Pauls Valley’s first Community Tennis Tournament drew over a hundred area residents to Wacker Park Saturday, as community members came to play or to support their favorite teams from bleachers and lawn chairs.
Twenty-four doubles teams assembled to play in three separate eight-team brackets, including the advanced, intermediate, and community divisions. The community bracket added a new twist for Pauls Valley tennis, pairing a community member with a current Panther player.
The community tournament, organized by the newly formed Pauls Valley Tennis and Racquet Association, raised more than $13,000, which will be used to support sixth grade, junior high and high school tennis at Pauls Valley Schools.
“This is a great day for Pauls Valley Panther Tennis and our community. It reminded me of the tennis glory days when we would host big tournaments in Wacker Park,” said Amy (McKinley) English, a former Panther Tennis State Champion and vice president of the Pauls Valley Tennis and Racquet Association. “Tennis never left, but I think we have just experienced a huge resurgence thanks to this event and the obvious community support you see here.”
Amy participated as a player in Saturday’s community tournament and cheered on her daughter, Laney English, who plays number one doubles for the Panther high school girls. Amy’s husband, Brandon, played with Laney in the tournament, making it a real family event for them.
Other family members who teamed up for the tournament included Isaac and Mark Green, Anna and Matt Hamilton, Domingo Hernandez and Dylan Choate, Jacob and Josiah Medina, Marley and Ryan Rennie, Thorin and Tim Turner, Matthew and Joshua Tice, Cooper Maness and Nate Pool, and Phoenix and Bill Delaplain.
Although not related, tournament partners Joey Freeland and Rachel Hamilton had the distinction of being both the oldest and youngest tournament participants. They placed fourth in the community bracket.
Medalists in the advanced bracket were: first place, Isaac and Mark Green; second place, Matthew and Joshua Tice; third place, Jacob and Josiah Medina.
Intermediate bracket medalists were: first place, Cooper Maness and Nate Pool; second place, Ledesli Armendariz and Max Villeneuve; third place, Marley Rennie and Rachel Hamilton.
Community bracket medalists were: first place, Anna and Matt Hamilton; second place, Cooper Maness and Thorin Turner; third place, Taelyn Crowder and Isaac Green.
Tournament participant Joey Freeland, who is a United States Tennis Association official, secretary of the Pauls Valley Tennis and Racquet Association, and parent of former Panther tennis player Cameron Freeland, summed up the day.
“Tennis is alive and well in Pauls Valley. I am excited about the community involvement that we have witnessed today,” Freeland said. “I appreciate the sponsors, participants and supporters, and especially what that means for our Panther tennis teams now and in the future. Everyone had a great time competing, and I look forward to our future community racquet events, which will likely include lawn tennis, pickleball and even ping pong.”
