Joint Base Andrews: Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland
May 21, 2016

In less than 36 months, Boots on the Court has brought our program to Joint Base Andrews 4 times. Let that sink in for a minute or two….4 events in less than 3 years. For the first 2 years we held the event on the tennis courts across from the West Fitness Center. The last two years, we have put on the event at Liberty Park, a beautiful little park in the middle of base housing. Anyone lucky enough to live nearby the park is treated to two playgrounds, one for little ones and one for the older kids, two tennis courts, a clubhouse and a swimming pool. Paths all around the base lead up to the park, which is surrounded by gorgeous homes.

Colonel Brad Hoagland and his wife Jill were once again the consummate hosts, not only volunteering, but bringing their kids to play as well. THANK YOU! Colonel Hoagland has been very proactive in making sure tennis remains on base at Andrews. He is one of the few “higher ups” who see the value in a continuing tennis program on base. So many of us don’t understand what it’s like to have one or more family members stationed over seas for extended periods of time. For the parent left at home taking care of the family, it can be a very difficult time. If that family has more than one child, it can be a huge struggle to get the children from one activity to the next. Having an event like Boots on the Court right there on base is a huge plus for these over-extended families. Most times, kids will show up for a clinic on their bikes. We are so grateful to Colonel Hoagland that he is willing to bring us back year after year. Thank you to you, Jill and your family for all you do for us!

I lamented the day our photographer Trevor Chan told me that he would no longer be able to come to all our events…..I am not very good with the camera and he is. Well, how lucky were we that he was able to come to Andrews to not only record the day in pictures, but that he brought my favorite little girl with him, his daughter Skye. Skye and I had an incredible playdate and I miss her already! Thanks for your pictures and for Skye!

You would think that after 4 years volunteers and some people begin to feel like family, and you’re right. That’s how we feel about the Hyun family. Helen Hyun brought her son and daughter Tyler and Kaitlyn to the second event and every one thereafter. They are both wellrounded, extremely accomplished kids who are respectful and well-mannered too. Helen has taught them from an early age the importance of giving back and we are fortunate to have them at our events. This year Helen worked registration with me and Tyler helped out on the courts. Sadly for us, Kaitlyn was attending a prestigious seminar for a select few high school kids in San Diego. We look forward to seeing her again soon. Thank you Hyun family!

Another huge shout out goes to Karen Souza and her baby Maddie. Once again, they worked registration from sun up to sun down.

If the ever present Mark Wirth (aka #HotChoklit) doesn’t come to an event, he will be receiving a non-posting fine in the million dollar range. His efforts are nothing short of remarkable and while I tease him no end, I couldn’t imagine an event without him. Thank you Mark!

Thanks go out to: Damon Austin, Chris Coursen, Helen Li, David-Craig Man (handles the USO truck as if it was a Smart Car!) and his volunteers for the lunch truck. Of course, thanks to Isaac and Charles and all their crew.

How incredibly lucky were we to have Rear Admiral Sean Buck join us on court this year. Not only is he a good player, but he is an amazing raconteur as well. Rear Admiral Buck is a graduate of the Naval Academy, played on the varsity tennis team while there and is a naval aviator by trade. He is presently the commander of the 4th Fleet out of Jacksonville, Florida. He and his wife invited us back to their house at the United States Naval Observatory that night. There are only five homes located there, one is the Vice Presidents, and the others are occupied by naval officers. The world’s atomic clock is located there, as well as a telescope that was used by President Abraham Lincoln. We climbed the stairs at dusk to where the telescope was housed and were treated to the most incredible view of Washington DC as well as Alexandria, Virginia.

Rear Admiral Buck then took us into the telescope housing and we were able to look through the very lens that President Lincoln peered through years before us. We clearly saw the rings of Saturn…..how many of us can claim that?

While we cannot top such an amazing experience as that, we are looking forward to introducing the Bucks to our favorite restaurant in Jacksonville, TacoLu’s. Thank you both!

The total number of participants for the event was 70 plus.

Some testimonials:

“Thank you for allowing me to witness and participate in your tennis clinic. Thank you for giving the joy of tennis to military folks. The best life spot there is….” -RADM Sean Buck

“We had a blast again this year. We are overwhelmed by your generosity in organizing and hosting these tennis events. Your interaction with all the kids is amazing. In the three years that my son ahas attended, we have never seen anyone leave without a big smile. Thank you.”

We are looking forward to returning to Andrews in 2017 at the refurbished West Tennis Courts!

Fort Benning, Columbus, GA
March 26, 2016

Saturday morning arrived with temperatures in the low 60’s, overcast and not too pleasant. The decision to move the event indoors was a no- brainer, so we set up the mini nets and low compression balls in the Youth Sports Gymnasium on base.

We were lucky enough to have great pro volunteers in Tommy Wade and Kent Gardner all the way from Tuscaloosa, Mark Wirth, Ty Fuller, John Farmer and of course, JoAnne Russell. Dorrie Wagner was the CYSS Sports Director and as well as the on base coordinator for the event. What an incredible job she did! Between clinics she arranged for pizza and drinks- even though it wasn’t very warm, everyone was hungry and thirsty.

This was our first event at Benning and as usual, the participants were enthusiastic as well as eager to learn the basics of tennis.

The clinics were broken down as follows: the 4-7 year olds, the pre- teen clinic, 8-12, the junior clinic, ages 13-17 year old, as well as the adult clinic for ages 19 and up. We had a grand total of about 70 participants.

The largest group of sign-ups is usually the smallest kids and at Benning it was no different. We had the entire floor of the gym covered in low compression balls, red and yellow, orange and yellow, and wall to wall mini nets. I still believe that despite the fun the kids have playing tennis games, they love picking up the balls with the tennis tubes more than anything. Go figure!

The smallest number of participants is historically the teenage group….no surprise there to parents of teenagers! It’s always a challenge to get teenagers involved in anything, but the group at Benning came ready to learn and play. One kid even told us that she was going to get some group and private lessons in order to try out for her team next year- we love hearing things like that!

Tommy Wade had the adults running, jumping, hitting and diving all over the hard wood floors of the gym. His theory is simply that anyone can learn the game at any given time in their lives and he’s only happy to help in the process. He would still be out there teaching, had we not dragged him off!

Thank you to Wayne Chastian, CYSS Sports Assistant Director. He was instrumental in helping set up and take down- always an important part of any event.

Testimonials from some happy participants:

“All of the coaches brought so much enthusiasm to the clinics. They seemed to enjoy being here which made it fun for the participants and observers. Thank you for having us!”

“This was an awesome experience for my three girls. They enjoyed every minute. Thank you guys so much!”

“Well organized. Fun for the kids. Thank you!”

We look forward to hopefully returning to Benning next year, where the weather will no doubt be so much better!

Thanks to ALL!

The night before we held the second annual Thanking Our Troops Through Tennis at Joint Base San Antonio – Randolph, we met Jim Timmons and 9 players from the Trinity University Men’s Tennis Team for a reception at the San Antonio Country Club.  We were honored to meet the team and some really great people who pledged their time and donations to T3.  Thank you Jim for setting that up.  Butch Newman, Lisa Westerguard, Trey Foster, Richard Walthal, Peter Olsen, Kathryn and Patrick Lutz, Marion Bell, and Mr. and Mrs. Brad Nabers were all in attendance.

Sometimes things just have a way of working out.  In order to get onto a military base, Dickie needs to submit names with tons of information at least one week in advance.  If you happen to be a foreign national, that wait time is usually double.  How incredibly lucky for T3 that Harold and Karen Rogg were cleared in less than 24 hours.  Harold and Karen ran the registration desk in a seamless fashion, handed out and collected surveys, took down banners, set up, cleaned up and in general, were AMAZING!  Thank you both from the bottom of our hearts.  You two made the day fun as well.

We met Alan Waterman last year when he worked the USO lunch/snack tent.  He was generous enough to come back and help again this year.  Alan is a huge supporter of T3 all year, and we are so lucky that we have him in the T3 family.

The Trinity University Men’s Tennis Team joined us on the courts for the afternoon.  I can’t explain to you how much it means to us to have young men such as the Trinity boys helping with our event. They add a whole new level of enthusiasm to the drills and games.  The little ones and especially the juniors are able to connect with them, and they are witness to what can happen when you work hard at both a sport and academics.  The boys are smart, great tennis players, witty, polite and super respectful.  Kudos to their parents and to them for being so successful.  We wish them nothing but continued success and even brighter futures ahead.  Thank you gentlemen for all you’ve done for T3!

Kevin Lee, Austin Crist, Clark Rivers, Wilson Lambeth, Liam Crawley and Tilden Oliver.

We missed our T3 photographers Ken Munson and Trevor Chan.  If the pictures are less than great, know that it was me behind a borrowed camera, trying to recreate the magic that both Ken and Trevor are so good at capturing. [Pictures will be uploaded soon!]

Once again Steve and Mario Contardi joined us at Randolph.  I’ve said this before, and I’ll keep saying it, an event is only as good as its organizers, and thanks to the Contardis, whenever they volunteer, the event is the best run event ever.  Steve works the courts with his bullhorn, ensuring that we all move smoothly from one group to the next. Mario is tireless making sure people who’ve never played manage to connect with a ball or two, as well as making it fun for those who need more of a challenge.  Thank you both.  We are touched and amazed by your dedication.

While politics have nothing to do with what we do, our friend Mark Wirth (Hot Choklit) keeps me on my political toes.  Not only does he work the participants on the court, he is constantly making sure I’m on my political game.  If I had a favorite Republican, he’d be it. (Maybe he runs a close second to Tina Fey….).  Thank you Mark, we truly appreciate all you do for us and for Blue Sky.  You make it fun and we look forward to you attending every event….no pressure!

How do you know you’re in Texas?  When you drive on the Toll Road, you see a store for Guns, one for Boots and another for Rosalinda’s Tacquitos, all in the same strip mall.  Flying back to San Antonio to reconnect with Dickie and to help drive The Beast back home is always an interesting, albeit exhausting experience.  This year I arrivedon Thursday night and was able to witness first hand, for the first time the John Newcombe Tennis Legends Fantasy Camp.

Dickie has been attending this camp forever, and I’ve been hearing all about it not only from him, but from the participants he’s introduced me to over the years.  The camp is the brainchild of Steve Contardi, who, after witnessing a Baseball Fantasy Camp wondered why the same format couldn’t be done for tennis.  The result is an incredible six days of drafting teams, practicing, playing and drilling, not to mention, drinking and trash talking.  Steve an his son Mario work alongside the Legends and Ranch pros to make the event one of the best times you can have on a tennis court. The guy who attend come from all over the world, and some have even been to every single one of the 28 camps….think about that!

The pros who work the camp are in the Who’s Who of tennis royalty.  John Newcombe, Rod Laver, Fred Stolle, Roy Emerson, Ken Rosewall, Owen Davidson, Cliff Drysdale, Tony Roche, Guillermo Vilas, Marty Reissen, Brian Gottfried, Ross Case, Manolo Santana, Luke and Murphy Jensen, Ricky Leach, Geoff Masters, Mal Anderson, Mark Woodford, Charlie Pasarell and I’m sure left off some guys.  Campers pay a fee to spend a week in the company of these legends.  They drink beers together, call each other “mate!” and actually feel like real players.  The levels are varied, as are the ages.  Doc is 90, and then there are the newbies, those young enough to still remember their SAT’s.  Teams are drafted and headed up by a Legend, and his “staff” of other Legends.  Larry Star is the legendary trainer who, who along with his cohort Jason Palmateer, tries to keep them all healthy and then attempts to put them back together, ready to return to their real worlds.

A special thanks to Dickie’s longtime and dear friend Brian Gottfried for helping us out once again.  We have a picture in our office back home of Brian and Dickie at the NCAA finals in 1972.  It’s a black and white photo and the boys are sporting long blonde hair and mega-watt smiles.  Years later, the hair is a little bit shorter and maybe not as blonde, but the smiles and enthusiasm for tennis and their friendship is still there.  It’s indeed a rare and lucky treasure to have such a friendship throughout one’s life.  Thank you Brian.

I arrived Thursday night, the last night and in the middle of the awards ceremony.  Plaques are handed out to the winners, jokes are told (some too disgusting for even me to repeat) and some poor guy will wear the “Horse’s Ass” award and the “Dick Head” Award.  These “trophies” are to be worn and resemble exactly what they sound like.  Not something you want to brag about.  It is a shared camaraderie that extends throughout the year.  Campers come because a friend recommended it, or because of their connection to a Legend.  Every year there’s a waiting list.  Steve is hard pressed to turn anyone away and that’s a testament to the success of the event.

There’s a coed event in March, and oh, by the way, the October Fantasy camp is a guys only venue.  I would strongly suggest that significant others stay away.  It’s a testosterone-filled week that gives new meaning to the phrase Male Bonding.  Dickie has always called it the “Ultimate Boys Week Out.”

Thank you Colonel Jaime Houston for your moving tribute to all the vets present at the camp, and for bringing awareness to T3 and what we’re trying to do.  Ft. Jackson won’t be the same without you.  Luckily, through our tennis connection, we will always be in touch!

Another added bonus to the Texas trip was getting to see Sarah and Randall.  We spent the night at Sarah’s new house and LOVED it.  Good to see you both! xox

And so we wrap up another T3 event.  We’ve made the decision to change the name from Thanking Our Troops through Tennis to “Boots on the Court.”  Please look for a new Face Book page group, same as the old one, just a different name.  A huge thank you to Diana Walker for all her help in making the new logo and for always supporting us.  She is not only a great tennis player, but a great friend as well.

We’re already looking forward to the next Boots on the Court event at McDill Air Force Base on December 5, 2015.  Please come and join us!

Once again, thank you to everyone!

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