The Friends of Newton Tennis Inc.

12/10/22

NEWTON SOUTH GIRLS COACH BOB JAMPOL RETIRES

In his own words, Coach Jampol, founder of The Friends of Newton Tennis, announces his retirement. 

Friends: At long last I am passing the baton along and relinquishing my post as Newton South’s girls tennis coach.

Here is the letter I sent to the team:

Girls: Though this announcement comes with mixed emotions, I think it best that you learn this news sooner rather than later. After much consideration, I have informed athletic director Pat Gonzalez that I will not be returning as girls tennis head coach this spring. The team, I am certain, will be in good hands going forward. Our beloved coach Noura Guermazi has assured me that she will apply for the head coaching position (there will be a process), and I will be available to help as needed and to watch as an interested spectator.

I started coaching tennis at South as boys JV coach in 1982-1990, missing just one year, 1985, after my daughter was born. In 1991, I began my 31-year career as the girls head coach (no tennis in Covid 2020). In all, I have been a tennis coach at South for 39 years, along with my 34-year tenure as an English teacher there. Finally, we can declare that I no longer hold a paid position at Newton South! But my heart will always reside at South, and I will continue as the Friends of Newton Tennis liaison and advocate for our beloved courts. 

Last year’s team experience was so positive that I hesitated to give up coaching. You girls were a pleasure to be around, and you improved throughout the season. If you keep working hard and enjoying being part of the team, the coming season will be successful whatever the wins and losses. I love tennis, and if all goes well, tennis will become as much a part of your lives as it is of mine. Though I am now 72 years old, I still play tennis three times a week on average all year round. In effect, I am 72 years young thanks in large measure to tennis.

God bless you all.

See Bob in picture to right with FoNT President Tom Friedman and Board Member Bruce Baron during a recent clean-up at Newton South tennis courts.

11/29/22

MAYOR, PARKS & REC AND FONT CELEBRATE ANNUAL $20K DONATION 

From the Mayor's office:

The City's partnership with The Friends of Newton Tennis, Inc. is truly special - an example of the very best in public/private partnerships. Today's generous donation of $20,000 from FoNT will help maintain our city's 67 tennis courts for players of all ages to enjoy.

11/3/22

FoNT & CITY OF NEWTON RECEIVE FUNDING IN MEMORY OF LOCAL PLAYER

The Friends of Newton Tennis received $10,000 from the New England Tennis & Education Foundation (a philanthropic arm of the USTA) in the memory of Isadore Singer, a longtime Newton resident, renowned MIT math professor and avid tennis player.  During a ceremony at Newton North on Sunday, Oct. 2, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller accepted a $10,000 check for FoNT and the City of Newton to support our joint initiative to improve the city's 67 tennis courts.  In addition, at the ceremony, the tennis foundation donated $5,000  to the Newton School Foundation Calculus Project, an academic immersIon program for disadvantaged students.  The recipients were selected by Jeff Bearup, who raised the funds and was Isadore Singer's longtime tennis coach.

11/3/22

LOWER FALLS COURTS RESURFACED

In continuation of its court rehabilitation initiative, the City of Newton powered washed and resurfaced two neighborhood courts at the Lower Falls Community Center in late September.  The courts have a green and blue slow-to medium fast acrylic surface (similar to newly resurfaced courts at Newton North high school). 

10/25/22

PICKLEBALL COURT OPTIONS DISCUSSED

Our FoNT Pickleball Committee, headed by former Northeastern University engineering professor George Adams, met with Nicole Banks, Newton's Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Culture, on Sept. 27 to discuss future opportunities for hybrid and dedicated pickleball courts across the city.

Established to blend the interests of pickleball and tennis players, the Pickleball Committee began investigating new sites late last spring. Since pickleball hard paddles and whiffle-like balls produce a high-decibel sound, many communities (including Newton) do not allow courts within 150 feet of a residence.

The committee reaffirmed its support of the city's recent proposal for six new dedicated pickleball courts at the Albemarle Playground and advocated for dedicated pickleball courts with permanent nets at the large dog park located at the southern end of Cold Springs Park. These proposals would add geographic diversity to the location of pickleball courts.

10/15/22

GARDEN CITY DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIPS RAISED MORE THAN $20K

Thank you to the more than 130 people who played in and the volunteers who supported the Garden City Doubles Championships, a City of Newton and FoNT joint fundraiser, with all proceeds going to repair and maintenance of public courts.

The championships, played on October 8 and 9 at both Newton South and Newton North, raised more than $20,000 in fees, private giving and corporate donations. This year's championships were played in memory of Isadore Singer, local tennis player and MIT Math professor. (See results on page 2)

This public investment would not have been made without the support of FoNT members, tournament participants and other financial contributors.

Our generous sponsors included Linda F. Zuker Memorial Youth Fund, New England Tennis and Education Foundation, Boston Ski and Tennis, PerformanceXtra, Mark Development, Northland Development, Schlesinger and Buchbinder LLP, The Village Bank, EverPresent, Cardio Hi Gym and Wegmans.

Comments from some happy players and coaches:

"I wanted to thank you because it was such a lovely experience to meet so many new people and get introduced to great future connections! The tournament in itself was very fun and I thought that playing with some more advanced players was a great way to improve my tennis skills. I really hope you organize more events like today in the future."

- Teenage female player

"Newton is a model of where tennis needs to be on a community basis. Great job."

- Senior men's player

"Thanks for having my players this weekend! They had a blast competing at the tournament."

- D3 college coach

Results:

5.0 - 6.0 OPEN DIVISION

($1,500 in prize money)

WINNERS:

Daniel Smemesh

Casey Goodwin

RUNNERS UP:

Aiden Jensen

Zsombor Homonnay

4.5 - 5.0 DIVISION

WINNERS:

William Sieto

Juan Velaco Nava  

Runners Up:

David Levine

Olu Daramola 

3.5 - 4.0 DIVISION

WINNERS:

Victor Suarez

Paul Tynkov

RUNNERS UP:

Zhiyong Yang

Boris Bacanurschi

3.0  - 3.5

BLUE TEAM WINNERS:

Manyun (Mary) Xie

Jeff Koss       

RUNNERS UP:

YiYi Wang and Liu Hong

RED TEAM WINNERS:

Chae Man Lee        

Soohong Min

RUNNERS UP:

Partik Biswal

Tian Xiaochuan

ISADORE SINGER SPORTSMANSHIP AWARDS

YiYi Wang

Serhan and Altan Marvi

10/15/22

CHILDREN LEARN TENNIS BASICS AT NEW RACQUET SPORTS EVENT

More than 150 parents and children attended the first-ever Newton Family Tennis Festival, held Sunday, Oct. 2 at Newton North High School. The event was sponsored by the City of Newton Parks, Recreation and Culture Department and Friends of Newton Tennis, and orchestrated by former Harvard men’s tennis coach Dave Fish.

Dave Archer, author of Eight Weeks to a Lifetime of Tennis, assisted by dozens of local volunteers – including professional coaches and high school players – led the kids through a fun introduction on mini-courts with Spec paddles.

In addition to tennis, the festival featured a table tennis demo from C&C Table Tennis, craft-making with tennis balls and free ice cream from Rancatore’s. We are grateful to all of our volunteers and sponsors.

"The whole atmosphere was very uplifting and encouraging. My daughter told me that of all the classes she has taken in the past (Newton, Brookline, Tenacity, Waltham, etc.), the session yesterday was the most fun and enjoyable! And my son’s energy was high throughout the whole lesson!"

- A parent of a six-year-old

 

8/2/22

World Class Tennis Courts Come To Newton

The lucky players running around the newly resurfaced blue and green Newton North tennis courts this month are experiencing the bounce and speed of the US Open courts.

"I played at North this evening, and I must say, the courts are wonderful," reported Micah Wong, Newton North High School boys' tennis team manager and Friends of Newton Tennis (FoNT) youth member. "The ball moves slower and with more spin as the ball can now grip the ground.”

"Had a few hits now on the resurfaced NNHS courts," said Alastair Chapman, a national veterans mens competitor and Newton resident. "They are very nice. Speed is now much better and the ball doesn't kick up too high, i.e. the court takes the spin but you don't end up with ridiculously high bounces."

With the resurfacing, the 10 courts at Newton North went from being very slippery, overly fast and cracked to among the best municipal hardcourts in New England. This improvement resulted from a yearlong collaboration among the Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture, Friends of Newton Tennis and the Newton North High School (NNHS) tennis coaches.

The Journey

Beginning with a recommendation by Friends of Newton Tennis last June, this $184,224 project gained traction following a thorough citywide court audit by FoNT. The audit revealed that the Newton North courts were more deteriorated than previously acknowledged, not suitable for high school play and had become a possible safety hazard.

To demonstrate the local tennis community’s support for better courts, FoNT organized the city’s 1st Annual Doubles Round Robin Tournament and Fundraiser last October.  By raising $15,000 in 30 days through sponsorships and fees, FoNT provided the Mayor’s Office and City Council with proof that Newton residents desire a world-class tennis experience. 

Through the following lengthy specification and bidding process, the stakeholders worked closely and were joined by the winning bidder, Sports Tek Athletic Surfaces, which completed the project in two weeks in a hot, sultry July.  Sports Tek power washed, filled and covered cracks with the RiteWay Crack Repair System, eliminated “bird baths” with concrete and painted multiple layers of California Sports Surfaces’ Plexipave acrylic hardcourt court coating system.  The courts were then allowed to cure for two weeks.  In addition to SportsTek’s contribution on the ground, the city Forestry Department cut three tree limbs and branches overhanging the courts in a once-in-a-decade trimming process. 

Friend of Newton Tennis thanks Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, Parks, Recreation and Culture Commissioner Nicole Banks, Superintendent of Maintenance Derek Mannion, Director of Parks & Open Space Luis Perez Demorizi, Parks & Rec Tennis Manager Stephanie Lapham, NNHS Boys Coach Phil Goldberg, City Forester and Assistant Commissioner Marc Welch and Sportstek CEO Roger Bouchard.

This public investment would not have been made without the support of FoNT members, tournament participants and other financial contributors. If you would like to help with future  fundraising efforts to improve our public courts, please become a Friends of Newton Tennis annual member by clicking here.  

8/3/22

FoNT Committee Activities

 

Court Management Committee

In July, the committee presented the final results of the 2022 Court Audit to Parks, Recreation and Culture Commissioner Nicole Banks, Grounds Superintendent of Maintenance Derek Mannion and Tennis Supervisor Stephanie Lapham. The audit of 67 tennis courts in 21 locations helps the city set priorities and funding requirements for repair, maintenance and replacement.  

 

Newton Highlands Playground Courts Committee members include Bruce Baron, George Adams, Junaid Marvi, Serhan Marvi and Altan Marvi.

 

Pickleball Committee

The committee was formed in March 2022 to recommend a balanced citywide plan for hybrid and dedicated pickleball courts in Newton. As part of its mission, the committee interacted with the FoNT Public Court Management Committee to identify courts for possible hybrid use. All members of this committee have played tennis as well as pickleball.  In September, the committee will submit a report to the Friends of Newton Tennis board for its review. In October, the committee will submit its final report to Parks, Rec and Culture Commissioner Nicole Banks and to the Parks & Rec Commission.

Committee members include Phil Landa, Amanda Church, Michael Schippani, David Weiss and Nancy Scammon.

 

SpecTennis Committee (aka Boston Metro Spec Tennis Club)  

In addition to pickleball, city residents have started to play Spec Tennis, a tennis-lite paddle sport played on pickleball courts with soft tennis balls. It is being promoted as a new instructional tool by Tennis Hall of Famer, former Harvard men's varsity coach and Newton native Dave Fish.  Meanwhile, adults have started to play round robins and tournaments.  If you would like to try SpecTennis, please contact Tom Friedman at thomasharoldf@gmail.com .

 

If you would like to join one of FoNT’s eight committees, please contact Bruce Baron at bruce.baron.2@gmail.com.  FoNT is entirely a volunteer 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

 

8/3/22

New Owners of Boston Ski & Tennis

Boston Ski & Tennis has new owners: Mike and Jess Carroll have taken over from longtime owner Paul Harrity. Mike is a Newton North grad, and he, Jess and their three kids are members of Wightman Tennis Club in Weston.  We are thrilled that BS&T will continue as lead sponsor of the Garden City Doubles Championships and become one of the inaugural sponsors of the Newton Family Tennis Festival. In addition, Mike is an advocate of Spec Tennis (see above)  as a way to introduce children to tennis as well as a new variation on tennis for adults.  Please visit BS&T’s Newton store at 153 Needham Street, or at https://bostonskiandtennis.com/  If you would like to help with future Friends of Newton Tennis efforts to improve our public courts, please become a Friends of Newton Tennis annual member by clicking here.