Meet the Players
Li Rao
Li Rao is a software engineer for NCR, specializing in banking ATMs. One day about three years ago, she commented to a colleague that working out in the gym was becoming humdrum, and he replied “why don’t you try tennis?” The seed was planted, causing Li to pay new attention to the Tyandaga Tennis Club in her Burlington neighbourhood. Membership registration included a series of free lessons with club pro Gabriel Radulescu, and Li happily joined half a dozen other newbies under his tutelage. Further encouragement came from club volunteers Steve & Dot Knight and Robin Smith, who included the new players in round robins and helped them navigate the game of doubles. Despite the interruptions from covid, Li has taken every opportunity to develop her game and meet other players. She helps to organize regular 3-court games on Sunday evening and Tuesday evening at Aldershot Tennis Club, and has tried her hand at some local tournaments. She’s enthusiastic about Community Tennis Leagues, and was very impressed when two players from Halton Hills were willing to travel to Burlington to play matches with her. “It’s great that we support each other and encourage each other. Tennis needs more of this!"
Milla and Cornelius
Cornelius Timothy thinks that Community Tennis Leagues is “heaven sent” just for him. He and his wife recently relocated from Brampton to Fonthill in order to be closer to family, but he had to leave behind a long-established tennis circle. “We have a group of 7 players in Niagara Region Intermediate Division, and Andrew Angelo Muraco has taken the lead in getting us started with a group email chat.” Cornelius enjoyed his first match last week at Realty Park in St Catharines, and was the guest of Milla Matsko at Niagara-on-the-Lake TC. He’s looking forward to meeting with the other players in the group, as each has a different perspective and experience.
Milla Matsko has a very full schedule with two young children, renovations in their new St Catharines home, and a strong commitment to Ukrainian relief projects. She has a well-schooled tennis game and enjoys the challenge of singles competition. "The Community Tennis League is a great way to meet a variety of players and learn about where they play and how they organize themselves.” Milla’s son Jeremy, had a wonderful experience at the National Bank Open, being part of the on-court ceremony as youth-escort for a Leylah Fernandez match.
Melissa and Steve
Steve Ehlert and Melissa Seiling were rained out after a brief warmup at Alexander Mackenzie Park in St Catharines, but hope to re-schedule their Niagara-Intermediate Division match before long.
Melissa lives near the park and is impressed with the number of people who’ve been playing here since the start of covid. “But it’s still not easy to meet players and find others with whom to have a relaxing game,” said Melissa. “When I saw the poster for Community Tennis Leagues, I thought it was a great idea and signed up right away. I’m encouraging others to do the same.” She grew up in Minnesota where tennis was a multi-generational family activity. Years later, she’s raising a family in St Catharines and looking for that same comfortable and enjoyable feeling from our lifetime sport.
Steve is a St Catharines native. He first played tennis on a casual basis as a teenager, and returned to the game when his daughter, Jessica, took a serious interest in the sport. She’s now at the University of Western Ontario in London, and happy to find tennis is a gateway to meeting new friends as well as a great way to combine exercise and fun. Steve carries a tennis bag that says he’s done this before, but Melissa appreciated his kind manner on the court, adjusting his game to hers. “I’m just looking for friendly tennis,” he said. "It would be great to see our sport become more accessible to more people.”
Both are looking forward to the program being extended beyond the middle of September, hoping to take advantage of fine autumn days whenever they come along.
Lipsica and Shona
Shona Sibbald and Lipsica Rore are in the Niagara Region Beginner Division. Both have been playing tennis for about four years and this is their first experience with the singles game.
Lipsica took up tennis when she saw how much fun it was for her 9-year-old son, Varnit. She doesn’t have a lot of time for tennis at the moment, but loves the sport and enjoys learning about all the various elements involved in developing and promoting it. As a starter-level player, she sees the challenges involved in gaining access to programs and activities, and is hoping Community Tennis Leagues will be a catalyst to bring about many improvements in facilities and organization.
Shona Sibbald is an excellent athlete, with soccer and hockey being her main sports through high school and beyond. She considers herself “completely in love with tennis” and wishes she’d had an opportunity to learn to play at the same time as she was developing her skills for team sports. Starting later in life makes things more difficult, but Shona is really enjoying the challenge of singles matches. “With each game, I’m seeing some small improvements. It’s a great feeling of satisfaction to gain more consistency or enhance one small aspect of my game."