Kicking Off The Season at The Tennis & Games Center
By Justin Romero,
Director of Racquet Sports
Welcome back, Members! We all know that Ocean Reef Club is unique in every way. At the Tennis & Games Center, we’re excited to kick this season off with a couple of unique events that we look forward to every year. These special occasions are none other than the “Massociate” Tournaments, a clever fusion of “Member” and “Associate”.
This year, both Tennis and Pickleball Member-Associate tournaments boast participation from over 40 players, with each Member being paired with an Associate. Among the participating Associates are some familiar faces seen in our Recreation, Banquets, and Maintenance departments. Others may be less familiar, hailing from departments such as Payroll, Set-Up and Communications. These Member-Associate tournaments provide the unique opportunity for Members to interact with Associates they may otherwise have never met.
The 2023 Member-Associate Tennis Tournament, the 8th annual event, took place on Monday, October 23, where 21 Members and 21 Club Associates came together to face off for year-long bragging rights. Play began with teams playing a round-robin format in their respective flights, striving to win as many games as possible. The top-performing teams in each flight advanced to the semi-finals, which pitted Wendy Brainard and Jesus Quinones (Tennis Maintenance) against Tricia Griffin and Connor Ballantyne (Member Fitness Center). In the other semi-final match, Kevin Fish and Chef Kareem Anguin (Islander) challenged Tyler Massey and Mic O’Keeffe (VP of Sports and Amenities).
As the sun set on the horizon, the final match unfolded under the lights with every seat taken to view the final match. It was an epic showdown, and the crowd was hootin’ and hollerin’ for the final match between Massey/O’Keeffe and Griffin/Ballantyne. Rally after rally and serve after serve, the players left everything on the court, with Massey/O’Keeffe ousting Griffin/Ballantyne 6 to 3.
Congratulations to all participants, finalists, and our new “Massociate” Tennis Champions. Next up – the 3rd annual Member-Associate Pickleball Tournament! Sign up for the tournament on Thursday, November 2 at 4 p.m. by visiting www.oceanreef.com/MemberAssociatePickleball.
TENNIS
Mark your calendars for our Mixed Doubles Club Championships November 18th and 19th. Play will start at 9 a.m. and will have three flights for appropriate levels. Find your partner and sign up today by texting or emailing our Tennis and Pickleball Concierge, Chiara Rebecchi, at 305-522-1519 or crebecchi@oceanreef.com.
Also, new on the Tennis front is an addition of “A” Flight Level Cardio Tennis. This will be weekdays from 8 to 9 a.m. You must currently play in “A” Flight level tournaments at ORC to participate in this clinic. Our normally scheduled Cardio and Gameio Clinics will still happen at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m., and 4:30 p.m.
PICKLEBALL
Pickleball Organized Play resumes November 1st from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Susie and Zach, our new Pickleball Pros, will staff the Organized Plays in some exciting formats. Courts 1-6 will be Organized Play and Courts 7-9 will be Advanced Organized Play for Members that are DUPR 3.75+.
Also, mark your calendars for the Member-Guest Tennis Tournament December 8-10.
CROQUET
ORC Touring Pro and Referee Paul Fecteau will return to The Reef Saturday, December 9th. Call now (305-367-6583) as his schedule is sure to fill up. He will be available for lessons every Saturday through season.
Also, Sunday, November 5th is Croquet Mixer Opening Day at 2 p.m. and the Fall Singles Golf Croquet Tournament is Friday, November 17th at 8:30 a.m. Don’t miss them!
If you would like to learn how to play Croquet, we will have a weekly Beginners Croquet Clinic starting on Monday, November 6 at 2:30 p.m.
This is sure to be one of the best and busiest seasons yet!