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Kubat Pharmacy Memorial Day Adult Open

Vol. 48 No. 2 March- June 2016

The Kubat Memorial Day Adult Tournament was held at the Koch Family Tennis Center May 27 – 30, 2016. The competition was good and fun for all.

Men’s Open Singles Noel Hoig

Women’s Open Singles Sara Mc Ardle

Men’s Open Doubles Brent McKnight and Eric McKnight

Women’s Open Doubles Jackie Baude and Alex Tran

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GET OFF THE COUCH … John Dervin

A few years ago when I was in school, well maybe more than a few, the teaching was that organ cells could regenerate but that brain cells were an exception. Brain cells, supposedly, were finite in number and once lost could not be regenerated. This held for neuronal pathways in the brain when once fixed were immutable and incapable of new adaptation. This old concept is replaced with brain plasticity since modern research has proven that new brain cells and neuronal connections do occur, thus enabling remodeling of key areas in the brain.

So what strategies can we employ to preserve and enhance brain functioning? In addition to diet and stress management, exercise plays a key role:

- It increases cerebral blood flow - It stimulates new cell growth in key areas of the brain - It encourages production of brain proteins - It creates new muscle and this equates with better blood flow to the brain and hence better cognition.

In a study from the Tokyo Medical University for Sports Medicine, regular jogging provides health benefits in addition to weight loss. It strengthens blood vessels and increases the number of capillaries that carry oxygen and nutrition to muscles. The vascular growth factor, a type of protein, is triggered when running and this increases the amount of capillary blood vessels in the muscles. The result is an enhanced oxygen-utilizing capability of muscles and improved physical endurance.

(It might be possible that tennis and cycling could be substituted in place of the jogging used for this study.)

Other benefits of regular exercise provide:

- Lower blood pressure and a decrease in your resting heart rate - It minimizes your risk of stroke - It revs up your metabolism, burns calories, and helps maintain a healthy weight - It lowers blood sugar levels and helps to resist diabetes - It makes going to sleep easier and deeper - It increases growth hormones that may improve your self-image and help you feel better about yourself.

And finally, to restore muscles after your workout, a study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition recommends that rather than having a high-sugar sports drink the moderately active athlete would be better served to have a bowl of whole-grain cereal with low or nonfat milk. The milk provides high-quality protein to promote protein synthesis in muscles and the whole-grain cereal encourages glycogen replenishment of the lost fuel in muscles.

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METRO GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2016

#1 Singles Champion

Julia King Marian

#2 Singles Champion Caroline Lahey

Marian

#1 Double Champions

Morgan Eby and Spencer Roach

Papillion/La Vista

#2 Doubles Champions Emma Dargy and

Tessa Hurst Papillion/La Vista

METRO TEAM CHAMPIONS

MARIAN Back l-r: Morgan Crockett, Mary Kubat, Julia King, Caroline Lahey, Sara Flaxbeard, Coach Beth Dye

Front l-r: Berkley Beene, Macie Kubat, Clare Crockett, AJ Slezak

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STATE CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIPS 2016

#1 Singles Champion Fidan Ibrahimovai Lincoln South East

#2 Singles Champion Caroline Lahey Omaha Marian

#1 Doubles Champions

Morgan Eby and Spencer Roach Papillion/LaVista

#2 Doubles Champions Brooke Shreve Addy Sullivan Lincoln Pius X

CLASS A STATE TEAM CHAMPIONS 2016

Lincoln South East Back Row L-R Abby Peterson, Kate Dean, Sophie Miller, Coach Salem

Front row L-R Olivia Miller, Fidan Ibrahimova Katie White heard

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Nebraska Centre Court #1 District Championships B/G 12-18

Girls 16 Champion – Kate Krueger Girls 16 Runner-up – Bianca Rademacher

Girls 14 Champion – Sara Weber Girls 14 Runner-up – Mary Faulk

Girls 12 Champion – Camilla Ibrahimova Girls 12 Runner-up – Kayla King

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Girls 14 Doubles Champion Girls 14 Doubles Runner-up Sarah Weber & Bianca Rademacher Oygul Ismoilova & Mary Faulk

Boys 18 Champion – Mason Meier Boys 18 Runner-up – Will Gleason

Boys 16 Champion – Jacob Weber Boys 16 Runner-up – Benjamin Starman

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Boys 14 Champion – Ethan Neil Boys 14 Runner-up – Zachary Kuo

Boys 12 Champion – Gabriel Cortinas Boys 12 Runner-up – Asror Ismoilov

Boys 14 Doubles Champions Boys 14 Doubles Runner-up Ethan Neil & Christian Cortinas Zachary Kuo & Mason Warner

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KUBAT MEMORIAL DAY TOURNAMENT 2016 (continued )

3.5 Men’s Singles

Richard Shaw

3.0 Women’s Singles Julie Hewett

3.5 Women’s Singles Angela Jacquin

4.5 Men’s Singles Jerry Brocky

4.5 Women’s Singles Tammy Tegler

4.0 Women’s Singles Shannon Brinkman

4.0 Men’s Singles Brian Richmeier

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3.5 Women’s Doubles Amanda Woodward-Kennedy and

Jackie Boller

4.0 Men’s Doubles Thomas Wallker and Dan Hrivnak

KUBAT MEMORIAL DAY TOURNAMENT 2016 (continued )

4.0 Women’s Doubles Kelly Frascht and Tammie Kennedy

Mixed Open Doubles Noel Hoig and Jennifer Allison

7.0 Mixed Doubles Ben Katt and

Stephanie Theis

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MOTA SPRING LEAGUES 2016

First Place

Tom Hageman Second Place Kory Fahnholz

Third Place Keith Thiessen

First Place

Kerrick Stack Second Place Greg Hepfner

Third Place Ozgur Araz

Fourth Place Glen Shrank

Kristen Dresher Wei Tong, Kathleen Johnson,

TUESDAY NIGHT MEN’S LEAGUE

WEDNESDAY NIGHT MEN’S LEAGUE

SUNDAY MORNING WOMEN’S LEAGUE

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Tennis Block Party 2016 Highlights By Chris Foster

We had great weather for our annual Tennis Block Party Wednesday May 18 in Gifford Park with about 55 youth participants and over a dozen volunteers. Our young players learned the basic tennis skills along with rally courts, and we finished up with four watermelon and other snacks for everyone. Two Omaha Police Officers provided some great advice and answered kid’s questions. Many thanks go to our dedicated tennis instructors and volunteers – Stanley girls (Dawn, Crystal, Justine, Witney), Jim Wilson, Buddy Hogan, Vince Emery, Laurie Bolte (and her nephew Tyler), Ari Manzo, Yusuf Abdi, Leif Bade, Jennessa Runia, Roger Freeman, Monica Lehn, Donnie Gildon, Mike Higgins, Paul Pellerito, Tyffaney Reichert, Kayleen Tran, Jenny Waltemath, Jackie Foster, Chris Foster, Jan Franks, Brittney Rubek, Betty Slayden. Thanks to Ric & Jane Hines for supplying equipment and always great support. And a couple more special thanks: the Omaha Tennis Association for many years of generous support; and the City Parks Department for maintaining the tennis courts and the park in general. We are offering to the older youth the opportunity to continue on playing tennis with several instructors each Wednesday (10:00am to Noon for ages 9 & over) June 8 – July 20 at Gifford Park. Anyone interested, please contact Chris at 402-290-8187 for a registration form, or you can show up at the Gifford Park tennis courts.

VOLUNTEERSNEEDEDFORGIFFORDPARKAUGUSTEVENINGCLINICS

Wednesdays,6-7:30pmAug3,10,17,24&31

GiffordParkTennisCourts,33rd&CassContactChrisFoster:(402)290-8187,Foster3413@cox.net

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MORE …Jerry

SOCK IT! Jack, our Lincoln NE native, has been in the news lately, mostly good. His doubs skills have brought him more than one title and a wild first round match in the Australian Open (despite illness and twisted ankle). On to Houston where Jack says he likes to play on the clay. Jack got to the final...but no further as he lost to Monaco (this was on t v back in April). Nonetheless, Sock has moved up steadily in the rankings, and has become a force to be dealt with in all the tourneys he plays. SERENA WILLIAMS; Yes, she has been beaten in (not lost) a few recent matches. Nonetheless she had been fantastic and deserves some of the 2015 honors she won. Sports Illustrated named her its Sportsperson of the Year and she was featured on S I's cover in December (not wearing tennis clothes). And the Associated Press Named S R top female athlete for 2015. Next stop..Superwoman! SOME NAMES FROM THE PAST MAYBE AROUND 1980...from the popular Vets league run by Frank Fochek: here are the names not the deeds Jim McGruder, Dave Beeder, Dennis Langone, Dennis Hopp, Gunter Harz, Dave Karnes, Dick Roth, John Irvine, Jim Manion, Dan Simone, Bob Martin, Jim Fogarty, Steve Holeman, Tom Livingston, Margaret Livingston, and Gloria Armstrong. Note many of these players are still hitting the ball esp. at HITC and this is nearly 36 years later. THE AUSTRALIAN OPEN....back in January but the start of '16 pro tour. Some of the headlines Williams says she is ready to defend A O title..ready for A O Williams says she is 120,130% healthy..Serena opens defense with straight-set win..Serena, Sharapova set to meet in quarters..Serena cruises to another win over Sharapova..Serena, Sharapova in same quarter of A O..Serena strolls through to another Aussie final..Djokovic, Serena both headed back to final..Venus not able to rally, ousted from Aussie Open..Azarenka in form..Kerber ends Azarenka's run, meets Konta next..health scare eclipses action on courts (Ivanovic's coach)..Murray looking to finally break through down under against Djokovic..Sock recovers in doubles, Ivanovic moves on..Nishikori overcomes injury, but Sock cannot. Head to the airport for it is waiting to next year for the Australian Open..head to the good ole USA. and California. INDIAN WELLS..in the Good ole USA: Moving up to March and the first stop on the "American" tour.. the facility is now owned by the Oracle Corp. founded by Larry Ellison. The tennis outlay recently added a second stadium court and 16 more acres including 29 courts. Some Omahans attended this year (lucky them). Some of the headlines:Serena advances to fourth round at I W, Djokovic, and Azarenka roll to easy wins at I W...Djokovic beats Nadal to reach I W final..and the winners are: men Djokovic over Milos Raonic 6-2, 6-0; women Azarenka over Serena Williams 6-4, 6-4. In doubs, Lincoln native Jack Sock and Vasek Pospisil lost to Herbert and Mahut in the men's final. KEY BISCAYNE: Off to sunny Florida and the newly named Miami Open (used to be other titles most of which I do not remember). But it is warm and sunny and beautiful being just south of Miami Beach (I have been there). Some of the sports headlines Nadal struggles with heat retires for Miami match..Djokovic seeks sixth Miami title vs. Nishikori..Djokovic captures sixth Miami title..Azarenka to face Kuznetsov in Miami Open finals..Azarenka tops Kuznetsova to capture Miami crown. Now up the Florida coast to Delray Beach..a small but mighty tourney (but my spouse Joanne has been there). Remember where you heard this tidbit. Rising American star learns that it's an exhausting climb..Taylor Fritz, 18, played against Kei Nishikori in the Memphis Open. Fritz lost, but his ranking rose to 102nd. Leaving Memphis, Fritz headed back to Delray to face fellow American Tim Smyczek (he lost 3 and 3). But his future seems bright. AROUND THE NET WITH PRO TENNIS..a little more: One of my favorites has been Rafael Nadal, and to say the least, he has had tough luck of late. BUT as of my press deadline there is good news for Raffy...in April he won the Monte Carlo Masters over Monfils for his ninth title of this tournament. Good work Raffy. For the USA Davis Cup team the picks are Sock, Isner, and the Bryan Brothers and the brothers gave an early lead in a match vs. Australia. For the women Venus Williams has helped the USA advance in Fed Cup competition, but sister, Serena, was forced out of Hopman Cup competition by an early '16 injury. And going way back in early '16, Djokovic crushed Nadal to win the Qatar Open final. SENIORITIS: In many pro sports old guys and gals seem to be doing better. I E tennis....our sport has been infected by the spreading senioritis, as 34 year old Roger Federer and Serena Williams, the latter the oldest ever number 1. Each reached the semi's of the Australian Open with S Williams losing in the final. All of which raises the question... Is this generation a historical anomaly, OR does it mean a new era of extended championship age? Only time will tell. Let me hear about this. I do know that in some of my leagues there are players in their late 80's, a few of which are pretty good. RULES; We all play by the rules of the game so here is one product from the "Code" to review under general principles..No. 4 WARM-UP SERVES: Take all your warm -up serves before the first serve of your match. Courtesy dictates that you not practice your service return when your opponent practices his serves. If a player has completed his warm-up serves, he shall return warm-up serves directly to his opponent. EYE ON THE BALL! Jerry Jerry F

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Omaha Tennis Association PO Box 8313 Omaha, Nebraska 68108

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EX PREZ SEZ: BUSTING OUT FOR SPRING AND SUMMER! Lots of news, some good some bad. Where to begin? Maybe in the beginning, maybe in the end, so we will try the middle. HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS: Boys in the Fall, girls in the spring. The Omaha World Herald sports writers think that the Papio/La Vista Monarchs will be the team to beat. The defending state champs lost only No. 1 singles player from a year ago. But several other teams look strong and should compete i. e. Millard North, Bellevue West, Millard South, Omaha Central, Omaha Marion, and Omaha Westside. So now the competition has begun with the playing of the Westside Invitational and the winner was...Elkhorn South notching three of the titles. COLLEGE TENNIS: The local winner for the women was Creighton over UNO 5/2 back in February. Coach Tom Lilly fields a competitive team (girls) with Katherine Nelson out of Omaha Marion the only local player. Coach Mike Saniuk of the Varsity women has UNO poised for its first Summit League Championship appearance. The UNO men face a 25-match schedule. Coach Tyson Thomas has added six newcomers to his men's roster. Eye on the ball Mavericks and Bluejays. OBITS; Bud Collins 86..1929 to 2016....Bud was the tennis historian and American voice of the sport in print and on TV for decades. A member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Collins was well-known for creative player nicknames and turns of phrase that were as colorful as his trademark bow ties and one-of-a-kind pants created from cloth he collected around the world. Collins was once in Omaha for a Hall of Fame dinner and your local friendly writer (me) was his host along with his newlywed wife. Doris Hart, 89..won 35 major titles including the singles in each of the Grand Slams. Her right leg was ailing and nearly amputated so she had to use her wits to win her multitude of titles. She once won three Wimbledon titles in a single day. Ivamae Donnan..an avid former Omaha player who moved to Hobbs New Mexico, but over many years continued to maintain her OTA membership. Her late husband, Bob, was also a top local player. Tupper Cunningham 1925 to 2016 had a zest for playing our sport. Was spouse of the late Omaha political figure. Bob Cunningham. Harold "Bus" Slosburg 1924 to 2016. Loved to play tennis with his buddies at Hanscom and Dewey.

Bernie Anderson 10/30 to 12/15. He was avid sportsman not only in tennis but in several other sports. Won many, many doubles titles in Omaha along with his partner, Don Maseman. The thought of opposing Anderson/Maseman brought fear into the hearts of many Nebraska tournament tennis entrants. KICK THE CAN!; The clay courts at Dewey have come out of hibernation. An agreement has been reached with the City of Omaha to construct new, secure restrooms, with access restricted to Omaha Clay Court Association members. Construction could begin fall of 2016. So long to the Port a Potties! So long Shara.. Fails drug test. Can no longer play tennis. "I don't want to end my career this way" says Maria Sharpova. Sponsors ditch the one time number one. The sport does have its problems. The sport’s governing bodies have announced a review of the their anti-corruption unit. One trend...World tennis people failed to probe widespread match fixing by at least 16 top players over the past decade, according to new reports. None of the players were named, but number 1 Novak Djokovic admitted declining a $200,000 offer to throw a 2007 match. Going back to 1912 there was "ice tennis". The courts were frozen (in New York, where else?) You had to be advanced athlete to survive more than a few minutes.

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