Submitted by Todd Hiscox
The women who played yesterday in the New England PCQ weren’t just up against some tough competition. Mother Nature showered them with morning rain and then unexpected heavy snow all day long. Through the tough conditions many close matches were played out and the gallery got to witness lots of great paddle tennis.
Played at Myopia Hunt Club, the finals of the day was a well fought 3-set battle between winners Carter Everitt and Meredith Stravato and finalists Kerry Alvino and Natalie Sanders. With a score of 5-7, 7-6, 6-2 Carter – Meredith had to work hard for their win.
The day was also significant because paddle players brought their used tennis racquets along to donate to Tenacity. Tenacity is a youth development program that serves at-risk Boston Public School students from middle school through high school and into college with a program that combines literacy along with tennis and family engagement. Tennis is really the “hook” to engage the students with their studies and to teach them important life skills, such as perseverance, teamwork, handling pressure, and individual responsibility.
Results of the program are really impressive: English MCAS scores are significantly higher than other students in the same schools, 95% of Tenacity students graduate from high school compared with 60% of their peers, and 80% enroll in college. Tenacity serves 1000 students in the Boston Public Schools during the school year and 5000 kids in their summer tennis and reading program. In addition to the racquets, a monetary donation will be made to the organization from the tournament proceeds.”
Thanks goes to Essex County Club and Turner Hill for the use of their courts and also to the staff of Myopia Hunt Club for their big efforts to keep the day moving along. It was a fun day, even with the tricky weather conditions!
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