In the East River in New York City. This floating Olympus-size swimming pool is still in the funding stage, and hope to open in 2016
Posts Tagged New York
USTA National Open Indoor Championships
Assume .. One of my partners asked me if I’d like to play mixed in a tourney in Dec. I said fine. file 22924
Well, I assumed it’s a regular tourney where few friends get together battling each other out.
As it turned out, its the USTA National Men’s, Women’s & Mixed Open Indoor Championships, held at NTC Dec 26-31, 2010.
First of all, I don’t belong there.
Second of all, I don’t belong there.
Thirdly, IDBT
Wah was at NTC, he said it’s serious stuff there, most people look like they are pros
Oh well .. Our opponents were a teenage girl with a hard serving man perhaps in his mid 20s. Our match started sharp at 6pm and it’s over by 6:40. We were sent off the court with 2 and 0. By the way, he never once hit to me. Nice kid, thanks a lot.
There are also aging people the club players who just want to try it out. Reportedly the winners get to play in the Challenge or Satellite circuit. My partner who’s 29 years old whose partner in men’s doubles is a lawyer in his late 20s or early 30s.
The big server. As I was watching this doubles game, I was thinking, geeeee .. I hope he isn’t going to play mixed, at least not to be my our opponent.
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The girls .. funny the net between the courts were on when the girls were playing but they were all off when the men’s doubles took place. It was off when we played. I couldn’t tell who’s stronger crop of players, they or the college kids
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First snow of the season!
Group of nuts converged at the Bay Terrace and had great time. Well, we won 2:1 .. that helped too. More pix on FB. It’s just like this one in this past Feb big snow storm held traffics to a crawl but it won’t stop us from going out and play.
After the game, I headed to the supermarket for milk. Guest what? For the very first time, I saw the empty shelves – dairy section – in the USA !!
Day 1: two Yalies won their first round match at NIIC
Volunteer at the 2010 USTA/ITA .. National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships – NCAA I guess? – is fun. Columbia University hosts the tourney. Reportedly it’s the first time in NY. It’s about time for a change. Why not give Noo Yawk a chance?
As soon I arrived at the NTC, I got a big bear hug from my weekday AM gangs: they were able to sneak in a game before the kids arrived, and were talking about playing again tomorrow at the same time.
“Join us ..” they told me.
Margaret promised me that with our combined beauty and brains we would work at the hospitality table. Guess one look at Irene they had second thought. We ended up doing scores.
“You play tennis?” the head asked us.
“Oh ya we do.” M replied.
So they equipped us with the walkie talkie. Don’t I look very professional and important, ha ha ha?
Each of us would cover two courts. At end of each game, we’d call it in so the score keeper would enter into her laptop.
NTC’s lobby where the players linger long after the game ..
Honestly, it wasn’t easy: if you’re engulfed in one match which you have to, to keep track of the scores you’d miss the other court. Well that’s my senior moment dilemma. Then my little machine didn’t cooperate, decided to go on strike. After the first match we got demoted to take care of the score board: stick the names of winner. If you thinking calling in score is low tech, this is has to be the bottom of an well. With all the available means – the land of Microsoft and Google, I mean, we have to find the name in the envelope, and peel it and stick it to the board. Some complicated process, ha ha ha, just happy to be there .,., to be of any help.
The Thiemann boys: Chris and Marcel of Mississippi. The second coming of the Bryan brothers? There’s this independent coach from Port Washington who complains that US sport systems are being taken advantage of by foreign players: pro tennis players would come to play the college circuit and 19 years old Dominican boy/man posting as 15 years old playing in little league.
“I told my son don’t mention to anyone that you speak Spanish .. ” so he could often ear dropping on those foreign imports.
“He told me they often laughed at how stupid the Americans are .. ”
There are ways to check those players, and there are many politics and there are cost of doing investigations.
Clemson’s Josipa Bek and Keri Wong oust Virginia’s Maria Fuccillo and Rashmi Teltumbde, and Ohio State’s Matt Allare n Peter Kobelt beat Nathaniel Gery and Kevin Kung.
Vicky Brook and Lindsay Clark from Yale came from behind to win 8:4 (first round doubles are 8 games for men and women) over Barbora Krtickova and Alida Muller-Wehlau of Armstrong Atlantic St. – wherever/whatever that is.
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Roosevelt Island Racquet Club
Roosevelt Island Racquet Club
281 Main Street
Roosevelt Island, NY 10044
Tel: (212) 935-0250
Info, directions to the club and map
The tennis club is on the little island between Manhattan’s East side and Queens, with 12 har-tru clay courts.
Oct 26, 2011
Beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, October 26, the ramp leading onto Randall’s Island from the Manhattan Plaza of the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge will become an exit only ramp while repaving work continues just south of the toll booths.
– All motorists seeking access to Randall’s Island from Manhattan will be detoured to the new RI/Ward’s ramp, which is only about a quarter-mile away. The ramp will put motorists on the Ward’s side of the Island.
– Vehicles heading to Randall’s Island from the Harlem River Lift Span should stay right after the toll plaza and follow traffic signs to Queens.
Vehicles WILL be able to exit the Island normally.
The work is expected to take approximately five weeks.
Randall’s Island Tennis Center
This picture looks like a painting more than a photography.
One Randall’s Island
New York, NY 10035
212.427.6150
This new Sportime opened last June (6/30/2009) with a price tag of $18 Million, for WTT – World Team Tennis. Pretty cool. We played there in June, the lighting was poor unless they turn on the ally way. There was bathrooms for non members.
Directions:
From Long Island: Take the Grand Central Parkway to the TriBorough Bridge. Stay in the right lane and exit for Randall’s Island, after the tolls. Once on Randall’s Island, follow the signs for the Tennis Center. From NYC: Take the FDR Drive to the TriBorough Bridge. Continue as above. From Westchester/Connecticut: Take the Major Deegan (I-87), New England Thruway (I-95) or the Bruckner Expressway (I-278) to the TriBorough Bridge. Continue as above. By Public Transportation: Take the M35 bus at 125th Street.
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This club has few cozy spectator corners ..
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Jan 28, 2011: last regular season game @ Manhattan League
All My [adapted] Children
Old Westbury at 12:30pm
Snowed a bit today .. ya right.
From the air wave, one would imagine that the end of the world or something close to happen: everyone’s talking about the impending storm. What’s the big deal? It’s winter and suppose to snow. Correct?
My phone was ringing off the hock since 8:45am. First was my dentist. Errrrrrrrrhhhhhh .. Dr. Rubin wanted to grant me an audience earlier than his girl had scheduled. His office called last night at well past 7pm to inform me that they’re moving my appointment from 12:15pm to 11:45am. Forget about long wait at doctors’ offices, now we’re talkin about 30 minutes. Worth it? It took 5 big minutes to just make an appointment with his office. Don’t know, someone needs a life, or get their act together.
Anyway. My adopted children began to call too. Just to remind the aspiring captains: you’d better have a lot of time before you take on this job. I timed myself once to make an court arrangement: 32 minutes. You call the court and the players. Simple? Not that simple. Players have preferences. Between few venues, there are also players’ availability. I need to have a chat room just for this.
Dr. Rubin was nice today, patiently waited while I was on the phone with my lunatic children who wanted to play tennis.
“You’re going to play tennis this afternoon?!?” Dr. R questioned my sanity.
“Yes, doc.” I replied. Not just me crazy. There are 7 more nuts.
Alley Pond Park on Feb 10 at 12:57pm – not a ski resort, we are going to play tennis
Yesterday I had reserved 2 courts at USTA for 2-4. There were four players signed up. This AM one more player wanted to play. So we needed to get two more warm bodies plus moi: I wan ‘t going to because I had a night game. Thank lord I remembered to call USTA: it’s going to closed in half an hour. So another round of calling, 7 players needed to know the new venue. Then one of them didn’t like this new venue. So we moved to the new new venue. Then a considered soul thought about street parking at this new new venue which wasn’t good during a storm. So we finally settled on the new new new venue. .. Irene needs a life. I’m feeling dumb just writing about this simple affair.
Six of my ACs plus one’s husband made it to the empty courts at 1pm. The highway condition wasn’t good at all. I had Jeep with four wheel drive on but could go only at 40 miles per hour or so with an open road. Very slippery. My daughter begged me to stay home. A bunch of lunatics is all I could say.
As soon as I set up the practice yesterday, few ACs questioned the timing: 2-4 on a weekday. Doesn’t anyone need to make a living?
Work is for people who don’t play tennis, kids!
Alley Pond Park on Feb 10 at 3:26pm: the City kept the parking lot relatively clean on this big storm
It’s the interim time, half way through the regular season. I started to have better feel toward my children teammates hence the following rants.
指腹为婚 (in a sense that they arrived as a pair, the love bird): They got me into this in the first place and I now know why: her game has improved tremendously and they, as a team hasn’t lost yet. Did few wondered if Barack Obama run for president just to show off Michelle’s arms? Here you go .. They wanted to showcase her dazzling legs games.
BFFs: I have a pair of vets, one of them I’ve met and played with long time ago. Back then I once asked her to be my partner in a tourney but never heard back from her. Guess I was too weak and clueless 🙂 This time around, she said ok BUT with one condition: a certain ranked partner. Her BFF had a condition too: she would join only if the BFF’s joining. What’s the heck. They’re very experienced in the league play. So, I set out to recruit a specific-ranked-player. So here we’re. So they have been winning thus far.
天成一双: There are two players that are made for each other, in many ways.
地成一对: Since the certain-rank scenario I have this set-pair on my team. The recruit, no the Bagman‘s having so much fun that has inspired Golfer to join the ice hockey league. I’d think golfers have too much equipments to play a simple game, you should check out the hockey players – those are not whole set, yet – there are more to come to complete the outfit. Our little maid room used to be occupied by Golfer’s clubs only, now .. ice skate, sticks .. helmet .. gloves .. and between you and me: they are smelly from sweat.
The Secret Weapon: can’t rant on my secret player, sorry. Be aware is all I can tell you.
Shifu: Master of stokes.
The Heartthrob: Everyone on my team are either handsome or beautiful but there’s this particular player who’s just simply so hot that every girl wants to have their time with him. I’m telling you people, no kidding. He played hard to get in the beginning and refused joining the team. Then a lady called on him and he changed his mind. Girls young and old, single and married all wants him. Oh man, I’d better get my act together too 🙂 or putting some make up on.
The Softy .. has gorgeous strokes, with a generous smile .. what would you like to know about my silky? Send in your question. I’ll answer them one by one.
The 远近闻名 Champ: what can I say, I’m just a lucky clam. One day one of my non tennis friends from another planet asked me about someone, it turned out was my champ. It turned out the champ’s well known. Ok, that’s pretty lame. I think I’m running out of juice. Be good kids, till next time…
Kissena Park
142-0 Rose Avenue
Flushing
- 2015.11.17, 6-4, 6-4
- 2015.10.23, 4-6, 1-6
- 2013-09-22, 6-3, 6-1
2015.10.23
The entrance to the courts is on Rose Avenue at Bowne St. It has four har-tru and four hard courts.
Sept 22, 2013
Sept 22, 2013
Nov 12 2009
New York the beautiful, even on a cloudy day. Autumn is my most favored season, love its colors.
Bit cold and windy today but that didn’t deter us from playing. This was the second time I played at the Kissena Park, with my usual suspects. Allison and I extracted 3-set win over Power and Louis. Our mini skirts did the trick .. hehehe .. JK: we bundled up in ski gear, just short of masks/goggles/gloves.
The nine of us (one didn’t play but came for the breakfast) marched to Flushing and had breakfast at Yong He (?) 永和豆浆. Their xiao long bao isn’t good.
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2013-09-22, 6-3, 6-1
Let’s play at Grand Central
Courtesy MAS
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A long time ago I played at the Grand Central tennis, a capacious old attic on the third floor of Grand Central Terminal, located directly above Vanderbilt Hall. The courts were ok, not as comfortable as the newly renovated courts at USTA – given what it charged, $170 or so per hour. The lady’s locker room was down the narrow and raw hallway to right at the end, a little eerie. Metro-North administrators have decided to replace the courts with a rest area for conductors and train engineers.
Donald Trump had been leasing the courts for just $4 a square foot, while the average rent in the landmark terminal for restaurants and other retail shops is $99 a square foot.
Oh well .. it’s sad.
The Williams @ US Open
Photo by: Andrew Ong
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Richard Williams hits balls with his daughter, Serena, at the Indoor Tennis Facility on a rainy Day 12 of the 2009 US Open.
We’ve seen plenty of Serena playing, but rarely get a peek at the Dad who taught her and Venus .. .. One of very few successful tennis daddies. Think about ..
Mary Pierce
Jennifer Capriati (don’t think her dad was abusive but they did have fall out)
Jelena Dokic
Anna Kournikova has some dispute with her parents ..
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