Lobsters JTT Wrap-Up

3/5/20

Hello Lobsters! Another weekend of intense tennis in the bag! Again, we did not get enough games or sets to pull out the win, but had some definite bright spots on the court. Big shout out to Colin and D for looking and playing like a serious doubles team out there. Lots of communication, high fives, and positivity! It showed in their closely contested match. Also, big shout out to India for holding on to win in a tough tiebreak after almost two hours of tennis. And, for that matter, shout out to all the Lobsters, who hung around in the cold until the final point was over. What an awesome team we have, and what a way to show your support for each other. I appreciate you all! Scores are posted below.

This week, we'll be at home at 11:30. Yes, 11:30! Early hour. We'll be down a player this Sunday, so our lineup will consist of all available Lobsters: Colin, D, Indie, Gabriella, and Ben. Lineup will be set once I confirm numbers with their coach. Snacks duty is up for grabs, and thank you to the Hyatts for sending them last week even though they couldn't be out there with us!

Looking forward to another good weekend! Have fun! Win some! Lobsters go!

Singles        

Surf and Turf Racketeers 12's 2.9 Jason Wood (home)

vs        

Lake Murray Lobsters 12U 2.9: Joey Sutera (away)

Winning Scores & Results

Match #1 Antonio Campbel vs (W) India Sutera  6-4   5-6   1-0

Completed

Match #2  (W) Vikram DEORE vs Casey Hurley  6-0   6-1

Completed

Doubles        

Match #1  

(W) Aiden Gao/ Aaron Li vs Benjamin Dragasits/ Colin Cox  3-6   6-2   1-0

Completed

Match #2        

(W) Chiara Ammirati/ E. Alex Zeman vs Gabriella Norris/ Benjamin Dragasits  6-5   6-1

Completed

10/22/19

Hey Lobsters! Thanks for another excellent Sunday of tennis and camaraderie! Big shout-outs today to the three winners of our "High-five For Five" contest, Dimitri, Colin, and Andrew! The fist pumps and loud hand smacks are EXACTLY what successful athletes in all sports demonstrate, and you guys showed it today! Also, big shout-out to Sonny for coming up to Carmel Valley, supporting her teammates, and keeping score for us today!

I read in "Tennis Strategy for Junior Tournament Players" that there should be a rule of thirds in regard to junior matches: one third should be fairly winnable, one third should be fairly difficult, and the other third should be coin-flip competitive. The first three weeks of our 12U intermediate season point to us being in just the right place!

I'm proud of our kids perseverance and sportsmanship through all three types of matches. Undoubtedly, if we show up each week believing we can win, our performance and enjoyment will be so much higher! And, again, I believe we can win! Thank you for your support with all of our kiddos! Scores are as follows. Have fun! Win some! Lobsters go!

India d. Alissa 6-1, 6-0

Andrew d. Sydney 6-2, 6-1

Casey/Ben d. Maia/Sofie 6-3, 6-3

Dimitri/Colin d. Clair/McKenna 6-1, 6-0

LMTC d. CVT 48-11

We opened Saturday's round robin play with a 19-18 one game victory over the team from Santa Monica Tennis Collective. It was some of the best tennis I've seen our kids play and they fought for every point. Truly riveting junior tennis!

In the afternoon, we played the team from Pleasant Valley, Camarillo. We needed 21 games to advance to Sunday's championship bracket and after two tiebreaks and some uncomfortable breath-holding, we came away with 23 points, earning a spot in the championship bracket for Sunday morning.

That evening, the team had our championship banquet at Dave and Buster's with the other 10-18 year olds from SoCal. Needless to say, this was a huge highlight for the kids!

Sunday, we stepped on to the court to find ourselves one match away from the finals, playing single elimination tennis against our local rivals, Barnes, who we have beaten handily four times this year. And, as sports can go, we were the victims of an upset this time. Finding ourselves on the other side of a very close contest, we were beaten by one game and walked off the court with a few tears, but an incredible sense of accomplishment. We wrapped up with ice cream at Foster Freeze as we licked our wounds. The kids were all smiles by the end of lunch!

In all, the season was incredibly successful with a final record of 11-2 and a ton of growth for our kids as evidence of their efforts. We appreciate your support for the Lobsters and are looking forward to more awesome Junior Team Tennis at Lake Murray Tennis Club!

Sincerely,

Joey Sutera & The LMTC Lobsters