SWF tennis team wins national senior title
A team of eight Southwest Florida men in the 65 & Over division just returned from the USTA (United States Tennis Association) National Championships in Surprise, Ariz., after a well-determined battle on the courts, landing them a first-place victory, beating the other teams 17-1.
Prior to their national championship, the local team won first place in the USTA Statewide Championships late last year, winning 14-1 over hundreds of other teams.
“In order to be eligible for the Nationals, you have to play the best of the best – and no one in Southwest Florida has ever won the national championship – we are so very excited about this victory,” said Ed Marcelo, team captain. “Once you make it to Nationals, you’re representing thousands of teams. We had a well-balanced team and could handle whatever they threw at us. Others would try to put their best players in, but they couldn’t beat our players. It’s like a chess match out there; you have to play as smart as you play well.”
Along with Cape Coral resident Marcelo, team members include Steve Romaine, Richard Fell, Nile Evans, Larry Blohm, Masahiro Kumamoto, Robert Bachula and Timothy McClary, and their coach T.A. Niles, all calling Cape Coral, Fort Myers Beach and North Fort Myers home. Members also said teammate Thomas Martin couldn’t make the trip.
The team practices at the Park Meadow Tennis Center in South Fort Myers, keeping their skills on the court honed by going against 55-and-up players. In Arizona, they made a quick adjustment to the harder courts, but as for the heat, they were used to it, and felt even more exuberant with the lower humidity out west.
“Some teams might have had problems adjusting to the hot weather out there, primarily ones coming from the north to compete, but we were used to it, and it really didn’t bother us much at all,” Fell said.
After working and fighting their way through the ranks, coach Niles, Marcelo and the team made it to the semi-finals and then the finals, clinching the first-place title for Southwest Florida, all within a weekend’s timeframe.
“We looked over after realizing we won and saw Niles leaning against the fence,” Romaine said. “We thought maybe he was injured. He turned around and had tears flowing down his face. It truly was an emotional victory for all of us.”
During the awards ceremony, each of the teammates were honored with championship medals, along with a celebratory banner of their victory.
Several hours later, the team was catching a red-eye flight back and had to camp out in the airport for some time, but they didn’t care.
“We were on an adrenaline rush, and had those heavy gold medals in our hands,” Romaine laughed. “We couldn’t be happier – it was a very well-organized event. It’s been a long road, but it’s what we enjoy doing. Now we’ll take a break and start over from the beginning. After all, it’s what keeps you young.”
The men keep active on more than just the tennis courts. Romaine is the past commodore of the CMCS sailing club, competing in regional regattas and events throughout the year, and is currently organizing the club’s 50th annual Summerset Regatta, setting sail in October.
Fell plans to join the CMCS soon as he also partakes in the boating world, and his wife, Sharon, is the fleet captain of the Fort Myers Beach Yacht Club.
Marcelo is another boating enthusiast, enjoying a more quiet day on the water, fishing pole in hand, in addition to other outdoor activities like gardening and bike riding.