LATA

Hello LATA Members!

The doubles portion of the Mitch Nutick Club Tournament was played this weekend, and thanks to the tireless efforts of our Tournament Director Steve Sax, turnout was excellent — and so was the standard of play, with some really competitive and entertaining matches played all through the weekend. Steve also thanks PAC Cuppers Dennis Nakata and Alec Gomez for helping out on the desk, and, as always, Board Secretary Travis Siems for his help with planning. D-E and F-G Divisions were combined for the tournament, which is why a couple results appear to be missing. And here are those results and winner interviews (with apologies that I didn’t get to speak with the worthy E victors)!

Open Doubles (Round Robin Only, No Final Played)

Winners: Jose Sambas/Sean Beougher (right)

Runners-Up: Elliott Law/John Ramos (left)

If you’ve played a lot of GLTA tournaments, or have been in LATA for a while, you probably know the names Jose Sambas and Sean Beougher, but the two of them, both LATA members for 10 years, aren’t a regular doubles partnership. Jose, an LA native, started playing tennis at the age of 13, while Sean, who grew up in Orange County, started even earlier at 12. Both have been members of LATA for many years and play lots of GLTA tournaments, but while Sean, an advertising account supervisor, also still competes in USTA events, Jose, a field consultant for 7-11, left those behind a few years ago, explaining, “Those straight guys are out for blood.” But don’t let that quote or Jose’s mild manner fool you — he’s a terror to play against, as he proved when he won the bronze medal at the 2002 Sydney Gay Games, which he considers the highlight of his tennis career. Similarly, Sean points to the 2010 Gay Games in Copenhagen as his fondest memory, as he competed for the bronze medal in doubles (with Eric Davenport) there. In Burbank, Jose and Sean won all three of their matches, showing that despite their lack of experience playing with each other, their top seeding was entirely deserved.

A Doubles

Thom Adcox/Rodolfo Valdez (left) d. Sergio Diaz/Anthony Vo (right) 6-4 4-6 7-6 (3)

Four days before the tournament started, Thom Adcox didn’t even have a partner. But given that he’d successfully recovered from vertebrae replacement surgery that kept him out of tennis for six months, he wasn’t going to let a little thing like that stop him. A few days later, Thom, an actor, was standing on Burbank’s center court with a partner he recruited into LA, Rodolfo Valdez, who’s originally from Colima, Mexico and now works as a cook at the Olive Bistro in Downtown, facing a match point in the third set. And the drama didn’t end there — after Thom and Rodolfo escaped and earned a break point, one of their opponents, Anthony Vo, started cramping severely in the extreme heat. After a short pause sanctioned by the TD, the competitors soldiered on to the inevitable outcome — a third-set tie-break, which Thom and Rodolfo won 7-3 to earn the winner’s trophy. Thom, a native of Detroit who started in LATA as an F player and found the league through — surprise — his chiropractor, had won tournaments with Elliott Law and Paul Yates, but this is his first A win. Hard earned and well deserved!

B Doubles

John Kokum/Dave Watts (top) d. Larry Lawrence/Matt Whitfield (bottom) 7-5 7-6 (3)

The bleachers were full for this one, and the players didn’t disappoint, as the occasional partnership of Dave Watts and John Kokum toughed out Larry Lawrence and Matt Whitfield 7-5, 7-6 (3). John normally plays with Robert Arnold, and having lost to that team in a past edition of the club tournament, Dave opted to team up with one of his vanquishers, with very successful results. Dave, who served a stint on the board as website director, joined LATA 15 years ago as a D player after being set up on a blind date with a current board member — we’ll let you guess who. Prior to joining LATA, John, who’s also served on the board, had tried a gay volleyball league but had found the players “surprisingly rude,” and thus was thrilled when he found LATA and its welcoming members. He tested as an E, but “through hard work and cheating” moved up over the years. Both of them have traveled extensively for tournaments, with Dave having been to two Gay Games, in Sydney and Milan. Can’t wait to see what happens the next time they’re across the net from each other!

C Doubles

Michael Sengmanivong/Don Stewart (left) d. Abhijeet Golwelkar/Roland Lyons (right) 6-7 6-4 6-2

Michael Sengmanivong and Don Stewart won all their round-robin matches in straight sets, and then recovered from losing a first-set tie-break to take the C title. They’ve been playing together for a year and a half, and last year got to the club doubles final — but in the D flight, so it’s fair to say they’ve improved tremendously. Don took up tennis six years ago when his boyfriend at the time insisted they go to tennis camp, and, as he puts it, “I lost the boyfriend but kept the tennis.” Don, a nurse, agrees that he’s more consistent and quieter on court, while Michael, a nursing student, hits more winners and errors and is “the loud one.” Now that he’s taken home a doubles trophy, Michael’s goal is to win a singles event. If they keep improving like they have, maybe he and Don will play for a title soon?

E Doubles (Round Robin Only, No Final Played)

Winners: Vidas Javorskis/Johnny Vinton (right)

Runners-Up: John Vida/Brendan Hug (left)

Vidas Javorskis and Johnny Vinton dropped only one set in four matches en route to claiming the E title. The team that won the first set from them, Brendan Hug and John Vida, went undefeated in their other matches to take runners-up.

F Doubles

Winners: Daniel Todd Walkup/Jongo Yuk (right)

Runners-Up: Manuel Lopez/Jonathan Smith (left)

Regular partners Daniel Todd Walkup and Jongo Yuk didn’t drop a set in three round-robin matches in storming their way to the F title. Daniel, a motion graphics operator, and Jongo, who works in computer lighting animation for Disney, credit the communication that comes from a regular partnership as a big factor in their results, and also the training they do at Weddington. They’re both trying out for West Coast Cup — maybe they’ll be able to use those communication skills against our San Diego and San Francisco rivals!

And that’s a wrap for the 2012 Club Tournament! Entries for our Labor Day tournament, Center Court, will be open soon — check back here for an announcement!