For the Addison Independent February 14, 2010
 
MIT Club Championships and an Award for 2009
 
 
MIDDLEBURY - The 2009 Club Championships at Middlebury Indoor Tennis finished today after a series of close matches, many going to three sets, sometimes with a 10 point tie break in place of a full third set.
MUHS senior Suzanne Weinstein of Middlebury captured the women's singles title by defeating defending champion Elizabeth (Tina) Endicott of Weybridge in the final match of the day 6-4, 7-6. Earlier, Weinstein narrowly dismissed Laura Rumbough of Cornwall, a former teaching pro in Connecticut, by 7-5, 6-4, who had bowed earlier to Endicott 1-6, 6-4, 1-0 (11-9 tie break) in the closest match of the tournaments. Endicott, a professor emerita of history at Middlebury College, is a frequent competitor in national USTA events, such as the March 1-7 National Clay Court Championships in Houston for the age 55 singles and doubles categories.
Roger Kimberly of Middlebury, the 2008 club men's singles champion, defeated John Ballard, also of Middlebury, 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (8-6 tie break) to retain the title.
In one semifinal Kimberly edged Mark Doran of Middlebury 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 in a contest that Kimberly described as seeming to be like one in which all sets went to 7-5 in spite of the three apparently lopsided scores. In the concurrent semifinal Ballard defeated Chris Murray of Middlebury 7-5, 6-2.
In the mixed doubles final Michele Butler of Bristol and Murray won over Weinstein and Ken Schoen of Lincoln 6-2, 4-6, 6-2.
This year's mixed doubles semifinal had one match that could have gone either way: Weinstein-Schoen got by Carrie Wulfman of Ripton and Lee Randlett of Middlebury 7-6, 7-6 in two consecutive tie-break sets. Butler-Murray earlier defeated Bo Price of Ferrisburg and Jim Inglis of Bridport 6-1, 6-3.
Other participants in the three tournaments were Charles Biss, David Hamilton, Jane Miller and Doug Smith of Middlebury; Dick Catlin of Addison; Brian McDonough of Lincoln; Edwina Ho and John Reynolds of Shoreham; Jan Bark of Vergennes; and Sara T. Marshall of Weybridge.
In this same week the USTA-New England named Dr. Curtis Gross of Middlebury the 2009 Male Captain of the Year for his achievements from 2006 to 2009 in leading the NTRP 3.5 USTA adult men's team, the Middlebury "Midd-Hit-Men." Over that four year period the team won 32 matches while losing only 2 in Vermont-wide league play. The team went on to win the Northern New England District Championship three times in four attempts. The USTA-NE will present Curt and other honorees with awards at a banquet on March 6 in Marlboro, MA.
 
Corrected Feb 24, 2010