We cannot be perfect all the time & sometimes we need to be reminded just how imperfect we all are. For example last Wednesday night while playing in the League I fell into that bad habit of returning the 1st serve which was a fault. Quite rightly I was pulled up on this by the opposition.

Possibly you might think there are different things about our Club which are not perfect.

If you tell us about your complaints then we can try to fix them. If you do not tell us then unfortunately they may continue & we might lose members.

Use our email address to contact the Club about anything. The sooner we can get the email address for every member the sooner we will be able to improve our communication to you all.

Well Spring is almost here.

We are now planning our summer of tennis & I wish you a great & enjoyable season.

PO BOX 45020, LOWER HUTT

FAX 566 8041

EMAIL: LowerHutt@tennismail.com

SENIOR $195

VETERAN $170

MIDWEEK $170

INTERMEDIATE $ 95

JUNIOR $ 95

COUPLE $350

FAMILY $480

PRESIDENT BARBARA 566 0750

CHAIRMAN JOHN 566 9051

SECRETARY GRAHAM 569 2914

TREASURER RAY 567 9340

CLUB CAPTAIN MICK 567 8258

MIDWEEK ROS 938 1951

JUNIOR CHESTER 938 160
WED LEAGUE STEWART 938 9746

MON LEAGUE ORA 495 4762

SAT LEAGUE KATHY 569 6629

Our Constitution requires ALL

resignations to be in writing

The AGM was held on Tuesday 23 July, 2002. The election of Officers was President Barbara Bridger, Secretary Grahma Nelson, Treasurer Ray Jones, Club Captain Mick Bolland. The following persons were also elected onto the Management Committee for the 2002/2003 season - Ros Read, Ora Whaanga, Lisa Hema, Odette do Couto, John Donaghy, Chester Holmes, Peter Howse.

There was much discussion about the proposal to introduce a Development Levy but finally with only one exception the meeting agreed on the proposal. The new subscriptions including this development levy are shown on this page.

Similarly after discussion a proposal by the midweek ladies to make alterations to the rules that determined their times of play was unanimously agreed by the meeting.

It was resolved that those paying a mid week subscription would be eligible to play during the hours of 8 am to 4 pm on weekdays. Play at other times will require the payment of a visitors fee.

Trophies for the previous seasons Club Championships were presented to winners and runners up.

Two special awards were also presented.

Stewart Bush received the TS Williams Cup for the best Club Member & Sam Vinton-Boot for the most improved player.

It is great that we again have a Club Captain. Mick certainly provided tremendous energy when he last took this role & we are sure to see this same involvement again.

A Tennis Night at the Renouf Centre

31st August. 2002

7 pm - 11 pm

$14 per person

BYO Wine & Beer.

Please put your name on the notice in the club rooms or ring

Jill Willcock, 5695 465.

So, our 75th season is about to commence. That is surely something to celebrate. As one who has been associated with the Club, on & off, for a considerable part of that time I am certainly looking forward to the year & the events which we will be holding. Mrs B. is the same. Very quietly, she has been associated with the Club much longer than I have but I am not allowed to tell you when she first became a member.

A couple of years ago I wrote of the weekend Club days we used to enjoy in the 1970s when 50 members & more would turn up to play. Afternoon tea & socialising under umbrellas on the grass adjacent to court one were features of the afternoon. Apart from smaller numbers now turning up, very little has changed. Possibly the standard of tennis has strengthened, but the enjoyment of exercising & socialising remain.

Last year we had considerable success in inter-club competitions & I believe the prospects for the coming season are excellent. Resident coach, Gene, is to be congratulated for the way he so willingly and effortlessly passes on his knowledge and skills.

The success and enjoyment of the coming season are dependent on your involvement. Our facilities are excellent & a lot is planned. Come along and participate.

See you at Opening Day.

Mick

Now is the time to suggest to your friends or colleagues its time they joined a real club.

If you have friends who may be interested invite them to visit The Club on Wednesday nights or Saturday afternoons to see for themselves how we enjoy ourselves. Alternately

Please let us know if you are not joining this season. Please don't wait until next year then have a lot of agro when approached to pay overdue subscriptions. The Gate combination will be changed 31 October. Only FINANCIAL members will have this gate code.

A Registration form has been included with this Newsletter. This must be completed & returned by ALL members so we can keep up to date your re-enrolment details.

Wednesday, 4 Sept, 7 pm - 9 pm

Sunday, 8 Sept, 9 am - 11 am

#1 Saturday 7 Sept 9 am - 12 am

#2 Saturday 14 Sept 9 am - 12 am

#3 Saturday 21 Sept 9 am - 12 am

The Hutt Valley Association have withdrawn from their arrangement with JTWR with the agreement of all the Hutt Valley clubs and coaches.

In place of a regional junior interclub competition teams of the better juniors will be able to enter into the senior Hutt Valley competition. This will provide these players with more experience and will be a better stepping stone towards the senior regional competition.

Note the ladders will be started from scratch. You will need to play at least three matches to get onto the ladder & a place in a team. Interclub teams will only comprise players on the new ladders. The intention of this arrangement is to foster more competition & play. This may be repeated post Christmas if new teams need to be formed.

Full details will be posted on the club notice board & on the website soon.

A training session to help parents co-ordinate matches and assist the coaches on a Sunday morning, will be held on Sunday 15 September 9 am to 10 am. Simple exercises and games will be demonstrated that parents can help children with during later Sunday sessions. If you don't know how to score, now is the time to find out.

In the same way as last year, the sessions will be run by the coach, Gene Ridgway , & his able assistant coaches. The first session runs from 9 am to 10:30 the second from 10:30 to 12 am. The first session this season will be 15th September.

Fridays

5 pm-6:30 pm Interclub players practice

6:30 - 8 pm Advanced interclub practice

There is no specific play or practice organised for very advanced juniors and those in the 4th form or higher previously classed as Intermediates. These members are invited to express an interest in playing in senior leagues (Monday night, Wednesday Night & Saturday afternoon) and in the Senior Regional & Hutt Valley interclub competition. They may also choose to play in the later Friday night practice session. It may be necessary to start another league night if sufficient numbers express an interest - & this will be in conjunction with the senior club.

Put this in your diary - September 30th thru to October 4th.

Required from parents or interested parties to co-ordinate the Junior Club. If you can manage either a short burst or a sustained effort I'd love to hear from you.

Can any member assist us to source businesses who may be prepared to provide sponsorship for the Club. We try to proovide uniforms for our interclub teams but lack of funds restricts this. For our top team - Regional 1 Girls - we would like to provide a full uniform. In return we can provide the sponsor with advertising in newsletters and on court and their name on our team uniforms

The winter has been a little chilly and damp on occasions but we've still had four courts full of keen players most Tuesday mornings. Unfortunately one of the damp days occurred on the Midwinter Solstice lunch day but those who made the effort still enjoyed themselves.

Almost 40 members and friends booked out the Lighthouse Cinema on July 30th. Tricia Lloyd and her interclub team organised nibbles to go with the glass of wine before "The Monsoon Wedding" so it felt more like a party than a night at the movies. We even had coffee and cake at half-time. Everyone agreed it was worth repeating sometime in spring. We also celebrated Elizabeth Cullinane's 75th birthday recently - she still plays fantastically so there is hope for us all!

Four teams have been dodging wet Wednesdays to play winter interclub with mainly good results. A spring league starting in mid- August should see everyone ready to play summer interclub - please give your names to Ros by the end of September for the latter.

Summer Opening Day is Tuesday, 3 September at 9.30 am (10.30 am if wet) Think of any friends who may like to play with a great bunch of people and bring them/send them along. There will be a fun tournament and there is sure to be good food.

We expect greater interest in this competition this season. Please retuirn your registration form so we can start forming teams. If you have not played before do not despair we can try to find a team to suit your ability.

Telephone Barbara Bridger 566 0750 or John Donaghy 566 9051

Don’t forget our Email address

It has come around again - time to start thinking about Regional tennis with the team lists due in by the 27th September, entries & payment by the 6th September, & the first competition match pre-Christmas is on 12th October. The end of scheduled matches pre Christmas is 30th November & the tentative dates for post-Christmas competition are 1st February to 22nd March with the Grand Finals on 29th March.

Pre-season practice & trials for the Men’s & Women's teams will start 25th August, the day after opening day, at 1.00 pm at our courts. If you want to play Regional tennis this season start reserving Sunday afternoons for these pre-season practices. Please ring Ora 495 4762 to register your interest, We are always looking for new players for these teams to help us perform with success & enjoyment in these competitions.

To be seriously considered for one of these teams you must attend on 25 August (the following Sunday 1 September if wet).

If you wish to play Regional but cannot attend then you MUST telephone Ora before the day set down.,

Ora has indicated that the mens and ladies teams will be selected strictly on merit & challenges will be required. You should consider joining the Monday night league so you get sufficient court time.

The Wednesday Night league has continued to be a success with everyone enjoying the tennis. It has been competitive with a lot of very close games.

Zelma’s team (John, Mick, Mieke/Odete) is leading by 2 games ahead of Chester's team( Rose, Reg, Lorraine) who have the same number of points.

The next league (the Summer league) will start on the 25th September. This is the big one. Please put your name on the list in the club room or E-mail me

stewartbush@paradise.net.nz

before the 14th September if you want to play or be a reserve.

Those playing in the Wednesday league suggested charging $2 per person each week to cover supper. This was because many of you did not bring a plate each week. This is being introduced as a trial to see if its what everyone wants & the Club

will now arrange supper each Wednesday - probably Pizza.

This is still a popular night despite the weather.

With summer approaching and interclub competitions you should now be thinking of increasing your play.

Telephone Ora 495 4762 if you would like to join in on Mondays

For all league players. Remember if you cannot come then make sure you tell someone in sufficient time for other arrangements to be made.

The same applies if you are going to be late. Telephone and let someone know what is happening. Is this asking too much??

It is great to see the courts filled with so many people competing, laughing, and just enjoying the game. I have had the opportunity to play against, and talk to many people that I have only seen in passing at the courts. I have also seen the spirit which makes the game so great, and which can make our club the best club around.

Having said that....a quick tip for my fellow Wednesday league players:

Don't Lob so much...and go up and volley sometimes! There is no greater feeling in tennis than a well struck shot, it builds confidence and simply makes you feel good. I don't think you get this same feeling with a lob! Tennis is a game of courage, you have to go for your shots sometimes, you have to follow in a short ball to pressure your opponents into making the error. The volley should be the easiest shot in the book. All you have to do is put your racquet behind the ball, and hold it firm. The ball will go back over...there is no need to swing...no need to add any power....just drop it over the net and you get the winner most times. Remember don't be shy...if you would like to know anything just ask me!

Through August and September I am going around the local schools and introducing tennis and the lower Hutt Tennis club to the 5 - 7 year old players. This is an initiative that was started by the club and I last year with great success. The schools love it because it costs nothing, and the kids love the game. So far I have been to three schools, and by the end of September I would have been around about nine different schools, and played

tennis with about 4000 new potential tennis players and club members....a great club initiative, we are one step ahead of NZT!

On to the plug for my coaching....

Monday mornings from 9.30 - 11.00 I run a hitting session for the adult players. The session is a great chance to practice consistency, placement, positioning, and ask any questions you are not sure of. The hour and a half hit costs $10.00 per session, and you can just turn up on the day, no booking or commitment required.

Tiny Tennis for the 4 - 6 year olds will be running again this summer. This is due to start on the 7th of October 2002, it consists of 6 half hour lessons through the term 4 2002 and six more lessons in Term 1 2003. Each new player receiving a Free Tennis Racquet as part of the deal. Tiny Tennis costs just $50.00 per term.

Holiday Tennis Camps will be running again in the Holidays between Terms 3 and 4. Week One runs from the 23rd - 27th of September 2002 and week two runs from the 30th September - 4 October 2002. Check the Web page (www.atomictennis.com) for details, or I will have forms down at the club.

That's all from me,

See you at the courts

Gene

Report From Amelia Harris Re Trip to Dunedin.

Hi guys I have just arrived back from my tennis experience at the National Indoor U14 Tournament. Well I travelled to the far south on Saturday the 6^th July and returned to sunny Wellington on the 12^th July. I had a fantastic time and really enjoyed my time and played some great Tennis. The draws were full of some very talented players especially from Australia so I knew I would have some hard tennis in front of me.. I had a bye first round which meant I could watch some of my mates play their first round. Then it was my turn and yes I came across one of the Aussie and lost but it was a hard fight. My next games were close but I didn’t have a win .My doubles partner and I won one of our games which was a real thrill but as we are only 11 we have another 2 years in this event. I Learnt a lot and tried my hardest in the very very cold conditions.

The next event was the Otago U 12s which started the next day. I was playing hard and finally succeeded to the semi finals but lost to the number 1 seed but didn’t go down without a fight. The atmosphere was great and the indoor complex was quite amazing with so many courts. Thanks to everyone that has supported me and helped me to get to this level of tennis. I cant quite believe that I only joined Lower Hutt club 4 years ago and with lots of hard work and dedication I can compete at National level

is holding a ball on

7 September

to celebrate 20 years in the Hutt Valley.

Any one interested to get a group together

please telephone John 566 9051

Live music, free drinks & continuous supper -

all inclusive $80