Editors’ Corner

As 2001 approaches, much confusion
still dominates the U.S. Presidential
election.  As we write this the courts are
still hearing claims, counterclaims, and
whatever else the politicians can come
up with.  Where it ends no one knows,
and we are getting tired of their
politicking.

Locally in football, the Rainbow
Warriors posted some wins despite a
losing season. Miss America is a
Filipina-American who attended
Moanalua High School! Benny Agbayani
was the toast of New York during the
World Series.   The dowager empress
was unveiled. In tennis, Guga reigned
supreme among the men and Martina is
still number one even without a Grand
Slam to her name in 2000.  New tennis
players are coming out (of the closet?)
and showing up at the courts (more on
them later....)!  ATC members are
getting into shape for the ATO 2001 in
February.

More significantly, The Aloha Tennis
Club newsletter has gone 21st Century
this issue and can be found ONLINE. 
We are now found on the ATC web
page and will no longer mail the
newsletter (except in a minimum of
cases where members have no
computer)  If you have e-mail and we do
not have your address, please advise the
editors and/or the club Secretary.
Finally, in the spirit of the season: 

Welcome and a loud “Aloha” to Tom
Chu and Rick Cosby, our latest additions to the group.   Tom is a terrific “A” player from Honolulu.  Rick comes to us from Atlanta, GA, and brought with him his dynamite game!  We know you two will add a lot of punch and excitement to our tennis activities. 

Kenn Dunn and Robert Sternlicht
recently participated in the Palm
Springs Tournament held during  the
Thanksgiving holiday.  Although coming
home empty-handed, both players gained valuable experience and enjoyed
themselves.  Better luck next time guys! .

There has been much Ladder activity.  Jon Orque has been great in keeping everyone informed about all the matches and the standings for singles and doubles.  We believe that there will be more activity over the next two months as individuals and double teams prepare for the BIG TOURNAMENT at Turtle Bay in February.  Keep up the hard work guys. The quality of the play will be enhanced by your diligent work.  Any questions about the ladder should be addressed to Jon at hiork@hotmail.com or in person at the Kapiolani Courts.

Join us in wishing the following a
Happy (or Belated Happy) Birthday:::

Quotations from Quigley”s Astrology for Adults) (Translations from the Editors)

Sagittarius: “Your intuition is
unbeatable.”--”I think he’s going to hit
to my weak forehand...yikes!”  “You are
so high-strung that under prolonged 
strains you can be subject to nervous
breakdowns...”--”Dang, they’re 
catching up to our lead!” 

Capricorn:  “You have a towering
practical ambition.” --”With practice, I
will also hit hard like Kemp!”  “You are
both cautious and conservative, with a
deep respect for authority.”--”No, I 
take it back.   Kemp is too good to copy!”  Warren W  1/5; Oliver W. 1/13;  Roger I. 1/14

We are sorry if we missed anyone. Please provide missing birth date 
(month and day only if you wish year to remain unknown) to Eugene A. for inclusion in the data bank. Have a great day guys!!!!!

In 1996, Jerry Ferguson first picked up a tennis racket and started playing tennis
with his friends at Kapiolani Park.   As
“horrible as I was,” he stated, “my
friends John Kubisty, Dean Calistro,
Lorin Young, Kei Morita” and a few
others “were very patient with me.”  “I
was determined to learn.”  That was the
start of his love affair with the
challenging sport of tennis.

His dedication to the sport is manifested
by improvements in his records.  He
placed runner-up in men’s D-doubles in
1998 at the Aloha Tennis Open. 
Although he admits he is a doubles
player, a recent runner-up finish in
men’s D singles in Portland, Oregon in
2000 has given him more confidence as a singles player.   In that match, Jerry
states that he “lost energy, but I fought
all the way.”

For this upcoming ATO, Jerry has
adopted a new mentality to approaching
tournaments.  “I will eat in the morning,
and just play to have fun.”  This does 
not meant that having fun will 

compensate for lack of competitive instinct.   In fact, Jerry has become more competitive, thanks to an improving forehand.  He is learning to step into his shots.   At the same time, his flat serves have gained more sting and elicits errors now and then.   his main challenge at this time is to perfect the backhand.  “It tends to sail long and out.”  Yet, true to form, Jerry is working hard at it.

Nowadays, Jerry plays tennis just about
whenever he has a day off from
Hawaiian Airlines.   A flight attendant
for 8 1/2 years, Jerry changed careers
after having been a florist for 25 years. 
As a designer florist, he worked 60 hours per week.  “When you work for yourself, it can become stressful.”  He is happy about his new career, which has afforded him trips to many exotic places such as Bali and Thailand.   More importantly, he has more spare time to play tennis and socialize with friends.

In the upcoming ATO tournament, Jerry
will be helping out with the draw party,
taking pictures, and selling raffle tickets. 
He is looking forward to having fun
socializing with his friends.   As
determined to win as he is, he also wants
to be a team player, and will be teaming
with Lorin young in men’s D doubles. 
“We’re ready to bring it on,” he laughs.

Jerry concluded the interview by saying
how he appreciates everyone who has
“welcomed me into the [tennis] group
from the beginning.”  We are certainly
privileged to have you, Jerry, as our
Player-in-the-Spotlight!!

THE ALOHA TENNIS OPEN 2001
The ATO CO-tournament directors and
committee chairmen have been very busy getting everything set for the ATO 2001 tournament which will be held February 16-18, 2001 at the Hilton Turtle Bay Golf and Tennis Resort.

As of this writing there are already 64
entries (the limit for the entries is 96)
with quite a number of communications 
advising either entry forms are in the
mail or about to be sent..  A re-allocation to the Divisions has been made to accommodate the early entries. 

Open-8; “B”dvision-26; “C” division-26,

“D” division-8. Further modifications
may be made depending on the receipt of entries for each division.

There is still a lot of work remaining to
make this tournament the “Best Ever”. 
Anyone wishing to provide assistance in
any of the following areas should contact
the following people responsible for the
area of activity:

Banquet- Warren Wong; sponsors- any
committee member; Courts-John Steiger; Entry Forms-Eugene Alexander;
Volunteers- Herbie Rivera; Trophies-
Mike Formby and Bong Canja; Draw
Party- Hoku Akiu and John Steiger;
T-shirts- Warren Wong and Jon Orque;
Logo and Banner- Jon Orque; Player
Packets- all committee members; Tennis
Balls- Bong Canja and Mike Formby;
ATO 2001 Database and drawsheets-
Herbie Rivera and Jerome Sajulan; ATO
2001 Website- Bong Canja; Tournament Tags- Frank Beudet; First Aid Station- Michael Frye..

All committee members and volunteers
should be thanked for the time being
expended on the tournament
preparations. 

Q.  Once I hit a shot from the sideline,
and the ball traveled below the level of
the net but landed inside the singles line. 
My opponent said the shot was no good,
and I lost the point.  Was she correct? 

A.  Girl, you got jipped!!  I saw Jimmy
Connors hit the same shot against
Adriano Panatta at the U. S. Open, and
he won the point.   And THAT was a
professional match!!  Your opponent was wrong about your shot.

Q. If I don’t have enough money to
travel and be a circuit tennis queen, are
there local tournaments here in Hawaii
for me to enter??
 

Unfortunately, sports are often
accompanied by injury.  Common
problems include pulled muscles, torn
ligaments and over-stretched tendons.
To help prevent injury, follow these
steps:

--Warm up ant then stretch for five to 
10 minutes before exercising.  Cool down with a five to ten minute walk when you’re finished.

--Don’t be stubborn--stop playing if 
you feel pain in your muscles or joints.

--Wear properly-fitting shoes and 
socks and appropriate safety gear, 

If you get injured, remember to follow
REST:  rest, ice, compression and
elevation.

By using your head as well as your body, you can have fun, get a good workout and avoid injury.

Top 10 Super Anti-Aging Fruits and
Veggies.  Almost any fruit or vegetable
will bring you antioxidant power. 
However, here are the top 10
superpowers--avocado, berries, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, citrus fruits, grapes, onions, spinach, tomatoes.  Plus, garlic is another super anti-aging food that you can take in pill form, and still have people get close to you!!!! Important to most of us--right??