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New England Senior Slam Tournaments
What are the New
England Senior Slam tournaments? It is a new series of tournaments for men senior tennis
players in age groups 50 to 85 and women in age groups 50, 60, and 70. Both
singles and doubles events are offered in each age category. All events
feature consolations so all players are guaranteed at least two matches. It is modeled after the pro Grand Slams in that the
tournaments encompass all three surfaces: hard court, clay, and grass. In
September, 2008 the USTA/NE Players Committee set up a task force to
determine feasibility as a number of players thought it was a good idea to
put some pizzazz into senior tournaments. The goal was to create some very
good tournaments at the best venues in New England with some of the most
comprehensive amenities. Each NE Senior Slam tournament will have at a
minimum a "goody bag" for all players and a party with food for all players
and significant others/friends for Friday night of the tournament. In the longer term, one or more of these
tournaments could
morph into a Cat II national tournament.
After much effort,
the NE Senior Slams are a reality for 2010. The hard court Slam is the first one,
at Yale from June 10-13, The clay Slams are split between the Concord CC and
Beverly Golf and Tennis from August 5-8, and the grass Slam is at the
International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport from September 2-6 (Labor Day
weekend). You can download a
flyer; please do so, print it out and
distribute it at clubs nearby.
For ranking
purposes, all of the Slams are "designated" meaning they are weighted more
than regular tournaments. Out of section players are eligible to play in all
of the Slam tournaments.
To provide all of
these amenities and more, we are seeking sponsors. There are different
levels of sponsorship; if you know of an organization or individuals who
might be interested, contact Ken Miller at
kmiller@neseniortennis.org or call him at 978-369-3045.
Below is a
description of the venues. These are some of the best in New England.
Yale - hard court
The
new Cullman-Heyman Indoor Tennis Center at Yale
The Yale Tennis
Center, aka Connecticut Tennis Center, is home to the Pilot Pen pro Tennis
Tournament, held just before the US Open. There are 22 cushioned hard courts
outside. This is where the hard court Slam
will be played. The above picture shows the new
eight court Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center which opened in 2008 and received
a USTA award in 2009 as the outstanding
tennis facility in New England. This indoor
facility will be available for indoor backup for the hard court NE Senior
Slam tournament, if needed. The Yale Hard Court Senior Slam tournament can
be accessed
here.
Concord Country Club & Beverly Golf and Tennis Club - clay court
 Concord CC Tennis & Pool Clubhouse -
picture from recent tournament
The Concord Country Club was founded in
1895 as the Concord Golf Club. It moved to its current location in 1913
when it bought the Brown Farm and also changed its name to the Concord
Country Club as it added other sports facilities including tennis. The
original barn became the current clubhouse. Various improvements have
been made over the years. The most recent upgrade (2005) created a new pool, increased
the number of clay tennis courts to eight and added a
clubhouse catering to both users of the pool and the tennis facilities. The Concord Country
Club has been host to sanctioned Sectional USTA/NE tournaments for many
years in the 50s and 60s age groups that have garnered some of the
largest senior draws in New England. The 50s sectional has now become
the clay Slam for the men's age groups 50, 55, 80, and 85 and the women's 50 age
group. The Concord CC Senior Slam
tournament can be accessed
here. |
 Beverly Golf and Tennis Clubhouse
The Beverly Golf and Tennis Club was
built in 1910 by the United Shoe Machinery Corporation which at that
time was the largest employer in Beverly and one of the world's leading
manufacturers of shoemaking equipment. The club was a social and
recreational facility for the United Shoe employees.
United Shoe employees used the facilities
until 1971 when the Clubhouse and surrounding 300 acres were sold to a
private developer. In 1978, the city of Beverly purchased the Clubhouse
and 168 acres that the city continued to use as a golf course. The
developer retained the additional 132 acres for housing and
conservation. In November, 1982, the city's nomination of the Clubhouse
for listing in the National Register was approved and it was also
included in the Massachusetts State Register of Historic Places.
There are today ten clay courts and the
tennis facilities are managed by the Bass River Tennis Club. Many very
successful sanctioned senior tennis tournaments are held at Beverly Golf
and Tennis Club hence its selection to be the site of one of the clay NE
Senior Slams. The age groups for the Beverly Clay Slam are 60, 65, 70
and 75
for men and 60 and 70 for women.
The golf course is public so for those
interested, it can be arranged to play golf. A player or significant
other/friend should bring their clubs if they are interested in playing
golf.
The Beverly Clay Senior Slam tournament can be
accessed
here. |
International Tennis Hall of Fame - grass court
Grass court with historic Newport Casino buildings in background
The Newport Casino dates to 1880 and is the world's oldest
continuously used competition grass court facility. In 1881, it hosted the first
U. S. National Lawn Tennis Championships. At that time, the championships
consisted of only men's singles and doubles. The Casino continued to host the
event until 1915, when it moved to Forest Hills, N. Y. This tournament today is
the U. S. Open and is held in Flushing Meadow, N. Y.
The International Tennis Hall of Fame at this site was conceived
by then Casino president James Van Allen, the founder of the modern tiebreaker.
The museum is the world's largest tennis museum and owns the world's largest
collection of tennis memorabilia. All tournament players will receive
free passes to the museum and significant others/friends of players will receive
discounts..
Unlike the other NE Senior Slams, the grass Slam will encompass
five days (including Monday, Labor Day) rather than four at the others. Newport
is a good holiday destination and the grass Slam week is a good opportunity to
combine the tournament with a holiday. Arrangements have been made for discounts
at local hotels/motels.
The International Hall of Fame Grass Senior Slam tournament can
be accessed
here.
Copyright © 2005-2009 New England Senior Tennis Foundation. All rights reserved.
Revised:
01/02/10
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NESTF