Islanders compete at USTA tourney
Published 5:44 pm Monday, November 24, 2008
By Jennifer Calabrese
Working, making lunches, running errands, doing laundry and maintaining a household. Sound familiar? For many Island women, this could be just another day. But with training for a national tennis tournament added into the mix, you have a new twist on multi-tasking.
Earlier this month, Islanders Mary Konopa, Cathy Ramsay, Susan Regan and Alicia Young competed in the USA League Tennis 4.5 Adult National Championships in Tucson, Ariz.
The work and dedication it took these women to get to the tournament were a feat in itself.
Not really having a minute to spare since the start of their regular season, these women quickly adapted to a hectic but what they considered a pleasant routine. And they were determined to win.
“In order to play at competition level, you have to have that hunger to compete,” Konopa said.
And hunger is exactly what they had. Blazing through the local tournaments, these women played other 4.5-ranked teams in their league, made it to the playoffs and came away unscathed. Next up were sectionals with round-robin play. The team won in semifinals and in the finals, clenching their invite to Nationals.
Nationals proved more grueling for the Northwesterners. It was hot — a scorching 95 degrees. An errant wind blew the ball around. Add that to Tucson’s 2,400-foot altitude and no outdoor practice before they left, the play was particularly challenging.
But the women took it in stride and made the best of the situation.
“Typically teams that play outdoors year-round fare better in tournaments such as these,” Regan said. “The heat, wind and sun were all factors that we weren’t used to coming from the Pacific Northwest.”
In the end, the team lost three matches and won just one, but were thrilled just to say they participated in a tournament.
“The stars all have to line up right to even go to Nationals,” Regan said.
“Going down there is such an honor and opportunity,” Konopa agreed. “We always try to take a negative and turn it into a positive.”
The positives for these women definitely outweighed the negatives. The time spent together and the memories they made are irreplaceable, they said.
“There was no pressure or anything,” Konopa said. “Everyone was very comfortable (together) and got along great. We all had so much fun.”
After months upon months of training, one would think that these women would be burned out, but the passion they feel for the game keeps them out on the courts day after day, perfecting their backhands and enjoying the game.
That is, until they go home and trade in their rackets for their other passion — family and friends.
Jennifer Calabrese is a student in the University of Washington News Laboratory.
USTA tournament (box)
570,000 players compete in United States Tennis Association (USTA) League
3,000 of those players make it to Nationals
Players are ranked between 2.5 (lowest) and a 5.0 (highest) rating in USTA
The 10 woman-Amy Yee Seattle Tennis Center team are ranked at 4.5
The team has played together for just one year.
Islander Susan Regan was 4th in 1997 at Nationals at the 4.0 level
Islander Mary Konopa was 2nd last year at Nationals at the 4.0 level
