Thursday, September 26, 2024
The success of Spur Tennis Club and the Labor Day Weekend Roundup Tennis Tournament brings a lot of joy to my heart. In the tennis world, we have "UTR," which stands for Universal Tennis Rating. Players compete in verified UTR tournaments to improve their UTR, and having a better UTR is absolutely necessary for junior players looking to be recruited to play college tennis and for better seeding at district, regional, and state tournaments.
Back when I played tennis for Gatesville High School, UTR tournaments were everywhere, and I could go to one basically every weekend. After I got home from my summer college classes, I was trying to find tournaments for myself to join, and I quickly realized that most of the tournaments I used to go to were no longer happening! So, I thought to myself, "I could do that," and one month later, the verified UTR Labor Day Weekend Roundup Tournament took place with 47 players across singles and doubles divisions.
My goal with Spur Tennis Club is to provide adults and juniors of all skill levels and ages more high-quality opportunities to play tennis in Central Texas, and I feel that the Labor Day Weekend Roundup accomplished just that. I've had a number of people from all around the area tell me things like, "this was the only place having a tournament!" or "I'm so glad you're having this tournament, you saved us a trip to Austin!" and hearing that is exactly what I've set out to do with Spur Tennis Club.
It was awesome seeing former high school players, college students, high school athletes, junior high athletes, and more compete in my tournament. I could not have done it without my amazing parents, Sam and Se'Vette Early, who extensively helped and supported me every step of the way through this process and put in so much work behind the scenes. I learned everything I know about event organizing from watching their barrel races that they put on through Rafter E Productions.
I would also like to give another huge thank you to Ricky Phillips, the athletic director of Gatesville High School, for allowing me to use the Glenn and Sue Vernon Tennis Courts.
The next tournament will be the Pumpkin Palooza and will take place on Oct. 5-6.
Tournament Results:
Eric White / Madelynn White - 1st Place - Armadillo Draw Doubles
Kaden Slider / Kinley Slider - 2nd Place - Armadillo Draw Doubles
Laina White / Caroline White - Consolation Champions - Armadillo Draw Doubles
Lucas Garcia / Jackson Neumann - 1st Place - Bronco Draw Doubles
Brandon Ingraham / Thad Vincent - 2nd Place - Bronco Draw Doubles
Jack Armstrong / Asa Hardcastle - Consolation Champions - Bronco Draw Doubles
Dylan Nguyen - 1st Place - Armadillo Draw Singles
Somboduorng Vol - 2nd Place - Armadillo Draw Singles
Tanner Sheldon - Consolation Champion - Armadillo Draw Singles
Ben Mabry - 1st Place - Bronco Draw Singles
Calvin Ford - 2nd Place - Bronco Draw Singles
Aiyhana Cleto - Consolation Champion - Bronco Draw Singles
Syan Patel - 1st Place - Coyote Draw Singles
Emery Cepeda - 2nd Place - Coyote Draw Singles
Emersyn Bruce - Consolation Champion - Coyote Draw Singles
