTER Ventura Rental is a proud sponsor of Th e Ojai Tennis Tournament
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UCLA’s Clay Thompson led the opening match cheer last year. Photo courtesy of Pac-12 12 The Ojai official 2014 event program Former foes now on the same team Pac-12 Men ne of the great things about The Ojai is following the young Southern California junior boys players through the ranks, and then through the CIF Interscholastic Division before they land on a Pac-12 roster. Often there are another few years to watch these rising stars continue on in the pro ranks, much like Mike and Bob Bryan and Bradley Klahn. Five years ago, Marcos Giron, of Thousand Oaks High School, beat Clay Thompson, from Crossroads School, to win the CIF Division. This year, the two are looking to lead UCLA to a repeat performance as Pac-12 champions as Coach Billy Martin’s squad is once again loaded. Thompson was the surprise of the Continued on page 14 O fall season. Starting the year ranked No. 72 in the ITA rankings, Thompson won the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in Flushing, N.Y. in early November winning five-straight matches to become just the second UCLA player to win that title (joining back-to-back champion Benjamin Kohlloeffel in 2005 and 2006). With the victory, Thompson, from Venice, became the first UCLA men’s tennis player to attain the nation’s No. 1 singles ranking since Kohlloeffel in 2006. Kohlloeffel achieved the No. 1 ranking after winning the NCAA Singles Championship that year. Thompson is coming off a fall season in which he posted an impressive 18-1 overall record. His only loss came in the first round of September’s ITA Men’s All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla., an event where he went on to win the consolation singles title. Thompson followed that with a victory at his home tournament, claiming the crown at the Southern California Intercollegiate Championships at UCLA’s Los Angeles Tennis Center. The junior Giron has been right behind Thompson, playing No. 2 and holding down a top-five national ranking. The two are followed in the lineup by three upstart freshmen from California, who have all played at The Ojai, two with huge success just last year. Bruin freshman Mackenzie McDonald captured the 2013 Men’s
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14 The Ojai official 2014 event program Open singles title and teammate Gage Brymer won his third straight CIF Boys’ Division title. Another freshman, Joseph Di Giulio, is about as good a No. 6 as you’ll find in anywhere in the country. USC, however, drew first blood in the first meeting between the two cross-town rivals this year as the No. 3 Trojans beat the No. 2 Bruins, 4-3, in the semifinals of the National Team Indoors in Houston in February. The match was ultimately decided at the No. 2 spot, where 16th-ranked Yannick Hanfmann upset fifthranked Giron in three sets. Just one week later, the Bruins returned the favor downing the Trojans, 5-2, in a non-conference match. This year, USC is led by Fontana’s Ray Sarmiento at No. 1 singles. He’s followed in the lineup by Hanfmann, Roberto Quiroz, Connor Farren, Max De Vroome, Michael Grant and Eric Johnson. Here is a quick look at the other six teams who will battle it out for the conference team title. Arizona Head Coach Tad Berkowitz may have his No. 1 player in Fredrik Ask but there’s no question who the true leader of the Wildcats is. That would be fourth-year senior captain Kieren Thompson, who has played a strong No. 2 and 3 for Arizona this season. Born and raised in Brisbane, Australia, Thompson started his athletic career on the soccer field, only until the day his father decided to build a tennis court in the backyard. Sumeet Shinde, Naoki Takeda, Mario Urquidi, Matt Dunn and Carlos Bermudez are the others Berkowitz will rely on if the team is to pull off an upset or two. California The Golden Bears got off to a quick 6-0 start to begin the year, but then fell to No. 1 Virginia and to No. 10 Texas in Houston at the ITA Indoor National Championship. Ben McLachlan returns as Cal’s top player for Coach Peter Wright’s squad. Campbell Johnson, Filip Bergevi, Andre Goransson, Gregory Bayane and Mads Engsted are the other top Cal players. Oregon Ojai fans, watch out for the Ducks. Led by senior Robin Cambier (Brussels, Belgium) Oregon got off to a solid 11-1 start on the season collecting shutouts in seven of its eight wins this season. Cambier was named Pac-12 Player of the Week twice in The UCLA men’s team, which won the Pac‐12 team trophy last year, is expectd to have another strong showing in 2014. Photo courtesy of Pac-12 Pac-12 Men From page 12
USC’s top player is Ray Sarmiento, seen here in last year’s action at The Ojai. Photo courtesy of Pac-12 The Ojai official 2014 event program 15 four weeks to start the season and he passed Sven Swinnen for all-time singles wins for the program. Following Cambier in the lineup are Daan Maasland, Kevin Farin, Daniel Sardu, Jayson Amos and Brent Chin. Stanford John Morrissey missed two early-season matches for the Cardinals, but he had a good excuse representing Ireland in Davis Cup competition. In his absence, Anthony Tsodikov and Maciek Romanowicz have played well. Morrissey and Romanowicz already have a significant doubles title in Ventura County to their credit this year as the pair teamed up to win the Sherwood Cup in Thousand Oaks to open the spring season. The pair beat teammates Jamin Ball and Trey Strobel in an all-Cardinal semifinal. Utah The Utes started the season with a national ranking of No. 75, the same ranking Utah ended with last season, marking the first time since 2010 that Utah started the season nationally ranked. New to the roster this year are freshmen Patrick Mayer of Viernheim, Germany, and David Papis-Elon (Israel) as well as sophomore Matt Cowley, who returns to the squad after serving an LDS mission. Top players include Ben Tasevac, Alejandro Medinilla, Cedric Willems, Devin Lane and Patrick Mayer. Washington Max Manthou anchors a solid Huskies lineup coached by former USC player Matt Anger. Gal Hakak, Emmett Egger, Jeff Hawke (Palos Verdes), Viktor Farkas, Daffra Sanon and Michael Chamerski have all contributed to getting Washington inside the Top 50 nationally as a team in 2014. Pac-12 Men
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The Ojai official 2014 event program 17 Rivalries are likely to continue Desirae Krawczyk will lead the ASU women’s contingent this year. Photo courtesy of Pac-12 Pac-12 Women ac-12 women’s college tennis continues this year at the 114th Ojai as 11 of the conference’s 12 programs will rally over four separate competitions – the Pac-12 Women’s Singles & Doubles Championships and the Pac-12 Singles & Doubles Invitationals. The singles divisions are laid out over two 32-player brackets while the doubles divisions feature 16 teams each. The Ojai’s championship figures to be mostly contested among the four California schools, further fueling the fun, yet intense UCLA-USC and CalStanford rivalries. Below is a brief overview of each Pac-12 women’s entry in The Ojai. Arizona Seniors Akilah James and Lacey Smith, from Oceanside, are ranked Nos. 110 and 114, respectively, in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s (ITA’s) preseason NCAA Division I women’s singles rankings. Arizona State Sophomores Stephanie Vlad and Desirae Krawczyk, from Palm Desert, lead the Sun Devils’ Continued on page 18 P
contingent as they are ranked Nos. 50 and 91, respectively, in the ITA preseason singles rankings. Ojai fans may recall that as a junior player in 2011, Krawczyk entered the Women’s Open Doubles at The Ojai and won the title. California The Golden Bears, ranked No. 8 in the country at the start of the collegiate season, sport four of the top 31 singles players in the ITA preseason national rankings, led by freshman Denise Starr (No. 15), Hungarian Zsofi Susanyi (No. 16), Estonian Anett Schutting (No. 26), a semifinalist in last year’s Pac-12 Women’s Championship singles division at The Ojai, and freshman Maegan Manasse, of Redondo Beach. Cal placed a doubles team in the Women’s Doubles Invitational final at the 2013 Ojai. Colorado The Buffaloes’ international flavor includes five foreign players – Winde Janssens (Belgium) and Carla Manzi Tenorio (Colombia), Julyette Steur (The Netherlands), Dhany Quevedo (Venezuela) and Nuria Ormeno Ruiz (Spain). Oregon The Ducks are undergoing a rebuilding effort with a young squad led by juniors Nicole Long, Jasmine Minor, a transfer from Georgia Tech, and Sofia Hager, (Sweden). Lana Buttner, (France), may also figure into the Ducks’ plans at The Ojai. Stanford The Cardinals entered the collegiate season as the No. 1 women’s team in the nation, boasting four players in the ITA preseason rankings’ top 41 – Kristie Ahn (No. 6), Caroline Doyle (No. 34), Carol Zhao (No. 40) and Taylor Davidson (No. 41). Ahn lost in the semifinals to eventual champion Kyle McPhillips, of UCLA, in last year’s women’s championship while sophomore Krista Hardebeck lost in the final. Ellen Tsay (preseason ranking of No. 94) reached last year’s Pac-12 Women’s Invitational singles final at The Ojai, losing in three sets. UCLA The Bruins, ranked No. 5 in the nation entering the NCAA season, may be considered the slight favorite to lift the most Ojai titles through this year’s Pac-12 women’s events. Kyle McPhillips coasted to a 6-1, 6-0 final’s victory to win last year’s Pac-12 Women’s Singles Championship as a freshman. Yet, junior Robin Anderson entered the season as NCAA Division I’s top-ranked women’s singles player by the ITA rankings, closely followed by junior Chanelle Pac-12 Women From page 17 Donations Center: 370 Baldwin Road, Ojai (805) 649-8750 Wednesday – Saturday, 9 AM – 3 PM All proceeds benefit the many programs of HELP of Ojai. Jewelry • Antiques • Estates Clothing • Small Furniture • Household Items 646-5812 Come by 2nd HELPings during your visit to Ojai — 10% OFF with coupon ! Store Open: Monday - Saturday 9AM - 4PM 841 E. Ojai Avenue expires 6/31/14
Pac-12 Women Van Nguyen (No. 9) and freshman Jennifer Brady (No. 24). Senior Courtney Dolehide will be back with a new partner in aiming to return to the Pac-12 Women’s Doubles Championship final for the second consecutive year, though Anderson and Brady were the ITA’s top-ranked doubles team at the beginning of the season. USC The Trojans, the nation’s preseason No. 6 team, will be up to challenge their crosstown and Northern California rivals in each Pac-12 event at The Ojai. USC returns The Ojai’s defending Pac-12 Women’s Singles Invitational champion, Kaitlyn Christian, who also won The Ojai’s 2013 Pac-12 Women’s Doubles Championship with Sabrina Santamaria, who was ranked No. 13 in the ITA’s individual preseason rankings. USC is backed by quality depth in junior Giuliana Olmos (No. 60 in the ITA rankings), freshman Gabriella DeSimone (No. 80) and senior Brynn Boren (No. 96). The ITA rated Boren and Zoe Katz as NCAA Division I’s No. 3 doubles duo, and Olmos and Zoe Scandalis No. 7, entering the year. Utah Another team coming into The Ojai with nothing to lose and plenty of quality experience to gain, this Utes team is spearheaded by seniors Lucia Kovarcikova, (Slovakia) and Paige Miles. Washington The Huskies captured last year’s Pac-12 Women’s Doubles Invitational and return the championship team of Natali Coronel, (Argentina), and Grace Sari Ysidora, (Indonesia). The program carries three Southern Californians, including Ojai native Riko Shimizu, San Clemente’s Sophia Bott and Palos Verdes’ Brianna Kemp. Washington State The Cougars feature the conference’s most international roster – only one American. Their top returners are juniors Elizaveta Luzina, (Russia) and Charlotte Koning, (The Netherlands). USC’s Kaitlyn Christian and Sabrina Santamaria The Ojai’s 2013 Pac-12 Women’s Doubles Championship Photo by Michael McFadden The Ojai official 2014 event program 19
20 The Ojai official 2014 event program emember the name Taylor Fritz. There is no telling how deep in the draw the 16-year-old sophomore will get this week in the Men’s Open singles division at The Ojai. If family pedigree has anything do with it though, the name will be one Ojai fans could be seeing for years to come. The Fritz family, from Rancho Santa Fe, already has a rich history and connection to The Ojai. Father, Guy, made the Independent College Doubles final way back in 1972, and he later coached one of the best junior college men’s team in state history in College of the Desert. In 1996, the Coachella Valley community college had both finalists in the men’s singles, as well as four others in the doubles final at Ojai. That same year, Taylor’s mother, Kathy May Fritz, won the Women’s Open division at Ojai. The former Wimbledon quarterfinalist got to as high as No. 8 in the world during her pro career. A year later in 1997, Taylor was born and has been deemed a prodigy ever since he began competing in national tournaments at 10. “Yeah, 1996 was a pretty great year for our family at Ojai,” said Guy. “I just love Ojai. It’s always been one of my favorite tournaments.” Last year, the family trekked to Ojai to watch Taylor get all the way to the final in the Boys’ Interscholastic Division where he lost to three-time champion Gage Brymer. Taylor began playing professional ITF events in Oklahoma, Texas, University High’s Gage Brymer (left) topped Taylor Fritz in the Boys’ CIF Division in 2013, but Fritz is expected to have a strong showing this year in the Men’s Open Division Photo by Michael McFadden Men’s Open honors could be on the Fritz R Open Division Gage Brymer Taylor Fritz
The Ojai official 2014 event program 21 Open Division Florida and Costa Rica to start the year and has already earned his first ATP points. Because of all the travel, he was forced to drop out of traditional high school, and now attends Laurel Springs Online School, which just happens to be based in Ojai. Guy said Taylor was expected to play several junior ITF events this spring. “The goal is to do well in those events and qualify for the juniors at the French Open and Wimbledon,” said Guy, adding that Taylor currently stands at No. 70 with his ITF junior ranking. But because he is no longer playing for his high school, he is only eligible for the Men’s Open event this year. “The Ojai offers us good players and that’s what we’re looking for.” Guy relayed a funny story from his big year at Ojai in 1972 where he was teamed with Aussie Andrew Cae playing for the University of San Diego. “We made the finals in doubles and he sat around and drank all that free orange juice and got sick,” Fritz said. “True story. We ended up losing to Cripe and Jablonski from UC Irvine.” If a teenager like Fritz happens to win the Open division, it would be the second straight year as 18-year-old Mackenzie McDonald beat Lester Cook in last year’s final. Both Brymer and McDonald are now freshman at UCLA. Ojai fans who saw McDonald play for the first time in April, saw him again on a much bigger stage during the summer as he became the first unranked teenager to qualify for an ATP Masters event, beating former Ojai Pac-12 champion Steve Johnson, no less, to earn a berth into the main draw at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati. The win followed an equally impressive straight-sets victory over 77th-ranked Nicolas Mahut the day before. “We made the finals in doubles and he sat around and drank all that free orange juice and got sick,” Fritz said. “True story. We ended up losing to Cripe and Jablonski from UC Irvine.” Mackenzie McDonald, (left) now a freshman at UCLA, defeated Lester Cook last year. Photo by Michael McFadden
22 The Ojai official 2014 event program Once again this year, The Ojai Men’s and Women’s Open division is being generously supported by the $20,000 prize-money donation from Mike Taggart. Each year, the divisions get stronger and stronger and the 2014 edition will be no different. The Ojai salutes Mike Taggart for his years of work and generous support of The Ojai Tennis Tournament SI N CE 1 8 9 6 TENNIS TOURNAMENT THE OJAI SI N CE 1 8 9 6 TENNIS TOURNAMENT OJAI THE SI N CE 1 8 9 6 TENNIS TOURNAMENT THE OJAI SI N CE 1 8 9 6 TENNIS TOURNAMENT THE OJAI SI N CE 1 8 9 6 TENNIS TOURNAMENT OJAI THE SI N CE 1 8 9 6 TENNIS TOURNAMENT THE OJAI SI N CE 1 8 9 6 TENNIS TOURNAMENT THE OJAI SI N CE 1 8 9 6 TENNIS TOURNAMENT OJAI THE SI N CE 1 8 9 6 TENNIS TOURNAMENT THE OJAI SI N CE 1 8 9 6 TENNIS TOURNAMENT THE OJAI SI N CE 1 8 9 6 TENNIS TOURNAMENT OJAI THE SI N CE 1 8 9 6 TENNIS TOURNAMENT THE OJAI “Way back when, before the Pac-12 became a big thing at the tournament, people came to Ojai to watch the Open, people came to watch the famous players that you’ll see along the Wall of Fame along Court 1. They play a brand of tennis that is very exciting. I wanted to rescue the Open because it was drying up.” ---Mike Taggart Thank You Mike Taggart! Mike Taggart
The Ojai official 2014 event program 23 Enough famlz fun to fll a vallez. OjaiResort.com p 888.604.7144 905 Country Club Road, Ojai California 93023 You hear the laughter. You feel the sunshine. Days filled with Camp Ojai, tennis and golf clinics. Nights in the warmth of the magic where the mountains and your family come together. Receive world-class practical and strategic instruction, video analysis and equipment guidance. Let your family stay and play together. We Support the Ojai Tennis Tournament
24 The Ojai official 2014 event program Community College State Championships ack by popular demand, and because of its rousing success at its new host site in 2013, the men’s and women’s California Community College Athletic Association Championships (CCCAA) return to The Ojai for the second consecutive year. This week’s 114th Ojai tournament will host the men’s and women’s CCCAA Dual Team championships Wednesday, April 23, followed by the CCCAA men’s and women’s individual singles and doubles championships Thursday, April 24 through Sunday, April 27. The CCCAA Championships represent a true State championship as all CCCAA tournaments at The Ojai are open to qualification from all 84 community/junior colleges in California that field men’s and women’s tennis programs. CCCAA individual tournament formats will be the same as last year’s Ojai, as the men’s and women’s singles and doubles events will be played out over a bracket with 128 entries. Tournament seeds are chosen by the coaches leading into the Ojai. Fresno City’s men’s team completed a perfect 19-0 season, extended its win streak to 40, and won its second consecutive CCCAA team title last year by downing Southern California regional champion Ventura College, 5-1. Fresno City returns three players featured in that championship match – Scott Gray, Adrian Varenne and Alec Bessinger. This trio figures to be in the mix to contend in the CCCAA Individual singles or doubles tournaments as well. Battle-hardened upstart Fullerton College defeated the top-seeded and third-seeded teams to advance out of the Southern California bracket as a No. 4 seed, then took down Northern California Regional Champion Sierra College, 5-4, last year to win its first women’s CCCAA team championship. Sierra College won the Northern California region and finished as state runner-up from 2011-13. Fullerton returns three of its top four singles players from that title match, including Jasmine Catolico, Cailin Mitchell and No. 1 player Sarah Anderson. Anderson won the CCCAA Individual doubles crown last year but fell in the CCCAA Individual singles final. She has her sights set on bringing home both individual tournament honors this year. Santa Monica College’s Kaori Tsuda reached the CCCAA Individual doubles final at last year’s Ojai and is back in town. She was a 2013 ITA AllAmerican and was ranked by the ITA as the No. 2 player among Southern California community colleges entering the season, and she could team with Mary Ashmore in an attempt at a return trip to the CCCAA doubles final at The Ojai. Other women ranked in the ITA’s preseason top 10 in Southern California who could be a force in the CCCAA Individual singles championship are Cerritos College’s Samantha Judan, Estefania Flores and Rianne Llagan; Orange Coast College’s Hali Dickson and Nikki Thornburg; Ventura College’s Zionne Lee and Yannick Garcia; and Riverside City College’s Sheila James and Brianna Bowers. Orange Coast College’s women are among the best teams the state has to offer in 2014, and its top tandems of Sydney Farzadkish and Nadine Baquiran and Dickson and Thornburg come to mind when scanning the contenders for the CCCAA Individual doubles title at The Ojai. Also in that mix are Riverside’s Bowers and Acacia Dettman, Cypress College’s Melissa Gahugu and Devan Johnson, El Camino College’s Shenae Shampine and Donya Assef, Cerritos’ Judan and Flores, Ventura’s Garcia and Lee, and Strong field expected in college matches Fullerton Community College earned its first women’s CCCAA team championship last year at The Ojai. Photo courtesy of CCCAA Continued on page 46 B
The Ojai official 2014 event program 25 A hidden gem in Ojai with stunning views and incredible privacy. Vaulted ceilings, fabulous open floor plan, 3 bedrooms with en suite bathrooms, pool and guest house! $1,585,000 1014 Creekside Way #C • $395,000 Welcome to “Shangri-La”! The Ojai Valley is blessed with beautiful views and framed by the majestic Topa Topa mountain range. The “Pink Moment” that appears at sunset capturing stunning and vibrant hues along the Topa Topa’s! A community in every sense of the imagination, Ojai is steeped in tradition and the Arts and offers something for everyone: one of the oldest Tennis Tournaments in the United States – the Ojai * The Music Festival in Libbey Park * The Holiday Look-In and on and on! We are selling a lifestyle in Ojai and whether you take in the farmer’s market on Sunday’s or hiking on the Gridley trail, it is all here for you to explore. We love Ojai and selling homes in this special valley is our commitment to our clients to bring them the best service whether you are buying or selling. WELCOME TO THE 114TH OJAI TENNIS TOURNAMENT! Volunteering and supporting the Ojai community for 19 years.
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The Ojai official 2014 event program 27 Code Private Courts 013 1013 Shokat 014 1014 Country Club Dr 052 52 Oak Dr. 057 12057 Sulphur Mountain Rd 065 10065 Ojai-Santa Paula Rd 067 12067 MacDonald Dr 071 1071 Rancho Rd. 250 12250 Linda Flora 350 3500 Maricopa Hwy. 500 500 W. Country Dr. 505 505 Foothill Rd. 574 574 Quail Oaks Rd 585 8585 Highway 150, Besant Hill School 670 670 Del Norte 707 707 Cuyama 883 10883 Oak Knoll Venue Code Address Libbey Park LP Ojai Avenue Libbey Park South LPS Ojai Avenue Matilija JR High MJH 703 El Paseo Nordhoff High School N 1401 Maricopa Hwy Ojai Valley Athletic Club OAC 409 Fox St Ojai Valley School-upper campus OSU 10820 Reeves Rd Ojai Valley School-lower campus OVS 723 El Paseo Rd Thacher School T 5025 Thacher Rd Villanova School V 12096 Ventura Ave
28 The Ojai official 2014 event program It was with great sadness that one of The Ojai’s great champions passed away just over a year ago. “Gorgeous” Gussy Moran always loved The Ojai Tennis Tournament and recalled on many occasions when she first played at Libbey Park as a young 13-year-old for Lincoln Junior High in Santa Monica. She wrote in her last years about the pride she felt bringing home an Ojai banner, that was displayed at her school and of being recognized at a special assembly. In 1949, just two years after winning Ojai, Moran, then 25, hit the world stage and made international headlines. British dress designer and Wimbledon host Ted Tinling designed a skirt that would go above the knees with lace panties. There was controversy, but a star was born and Gussy would later turn pro and travel the world playing exhibitions with Pancho Segura, Pauline Betz and Jack Kramer. As one poignant writer noted in her obituary: “Her Wimbledon appearance turned her, overnight, into a celebrity. She was dated by millionaires, played tennis with Charlie Chaplin, had a ship, a racehorse and a sauce named after her, and even appeared as herself alongside Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in their 1952 tennis comedy Pat And Mike.” The staff at www.10sBalls.com honors Gussy Moran and remembers what a great Ojai and all-around champion she was. Gussy Moran’s Ojai Finals Record Girls’ 14s Singles 1938-Louise Brough (Beverly Hills HS) def. Gussy Moran (Santa Monica HS) Girls’ 14s Doubles 1937-Gussy Moran-Peggy Miller (Lincoln Jr. HS) def. Robin Briscoe-Pearl Harland (Santa Monica HS) Women’s Open Singles 1947-Louise Brough def. Gussy Moran Mixed Doubles 1947-Gussy Moran-Tom Chambers def. Eleanor Cushingham-Henry Culley www.10sBalls.com • www.10sBalls.com www.10sBalls.com • www.10sBalls.com www.10sBalls.com • www.10sBalls.comwww.10sBalls.com • www.10sBalls.com “Gorgeous” Gussy Moran 1923 – 2013
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30 The Ojai official 2014 event program age Brymer has relinquished his dominant, three-year hold on the CIF Boys’ singles crown at The Ojai. Having graduated from the tennis courts at Irvine University High School onto UCLA, Brymer last year became the third player to win The Ojai’s CIF Boys’ singles division three consecutive years; the first since the iconic Bobby Riggs accomplished the feat in 1934-36. While there’s now room at the top of the Ojai’s premier high school division for someone else, the prep tournament could see the title remain within the University High program, which still looks to provide the strongest overall representation in this week’s CIF Boys divisions. University senior Drew Dawson comprised one-half of The Ojai’s 2013 CIF Boys’ doubles championship team, but could make the transition over to the singles bracket this year as he is ranked among the USTA’s top-10 Boys’ 18s players in Southern California and in the top 150 nationally. Dawson, already committed to Notre Dame, also won the 2011 CIF Individual doubles crown as a freshman and has appeared in the CIF Individual final each of the previous three years. The CIF Boys’ singles and doubles competitions, each sporting a bracket of 64 entries, will take place at the 114th Ojai. Austin Rapp, of Rancho Mirage, reached the Boys’ 16s final last year at The Ojai and hopes to go one step further as he makes the jump to the Drew Dawson (left), one half of the winning University High School team in 2013, will transition to singles play. Photo by Michael McFadden Road to victory likely goes through University High Boys’ CIF G
The Ojai official 2014 event program 31 CIF Boys’ division this year. Rapp, a senior at Palm Desert High School who will join UCLA in 2014-15, is a 2012 CIF Individual doubles champion and 2013 CIF Individual singles semifinalist who is ranked in the top 10 of Boys’ 18s players in Southern California and in the top 80 nationally. Other singles contenders which could etch their name in Ojai CIF history include Palos Verdes High senior Jake Douglas, who reached The Ojai’s quarterfinals a year ago and is nationally-ranked in the USTA’s top 90 of Boys’ 18s players, and Santa Ana resident and Foothill High senior Stefan Doehler, who is ranked alongside Douglas among Southern California’s top-10 Boys’ 18s players. A couple of favorites who play their high school tennis just down the road from The Ojai are a pair of Viewpoint teammates – senior Darius MacKenzie, who fell to 2013 finalist Taylor Fritz in the final 16 at The Ojai, and junior Julian Gordy, who reached The Ojai’s Boys’ 16s division singles semifinals last year. On the doubles side of The Ojai’s CIF Boys’ equation, University High looks a strong bet to keep that title in house through the doubles team of senior Eric Tseng and junior Arash Hafezi, who beat Dawson and his partner in last year’s CIF Individual doubles final. San Marino’s dynamic duo of senior Robert Carter and junior Danny Gealer lost a tight, three-set match in last year’s Ojai CIF Boys’ doubles final and will be in the mix to go one better and knock ominous Irvine University off the championship pedestal. Corona del Mar, Orange County’s No. 2 tennis powerhouse behind University High, is expected to have its Ojai representation led by seniors Carson Williams and Josh Kliger, who extended Carter and Gealer to three sets before dropping the match in last year’s quarterfinals. After last year’s defeat, Williams and Kliger set an immediate goal of winning the doubles title at The Ojai in 2014. Time will tell very soon which elite high school players will be the cream of The Ojai’s CIF crop and enjoy the sweetest taste of that famous Ojai orange juice. Austin Rapp (right) will move into the Boys’ CIF division this year. Photo by Michael McFadden Boys’ CIF Austin Rapp, of Rancho Mirage, reached the Boys’ 16 final last year at The Ojai and hopes to go one step further as he makes the jump to the CIF Boys’ division this year.
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34 The Ojai official 2014 event program Weil of fortune: Ojai resident and Weil student Jack La Plante played in the Ojai’s Mens’ Open. Photo courtesy of Weil Tennis Academy In its 17-year history, Weil Tennis Academy students have won dozens of titles at the Ojai Tennis Tournament. "We've had at least one finalist every single year," said founder Mark Weil. Weil students like Patrik Fabian, Ciro Riccardi and Aidan Jiang have dominated the Boys’ 14s singles, especially, over the last few years; Jiang and Riccardi have also won the Boys’ 16s singles. Riccardi — who just committed to Dartmouth University — will return this year to compete in the Men’s Open Singles. Weil's girls are no different. Frequent Ojai Tournament goers may remember Gail Brodsky, who won four titles in as many years — the Girls’ 14s, 16s, 18s and the Women's Open. Dominique Schaefer, 15, will return this year to play in the Girls’ 18s singles; an injury kept her from the 2013 tournament, but the last time we saw her at The Ojai, in 2012, it was with the Girls' 14 singles trophy in her hands. Fellow Weil student Viktoria Bardarova is also expected to place well in the Girls’ 18s singles. "This year we have an exceptionally strong group (of competitors)," said Weil. "They may surprise some people." Weil estimates that "over 80 percent of our students go on to play for D1 (Division I) college tennis teams." Of course, many of them end up coming back to compete in The Ojai with their Pac-12 college teams. This year, look for Weil alumni Dennis Mkrtchian, playing for the heavily-favored UCLA men's team, as well as Alberto Reyes for the Oregon Ducks men's team and Riko Shimizu for the Washington Huskies women's team, among others. "That's been such a big satisfaction," said Weil, "to watch our kids play for Berkeley, UCLA, USC, Stanford, Arizona, Oregon — I think we've put kids in almost every Pac-12 program." And it's not uncommon for Weil alumni to turn pro; Grigor Dimitrov sits at No. 16 in the ATP rankings and Anna Tatishvili has ranked as high as No. 50 in the WTA. "It's great to see them doing so well," Weil said. QUICK 646-4327 AIR CONDITIONING & HEATING SERVICE Licensed Insured Bonded PLUMBING • NEW! Video Camera Sewer Line Inspection • Electronic Leak Detection & Location (Gas & Water) • Sewer and Drain Cleaning • Gas,Water and Sewer Line Re-Pipes • Air-Conditioning and Heating Service & Installation • Wall Heaters Service & Installation • Carbon Monoxide Detection • Water Heaters in Stock Visit our showroom: Grohe, Moen, Wolverine Brass, American Standard, Toto, Kohler LIC. #239499 907 Bryant Place • Ojai Payne EMERGENCY SERVICE Serving the Ojai Valley Since 1944 Tennis academy students gaining an upper hand
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36 The Ojai official 2014 event program Children are the focus of charitable efforts of The Ojai. Ojai Valley News archive photo from all Ojai Valley's elementary schools and is greatly appreciated by the teachers, principals, parents and, most importantly, the students. Here’s what Cheryl Leslie, a Sunset Elementary School teacher, had to say about the program. “I love the fact that there are enough “instructors” volunteering so the kids can be in small enough groups that the students are engaged with very little down time.” The USTA has also recognized the success of the program with a grant that will support the program for another year. The OVTC and the Ojai Recreation Department are the main funding organizations, and the program is run by volunteers under the leadership of Philippe Gache. This year, as with the last three years, there will be a QuickStart tournament during The Ojai on Thursday afternoon before the barbecue. Other Youth Tennis activities are the High Performance Clinic where select young players are invited to participate in a day of intense tennis instruction and match strategy. All Ojai tennis professionals donate their time and ach year, a major objective of The Ojai tennis tournament, organized by the Ojai Valley Tennis Club (OVTC), is to raise funds to conduct and support various programs that introduce tennis to elementary school students and support the development of young tennis players in the Ojai Valley. This goal is accomplished through the OVTC’s Youth Tennis Committee, which solicits additional funding and manages the programs. The all-volunteer OVTC Youth Tennis Committee works with the Ojai Unified School District, the city of Ojai Recreation Department and several local teaching pros to introduce, develop, and popularize tennis for children of all ages. The most well-known of the Ojai Valley Youth Tennis programs is the 10 and Under instruction program, formerly known as QuickStart. The program has been developed by the USTA, specifically to speed up the learning curve for younger children with the use of smaller, lighter racquets, foam balls and smaller courts. The program results in quicker progress and more fun because the kids can start rallying much sooner. Now in its fifth year the program has worked with more than 1,000 students Tournament isn’t kidding when it comes to helping youths expertise for this special event. The Parent/Child Holiday Challenge gets a large contingent of older and younger players on the courts over the Christmas holidays. This event is now in its fourth year and has proven to be a very well-liked and popular activity that brings families together for a healthy, fun activity. "I'm so very grateful to live in a town that has such a wonderful organization as the OVTC,” said Rick Thompson, the ORD Tennis Pro, who participated twice with his daughter, Julienne. He expressed his appreciation for the Challenge sponsors and how the tournament raises money to help the youth tennis programs throughout the year, while at the same time giving our community's kids great match experience. “This is a great tournament they put on." In addition, the OVTC provides funding to the Ojai Recreation Department to support the Youth Tennis programs organized by Thompson. Through these programs Thompson teaches tennis at the E Continued on page 38
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38 The Ojai official 2014 event program Local youth tennis programs get a big boost from tournament proceeds. Ojai Valley News archive photo beginner and advanced levels and conducts a summer program and an after-school tennis league for youngsters, who taste competition for the first time and learn the values of teamwork and good sportsmanship. During The Ojai, awards are presented to worthy youngsters to participate in a number of tennis clinics, summer camps, and individual professional tennis instruction for further specialized training, development and competition. The awards are donated by Ojai tennis coaches and are presented at the annual barbecue that will take place Thursday during tournament. The winners are selected by the Youth Tennis Committee based on a variety of factors such as sportsmanship, motivation, talent, potential to advance in competition and financial need. Several of the recipients of these awards in the past will be playing in The Ojai this year and have gone on to compete at the college level. These programs for our youth are made possible by the generous contributions of sponsors such as Mike Taggart, a local tennis fan, The Ojai tournament, the USTA, the Ojai Recreation Department, tennis coaches and other organizations and many dedicated volunteers. We are very grateful for the generous donations and support, without which these programs would not be possible. If you would like to help develop character, combat juvenile delinquency and enrich the lives of our youth, please make a tax-deductible contribution to support the Youth Tennis Program. Please send your check payable to OVTC Youth Tennis and send it to: Ojai Valley Tennis Club, P.O. Box 482, Ojai, CA, 93023. For more information contact Jakob Vos, Chair, Youth Tennis Programs, at [email protected]. Ojai Valley News archive photo From page 36 Ojai’s Julianna Adelman takes part in a youth tennis event.
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40 The Ojai official 2014 event program ooking back with fondness – and some amazement – Marianne Hertel Mize smiles as she recalls the players and the atmosphere that she experienced at The Ojai 65 years ago. She remembers entering the tournament from Ventura High School in 1949 when she was 16. She said, “All of us knew about The Ojai, of course. I heard about it while I was still in junior high. It was one of the tournaments we all wanted to play in.” And play she did. Mize fought her way to the Girls’ 18-and-Under finals, where she played Lee Van Keuren of Westlake. She beat Van Keuren 6-2, 7-5, recalling, “It was a real upset for me to beat her because I was the underdog. It turned out to be a real good win.” The next year, 1950, Mize returned to The Ojai to play again in the Girls’ 18-and-Under division. And, once again, she played her way to the finals where she beat Diana West, of Alhambra, 6-0, 3-6, 6-1, claiming her second Ojai title. But Mize was not finished with The Ojai. She attended Cal her freshman year and then transferred to the University of Arizona. In 1954, Mize returned to Ojai representing Arizona in the Women’s Intercollegiate Doubles Championship with partner Ann Armfield. Mize and Armfield routed Marjorie and Cynthia Gibbens, of Stanford, 6-0, 6-0 to win the cup. The next year, Mize and Armfield captured their second college doubles trophy by beating the Comstock twins, Bette and Pegge, of Ventura College, 9-11, 6-1, 6-0. Mize started playing tennis at 12 and was coached by Harold Chaffee, a longtime Ventura tennis instructor. After her first lesson, she played in a tournament in Santa Paula, winning a racquet for her play. She laughs, “I didn’t have much in the way of strokes or strategy, but I was fast. I was almost always faster than the girls I played.” She played in tournaments in Monterey, Burlingame, San Diego, and Photo courtesy of Marianne Hertel Mize Marianne Hertel Mize following her appearance in The Ojai in 1950. one started by her father in Ventura. She loved playing and made many lifetime friends throughout the state. As for her experience at The Ojai, she was four times a player and four times a champion – beginning 65 years ago! Mize thinks back on The Ojai with fond memories of playing great matches at Libbey Park, drinking the freshly squeezed orange juice, and having tea and cookies in the afternoon. In her college years, she stayed at a private home, recalling the kindness and the hospitality. She felt like she was a local, coming from Ventura, but Ojai was something special, something gracious, something grand. She is looking forward to returning to The Ojai this year to present the winner’s trophy for the Girls’ 18-andUnder division. What will be the history of this year’s winner in The Ojai? Will she attend The Ojai on the 65th anniversary of her first trophy, as Mize is doing? We sincerely hope so, for it is a thrill to see Mize at Ojai once again. Photo by Doug Thompson Mize will present the trophy to the Girls’ 18s singles winner. Former player turns presenter 65 years later L
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42 The Ojai official 2014 event program Ruby and Jack Morrison Photo courtesy of the Morrison family downtown to Libbey Park. There’s oak trees and lots of grass and hospitality. It’s such a personal thing and people around here take great pride. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone tell me they won’t be back.” Ruby singlehandedly maintained the beauty and the decorum of the Tea Tent for decades. And because of the Tea Tent, Ruby said that The Ojai was “the Wimbledon of the West,” something quoted in numerous publications throughout the country. Please join us in a celebration of Ruby and her dedication to The Ojai Saturday, April 26, at 2 p.m. – in the Tea Tent, of course! uby Keith Morrison, friend of The Ojai and volunteer since 1939, died Dec. 26, 2013, one month shy of 92. Ruby and her husband Jack, who predeceased her in 2010, led the Ojai Valley Tennis Club board of directors for 15 years, serving as secretary and president alternately – an unprecedented role of leadership. They loved and respected the tournament, always willing to help with the smallest detail or greatest of tasks. “It’s what you do in April,” Ruby would say. “It’s something we look forward to every year, the whole town does. It’s so unique, when you come In Memoriam Ruby Keith Morrison volunteer, OVTC director R
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44 The Ojai official 2014 event program Tennis is her racquet The following article was written by Rose Boggs, a longtime resident of the Ojai Valley who has been involved with the tournament for 80 years. She has taught tennis for the Ojai Recreation Department and also served a stint as the Nordhoff tennis coach. This article appeared in the April 18, 1990, issue of the Ojai Valley News. By Rose Boggs et me take you back to the 33rd Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament. Imagine a five-year-old girl sitting on wooden planks that had been carefully placed over the dirt and around the tennis courts. Through big, brown eyes she sat for hours at a time watching the champions and future champions. That little girl was me. I was having my first tennis lesson. I learned to play while watching the tennis players every year. Ojai was a quiet little town in those days. The Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament was about the most exciting event happening each year. Ojai has grown, and in the process, a lot of things that were a part of The Ojai have disappeared. The clubhouse was a charming, dark green, wooden building located near court three and the bowl. It had a viewing porch, bathrooms, and showers, and a storage room. At times there was a pro shop. Only the players in the tournament were allowed to use the showers and the bathrooms. The rest of the year, they were locked up. The building was there when I was growing up, but about the time the bowl was built the clubhouse disappeared. From the porch of the clubhouse you could look across courts three and four and see the hexagon-shaped orange juice stand, another dark green and very small wooden building. Players and spectators were served orange juice in small paper cups from 10 a.m. until noon each day. Now the orange juice is served from the Tea Tent. The entrance gate to the tournament was at the front of the park, just west of the bank parking lot. There was a small, dark green, wooden building that stood there yearround. I never had to pay to enter. Since my father was the park caretaker, I just smiled at the ticket taker and said I had to go in to see my dad. It worked until the years when I was a player in the tournament. As I mentioned before, the clubhouse bathrooms were for the players. The spectators used the small public bathrooms behind the post office. These bathrooms disappeared when the post office was enlarged. The Thursday night street dance has also disappeared from the scene. What a thrill it was to dance with players such as Ted Schroeder on the main street in front of the Lion’s Head Fountain! Energetic teenagers sat all over the wall and arches that were opposite the Rose Boggs has been involved with The Ojai since she was 5. Ojai Valley News archive photo L
The Ojai official 2014 event program 45 Arcade. Along with the street dance, the walls and arches and beautiful wisteria have disappeared. In recent years the Friday night dance at Nordhoff has gone the way of the Thursday night street dance. Nordhoff students and teachers decorated the gym. Live bands were brought in. Parents and faculty were chaperones. Mr. Pierpont’s special punch was served. What a thrill it was when Shirley Temple attended the dance in 1942! She danced with The orange juice booth that stood for many years in Libbey Park. Photo courtesy of Rose Boggs Continued on page 46
46 The Ojai official 2014 event program several Nordhoff students. Since she was not a player in the tournament she had to have a ticket to get in. She came to The Ojai that year to cheer for her classmates at Westlake School who were in the finals. Boys had to wear a coat and tie to attend the dance. Today’s teenagers would rather wear Big Dog shorts and Nikes. The Tea Tent Tradition is in no danger of disappearing and has undergone very little change. Missing is the permanent rectangular iron frame that stood in the park to the west of court one. We used to climb and swing from the bars. Over this frame the tan canvas tea tent was placed each April. The frame has disappeared, but a lovely green tent appears each year. Ojai Valley Garden Club members arrange the floral centerpieces for the Tea Table. The floral scheme is based on the colors of the high schools in Ojai. Thursday’s flowers are blue and gold in honor of Nordhoff High; Friday, it’s red and white for Ojai Valley School; Saturday, blue and white for Villanova and Sunday honors Thacher Santa Monica’s Carmel Peterson and Jessica Goldbeck. Ventura College’s men’s team annually turns out championship-caliber players and this year is no different. Leading the Pirates’ charge this year is 2013 ITA AllAmerican Victor Mendes, who reached the CCCAA Individual singles final as a No. 7 seed at The Ojai last year and hopes to go one step better this week. Mendes and Zach Pittman were rated Nos. 2 and 7, respectively in the ITA’s preseason Southern California community college rankings and figure to be factors at The Ojai. Other top-ranked singles players in the ITA’s Southern California preseason poll who could be gunning for the CCCAA Individual singles championship include 2013 ITA All-American Nathan Eshmade and Amadi Kagoma from Cerritos College, James Tenbroech and Jordan Lomas from San Diego Mesa College, 2013 ITA All-American Richard Catabona from LA Pierce College, Riverside College’s Danny Garcia (a 2013 ITA All-American) and David Stanko and Mt. San Jacinto College’s Vitinho Galvao. Contending doubles teams who are worth watching during the CCCAA Individual doubles tournament at The Ojai this week are Cerritos’ Eshmade and Kagoma, Ventura’s Mendes and Pittman, Mt. San Jacinto’s Galvao and Bruno Campos, and Riverside’s Garcia and Stanko. From page 24 Community College State Championships Rose Boggs (left) poses with tennis star Tracy Austin at last year’s Ojai Tennis Tournament. Photo by Holly Roberts School with green and gold. The silver urns, silver sugar tongs and china cups and saucers are still used. Complimentary tea and cookies are served from 3 to 5 p.m. daily for players and spectators. The only ingredients missing from the Tea Tent are the Girl Scouts washing the cups and the Girl Scout cookies. At one time there were lights strung down the middle of courts one and three. They were inadequate as they were far too dim and subject to being shattered by mishit balls and vandalism. I can’t say that they are missed. The oak trees that shaded those dark green wood buildings are fewer in number. The trees in the park and the perfume of the orange blossoms permeating the air are what makes The Ojai so special. Ojai is not the quiet little town it once was. You can no longer stand on Main Street and hear the “whack” of the tennis balls. Nor can you hear the public address system … “Tracy Austin, please report to the tournament desk.” The Ojai is still the most exciting event happening in Ojai each year. I hope it never disappears. I played in The Ojai. Our children played in The Ojai. Our grandchildren will play in The Ojai. It’s tradition. From page 45
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50 The Ojai official 2014 event program Danielle Lao is a former USC Trojan and a two-time NCAA All American who is currently playing on the women’s professional circuit. This past winter, Lao documented the ups, downs, and learning experiences of playing college tennis in her book, “The Invaluable Experience” which she co-authored with writer Rick Limpert. “The Invaluable Experience” is available on Amazon.com as a Kindle Book. Lao wrote this piece about her experiences playing The Ojai. By Danielle Lao eing a Southern California native, I always felt the pride in growing up and competing in one of the best tennis sections in the United States. Although I knew I was a part of something special, I did not grasp the full appreciation for Southern California’s tennis culture until my final year of college. It was at The Ojai tournament, where I suddenly realized and absorbed its full effect. Unfortunately for me, I had not played any of the Ojai events before my collegiate career, so it took me a few years to gather a greater appreciation to what it all really meant to me. Entering my last year of college, I was not sure whether I would be hanging up my rackets or not after the season. Because of this uncertainty, I knew there was a possibility that I would be experiencing many lasts as a tennis player, so I did my best to soak in everything I could as a senior. I have always heard from past players I idolized how magic happens at The Ojai. Many of them have their greatest, and most memorable moments at Libbey Park. I wish I could tell a miraculous story about how I had won The Ojai in the most dramatic fashion, but my moment of elation happened a little differently. Having lost in the earlier rounds, I had plenty of time to wander The Lao down on playing in The Ojai around, watch matches, and take in the atmosphere as a spectator. In hindsight though, this was a blessing in disguise. Without having to worry about the typical routine that goes into preparing for a match, I could sit back and actually observe all that goes into The Ojai. There are countless people that open their houses to the players competing in the tournament and a great number involved in the planning and preparation that makes the tournament run smoothly. Above all, what still amazes me today is all of the people who continue to return to the tournament, as players and as spectators. To say the least, there is something special at The Ojai that keeps bringing people back to help, compete or watch. I was really feeling the good vibes and energy from the town of Ojai, and instead of rushing back home to Los Angeles, I opted to stay until Danielle Lao recently authored a book in which she wrote about her college tennis experiences. Photo by Rick Limpert B