Since the last time I reported on this website, we have moved right along to improve your tennis experience. As most of you already know, we coordinated with the City of Downey to reserve courts at Independence for our activities as well as continue weeknight reservations, which is very good news! In addition to increasing the number of Sunday socials, we have interclubs and a Ladie's tournament planned within the next few weeks.

Our membership this year is steady. Not much change from our last tennis year. Just keep your eyes and ears open for new members who would enjoy playing at all levels. Please check your monthly newsletter for new members and keep them in mind to invite them to our club activities, as well as your various social tennis group activities during the weekdays. As new members join, our newsletter volunteers provide a handy sticker to place in your directory so that you have their contact information. To acquaint you with some of our newest members that joined after publication of our 2008-09 Directory, here thet are: Denise Vasquez, Ben Caballero, John Jimenez, Ricardo Inguito and Vahe Bilezikijian. Look forward to meeting you all on the courts soon!

Good Job, Aaron Kleinman, for tackling a tough assignment coordinating a Team Tennis event! We applaud your effort and enthusiasm, and remember that the fun is in the playing -- not the winning! Thanks to all of our valiant players who participated throughout this season and kept the teams going -- the Apples, Figs, Kiwis, Mangos and the winning Strawberries! The Downey Tennis Club is very grateful to you, Aaron, and for all that you do for our club -- Thank You!

Our Weekender last fall was great fun! We joined the La Mirada Tennis Club, along with a few others that tagged along. The Casa Via Mar Inn in Port Hueneme is a great place for tennis with all amenities that make for a good time. We experienced GREAT tennis with members of the Oxnard Tennis Club. Their facility was outstanding, and the members perfect hosts. Make sure you don't miss out on our next scheduled Weekender. A BIG THANK YOU goes out to Wendy and Nate for all their great effort in putting this Weekender together.

As usual, Roy (Streeter) and Bernice did an outstanding job with our new Membership Directory. And the folks we want to bring to your attention -- ALL the sponsors who provided funding through their ads in our Directory to make it happen. I want to encourage you to become familiar with their products and/or services these businesses have to offer and show your appreciation by doing business with them. Also want to thank Ron at Circle-C Printing who, as usual, did a great job with the printing. A big THANK YOU to all!

What a great time was had at our joint Downey/La Mirada Christmas Party held at the beautiful Rio Hondo Event Center. There were guests from Boeing and NOCTC Tennis Clubs as well. As usual, the food was outstanding, great music for dancing by DJ Dwayne Dawson, and plenty of door prizes. The La Mirada club provided beautiful center pieces to decorate all of the tables. Let's hope we can have repeat of this very successful holiday party in 2009!

An Interclub Social took place in February with the North Orange County Tennic Club (NOCTC) at their beautiful facility in Fullerton. Not only did we have fun tennis, but the gracious host provided plenty of drinks and food for everyone. I'm happy to report that the DTC came out on top score-wise. Good job, team!

At our February board meeting, it was agreed to increase the cost of our tennis socials from $4/player to $5/player starting in March. This helps cover the cost of the courts and balls, as well as other costs incurred with our club activities.

Also want to bring to your attention that our tennis socials' formats have changed somewhat. We now have Sunday Fundays on two Sundays/month -- the 1st and 3rd Sundays. Our Saturday tennis socials are scheduled the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of the month. Reminder: Courts 1 through 4 are reserved with the City for all socials, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
NOTE: No socials will be played on the weekend of March 14 & 15.

The Cypress Tennis Club has contacted us for an interclub social April 19 (Sunday). Please contact Roy Aguilar if you're available and want to participate. Location for this event is still a TBD (to be determined).

The Boeing Tennis Club has contacted us to arrange for an interclub social; however, this event will be postponed until later this spring.

Gail Garland is coordinating a Women's Social which is planned for Saturday, April 18. She is contacting our neighboring clubs to solicit their participation. Make sure you let Gail know if you're interested. Tennis, food and prizes are planned for this event!

Look forward to seeing you ALL on the courts soon!.....Michael

The most critical item we’re faced with right now is that the City has decided NOT to fund the position for the tennis attendant weekday nights. At this time, no court reservations are being taken. Courts are open for free play; first one gets the courts. While this is not acceptable, it is especially difficult without posting of Tennis Rules (similar to those posted at Furman Park). The City has been provided the DTC Saturday and Sunday schedules, and we have been assured the courts will be reserved for the DTC to support our functions A Petition is circulating to see if we can get the City to reinstate reservations service, so PLEASE contact Jean Jones (562-927-4820) to make sure your signature appears on the Petition. We need ALL the help/signatures we can get – Thank You!

MEMBERSHIP DUES REMINDER
Your membership dues for Year 2008-09 are due and payable, so PLEASE don’t forget to renew NOW. We plan to have a directory this year, and you certainly wouldn’t want to be left out by not renewing your membership! Remember that your $25 ($40 per couple) membership includes your directory, plus the monthly newsletter, as well as lots of tennis at a VERY reasonable cost. Our new directory will be coming out by the end of September, so put this behind you NOW! (Check out the “Forms” page on this website to print a copy of the Application Form, since you’re signature is required for the liability clause – Thank You!)

So let’s get caught up with what’s been going on with your DTC the past three months, as well as what’s coming up!

AUGUST “SUMMER SPLASH” PARTY
Our “Summer Splash” party at the Downey Elk’s was GREAT! I’m sure all of you who attended would agree?! If you didn’t, well, don’t miss it next year! Want to thank Gail and Jean for doing a fantastic job in putting it all together.

JUNE INTERCLUB SOCIAL WITH CERRITOS
We had a great turnout at this event which was held in June. All 8 court were used! Courts 1 thru 4 were comprised of men’s doubles, while the remaining courts played mixed. It was tough and challenging for most of our players having much younger opponents! Thanks to Roy Aguilar for all the hard work in coordinating the event, matching up players and keeping the groups moving! Good job, Roy Aguilar!

MAY MIXED DOUBLES TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Our Mixed Doubles Trny in May went very well, thanks to Roy Aguilar’s efforts! There were nine teams … and the winners are:
1st Place:        Doug & Jan Minz
2nd Place:       Dave Hanker and Charlotte Hansen
3rd Place:        Roy Aguilar and Bernice Stumps
Again, many thanks to ALL who participated at this fun event!

TEAM TENNIS
Aaron Kleinman is doing a fantastic job reviving our Team Tennis event! He’s come up with an ingenious plan, which includes three members per team (rather than 4): 2 guys and 1 gal. Plus play format has some innovative changes as well. So far, it’s working, and everyone’s having a GREAT time. As of this reporting, the standings are as follows:
           1st – Strawberries!       2nd – Apples!        3rd – Figs!
                       4th – Mangos!               5th – Kiwis!
Good job, Aaron!!

SUNDAY-FUNDAY SOCIAL
Please note: This event is now scheduled the THIRD Sunday of the month, rather than the fourth. We had a wonderful turnout this month (August), filling three courts, with some great tennis! Make sure you mark your calendar for the next Sunday-Funday in September (21st)!

OCTOBER WEEKENDER IN PORT HUENEME (details)
PLEASE check out the flier, provided by Wendy Bryan, of this upcoming event. It’s been a while since many of you have participated in this rare event. Many of us, including players from several other clubs, are making plans to go. Check out the flier on this website (see Weekenders) that includes all the info you’ll need to know, so, make your reservations NOW!

TENNIS COORDINATORS
Just a word of Thanks to Bruce Koning, Roy Aguilar, Aaron Kleinman and Shirley Adams for being there and coordinating our tennis socials. A lot of behind-the-scenes planning has to take place: making sure courts are reserved, balls are available, as well as water and snacks.
I’d also like to provide a big THANK YOU to both Shirley and Peggy Smith for diligently calling all members to remind them of upcoming events. Again, thank you ALL for your efforts and time to keep us all active on the courts!

NEW MEMBERS
Keith Alexander       Arthur Banuelus
Cathy Laan               Gretchen Phillips
Welcome, ALL, to our Club!

It’s been awhile since you’ve heard from your ole’ prez! I’m finally back on the courts recovering well after my shoulder surgery AND having a great time with many of you!
Speaking of surgeries, Roy Streeter is scheduled for a “partial knee replacement” on August 22nd. His doctor (from the Dorr Arthritis Institute) tells him he’ll be ready to be back on the courts in SIX WEEKS. WOW! That’s incredible! Good luck, Roy!

See you on the courts!......Michael

ATTENTION! ... ATTENTION! Volunteers needed for our Downey Street Faire to be held Saturday, May 3rd, from 9am to 5pm. It's not just work; it's lots of fun, so call me ASAP and let me know when you're available, whether for a couple of hours, half a day, all day -- whatever works within your schedule. Phone: (562) 862-3233.

Even though I did not know this long-time member of our club since during my tenure, he has played primarily at the Furman Park courts, Paul Yokota passed away on March 17th at the age of 86. The Downey Tennis Club extends our condolences to the Yokota family.
And please note that he is remembered in our "In Memory of" page (under Downey History) of this website.

PLEASE NOTE: The DTC Calendar now lists an InterClub Social with Cypress Tennis Club on April 26 to be held at the Lakewood Country Club. Cypress always goes ALL OUT with lots of fun, food and more. Please give Roy Aguilar a call if you plan to go, so he can have some idea as to how many will be participating. Come out and join the fun with this great neighboring club!

The 2nd Saturday in May, we will have a Mixed Doubles Trny rather than our typical Tennis Social. So start looking for your partner NOW and call Bernie Erickson right away to sign up. And you're not limited to a DTC member; you're encouraged to bring a non-DTC member as your partner to this event. So long as one person is a DTC member, you can participate in this tournament.

I want to extend a BIG THANK YOU to Shirley Adams and Peggy Smith for the wonderful job they're doing as the DTC phone committee! It has certainly helped our members to keep their calendars apprised of all of the DTC events. Again, Thank You, Peggy & Shirley!

If you're signed up, Aaron Kleinman will be calling you to announce teams for our Team Tennis which will start sometime in April. If you're not already signed up, it's not too late to join, so call Aaron right away (323-855-7219).

Plans are underway for a Weekender at Shadow Mountain (Palm Springs area) in October. If you're interested, give Wendy Bryan or Jan Wright a call soon. It's been awhile since we've had a Weekender on our calendar, so let's make this one super successful!

And I'd like to extend a warm welcome to our newest member -- Keith Alexander!

See you on the courts SOON!......Michael

The Downey Tennis Club welcomes Jan Minz who has graciously accepted the position of Treasurer. We look forward to working with Jan and participating on the board. Welcome aboard, Jan!

It is back to business, and we have several activities planned.

March 29: An Interclub Social with La Mirada is scheduled. Please see the Calendar page for times, etc., as well as the flyer in our March Newsletter. Let's all come out and have fun with our neighboring club to the east!
April 5, Saturday, 8PM: Roy Streeter is taking a bold step in handing over his tennis racket for a baton to lead the Downey Symphony Orchestra with Sousa's famous march - "Stars & Stripes Forever"! This season the Downey Symphony Orchestra celebrates their 50th year and is the first season for its new conductor, Ms. Sharon Lavery, who replaces Thomas Osborne, conductor for some 19 years until his death in 2006. PLEASE mark your calendar for this very special event. And for tickets, call Bernice Stumps (see membership directory for phone #), and she'll do her utmost to find the best tickets for this gala night!
May 3: Downey Street Faire will be held. Once again, we have a booth and will need help passing out flyers and recruiting new members. Simply contact any of the board members and let us know you want to participate in this yearly city event.

Competitive Team Tennis: Please contact Aaron Kleinman (see membership directory for phone #s) if you are interested in participating in team tennis. Aaron will be working on a new format. We have 10 people signed up to date and need a few more players. We still have spots available.

Look forward to meeting you on the courts!.....Michael

It is with sadness that we announce the passing of one our board member, Hector Valles, who passed away November 19, 2007. He was 81. Hector ("the Collector") served as our treasurer for the last 7 years and helped out with our socials ... and more! Hector -- an avid tennis player -- is missed by all. We have been blessed by having known him and having him as part of our community.

Our Christmas party was again this year a big success. Dwayne--as usual--did an outstanding job keeping us on the dance floor. The Rio Hondo Country Club has done an outstanding job, and we have already scheduled next year's event; so mark your calendar NOW for Friday evening, December 5, 2008!

After our Christmas Party, the board took a break. It was a good time to spend with family and friends. Some of our tennis warriors suffered some injuries (including yours truly!) and are trying to get better for the upcoming year.

Competitive Team Tennis: Please contact Aaron Kleinman (323-855-7219) if you are interested in participating in DTC team tennis (Note - this is not interclub team tennis). Aaron will be working on a new format. We have 10 people signed up already and need a few more players.
Interclub Tennis: We are currently working on getting a couple of interclub socials scheduled in the March/April timeframe. These dates will be published in the newsletter just as soon as they are scheduled. Stay tuned!

Wishing all of our members a Happy New Year - 2008! ... and I hope to be back on the courts SOON!.....Michael