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SPORTS
Hotlanta Clay
Court Invitational:
ATTA' Boy!
Well hello there, constant readers and fellow
sports fans. Once again, 1 have prowled the town
to bring you the latest and greatest of Atlanta's gay
sports, and friends, this time I didn't have to prowl
too long or too hard (damn!). On March 12, this
lucky reporter was fortunate enough to attend the
Hotlanta Clay Court Invitational, hosted by the
Atlanta Team Tennis Association (ATTA). I know
this may be hard to believe, but this was the first
official national clay court tournament for gays and
lesbians to be held anywhere, ever! Now, excuse
me while I slip into something more comfortable,
like present tense, for your reading enjoyment.
March 12 dawns cold and overcast, or at least I
assume it docs; I don't dawn until ten o'clock in the
morning. Did I mention it's cold? Folks, it's cold.
I arrive at the Bryan M. "Bitsy" Grant Tennis
Center around 11:00 (Bitsy? People can be so
cruel). Nice facilities, but somebody got stuck on
one square of the color chart; green court, green
bleachers, green fence, green ball shield on the
green fence, green net posts. Now, these are clay
courts, as opposed to "hard" courts, and I am told
this means that the ball bounces a lot higher, the
game lasts longer, and it's generally more of a
running game. Frankly, I don't notice a difference,
but then, what do 1 know, as I'll explain later.
You oughta know me well enough by now to
know that I have to explain a few things before 1
give a blow-by-blow (oh, that phrase!) account of
the goings-on. If you read my last article, or even
if you didn't, 1 reported on the Hotlanta Volleyball
games, and what struck me most was the
camaraderie, the sense of teamship that permeated
the play. None of that here. Although there is a
tennis "team", the competition is strictly personal,
one-on-one (of course, there's doubles, but that's
another story), and that feeling of individual
aloofness stands out as clear as the bulge in a pair
of Johnny Holmes' jeans. As I arrive in the stands,
I notice that there seems to be no sense of humor
here. My first thought is maybe they need a guy
hawking cold beer up here. But then I realize that
this is a tennis tournament, a national tennis
tournament. Tennis, the game of Wimbledon. You
don't need a sense of humor here; you need skill.
Case in point: one guy walked past me with the
exclamation, "Aint’t nobody here I can't beat."
Such is the altitude.
Okay, let the games begin. There are 62 people
playing here today representing Atlanta, Ft Worth,
San Francisco, San Diego, Long Beach, Houston,
Dallas, Miami, and Ft. Lauderdale. Play takes
place on 10, count them, 10 courts! Concentration
is, need 1 say it again, intense. One person I watch
(looking redolent in Us tennis attire, complete
with Borg headband) grunts with each swing. I
wonder if this is from exertion or if he is just
trying to make it belter for the other guy. Now,
let me explain a few of the things I don't
understand. In front of the clubhouse and the
concrete stands arc three courts. Our Southern
Voice photographer refers to the court closest to
the clubhouse (not the one in the middle, mind
you) as "center court". I don't understand. And
then, during one of the matches, a player yells
across to the other one, "It's two-three, or thirty-
forty." Again, I'm confused. Is one of them
metric?
It's now about 1:00, and I'm hungry. Aren't
they supposed to have fresh strawberries and
champagne here? Oh, wait. This is Georgia.
Well, I'm game for peanuts and cider, too.
Besides the lack of food, I'm also struck by the
lack of net judges, or goalies, or referees, or
whatever they're called. You see, this is another
difference between tennis and volleyball. These
people are above cheating. They are just too
dam professional. To top it off, I only hear the
word "fuck" come wafting up off the courts once.
Ah, it's refreshing to know these folks can get
worked up after all.
Only occasionally (as the day wears on, it gets
to be more like sometimes) does a smattering of
applause erupt from the stands, but it has to be
prompted by something no less than spectacular,
like a gentle lob into the forecourt of an opponent
who happens to be standing in the far left comer
of his own court, or a searing drive into the back
court of an opponent who happens to be
scratching himself at the net. But such is the way
of tennis; reserve reigns supreme.
After Saturday's matches, there is a big party
at the Armory banquet room featuring the ATTA-
boys and ATTA-girls in revue. After Sunday's
matches, the moment we've all been waiting for.
AWARDS! Here's how it breaks down:
C - Division Singles
Rich Corder (Houston) beat Bill Whalen (Dallas)
6-2,6-1.
C - Division Doubles
Jim Marshall and Tom Andrews (Atlanta)
defeated Bob McKenzie and Bob McQuaig
(Atlanta) 6-2,6-0.
B - Division Singles
Ken Waibel (San Diego) thwarted Jim McMillan
(San Diego) 7-6,6-4.
B - Division Doubles
Ken Waibel and Jim McMillan (San Diego)
foiled Steve Bearden (Houston) and Bill Whalen
(Dallas) 6-1,6-0.
A - Division Singles
Baron Medlock (S. Carolina) bested Rich Ryan
(San Diego) 7-5,7-6.
Being Alive Can Be Scary
And it can be hard work. But it’s better than any of the alternatives.
We’d like to use our expertise to help you be as healthy and strong
as you can be.
It isn’t easy. But it can be fun. And it’s a whole lot better than the
alternatives.
Call us. Today is a good day to take another step.
1375 Peachtree Street,
Suite 187, Atlanta
872-5260
STOSH OSTROW, M.D.
General Practice
Concentration and intensity marked the ATTA Hotlanta
Clay Court Invitational. Photo By Rhonda Mensen
A - Division Doubles
Rich Ryan (San Diego) and Brad Bloom (Dallas)
vanquished Baron Medlock (S. Carolina) and Kirk
Nobles (Atlanta) 6-3,6-4.
If I have mis-citied or mis-stated anybody, my
sincere apologies. Let me know.
Before I close tennis for this issue, something
needs to be added.
The players of Atlanta Team Tennis Association
awarded Steve Wentworth the prestigious and much
deserved Sportsman of the Year award. Steve not
only is the founder of ATTA, but was the primary
organizer and driving force behind this tournament.
My personal hat comes off to Steve. If you've read
my articles, you know how important I think it is
for people to get involved, to do things that make a
difference. Steve has done this, and in a very big
way. Congratulations, Steve!
Oh, one more thing, and this comes from Steve
himself. ATTA needs new players, especially
women, of all levels, to come out and play. Sounds
like an offer you can't refuse to me, folks.
Now, on to softball. My heart goes out to
anyone who, like myself, drove around for an hour
thinking he or she had missed the Southside
Recreational Center on Jonesboro Road where the
Hotlanta Softball Spring Invitational was to be
held. As luck would have it (or as my luck would
have it), the fields were too wet for play. Oh, the
best laid plans of mice and persons (John
Steinbeck never met my editor!). But never fear.
By the time you read this, this reporter will have
already covered it, and you can get all the juicy
details in the next issue. .
The latest standings for the Hotlanta Volleyball
League, that is, the standings as of March 18 can
be found in the table at the end of the article.
I hope I haven't given you too much to absorb
all at once, because I'm going to give the phone
numbers of these particular sports organizations to
any and all of you who want to get in touch...
Atlanta Team Tennis Association
Neil Kalin 237-3321 Bob McKenzie 892-2578
Hotlanta Volleyball League
Jerry Harvey 577-1617
Hotlanta Softball League
Information line 242-1005
As always, folks, it's been a pleasure. I’ll be
talking to you again real soon.
- Michael McMillan
Team
1) Crazy Ray'z
2) Bulldog & Co.
3) Burkhart's Pub
4) The Armory
5) Renegade Saloon
6) Backstreet
7) Deanna's
8) Texas Drilling Co.
Match Record Game Record
8-0
5-3
5-3
5-3
5-3
3-5
1-7
0-8
16-4
12-7
12-7
11 - 8
12-9
6-12
3- 14
4- 16
Zone V Photographies
Black G While Processing
and Printing
Jeannine Quintana 939-4392
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