By David Rowe, ALTA First Vice President
Nominee: Guillermo Ripoll-Brenot
Eagle Watch Director of Tennis, City Finals Host
Nominated by: Gina Clance, Senior Women’s League Overall Coordinator
Guillermo went above and beyond during the summer Senior League City Finals in August! Not only were the courts in fantastic condition, but he kept the restrooms clean, counted out plates and stickers for each level, delivered the plates to each court, socialized with the teams and ALTA volunteers — always with a smile on his face. He is, by far, the most helpful and personable facility manager I have ever worked with in my many years with ALTA!
Nominee: Clayton County Tennis Center Senior Men’s A3 team (Kenneth Pressley, captain)
Nominated by: Larry Waters and Seth Appelbaum, Senior Men’s League Coordinator and Vice President
Team Pressley played in a four-team division, winning only five points all season. The second-place team defaulted out leaving them in a tie for second place with another team. The sets and games percentage place them third. An error placed them in second. They had already thought they were out of the playoffs. The coordinator called them, and they all decided to play — driving from Clayton County to Alpharetta for a match which they lost 4-0. They answered the call and in the spirit of ALTA played the match. For that they deserve a Sportsmanship Award!
Nominee: Highlands at Hamilton Township Senior Women’s B3 team (Kathy Antoun, captain) and the Laurel Park Senior Women’s team (Keisha Barksdale, captain)
Nominated by: Annette Harlow, Senior Women’s League Overall Coordinator
Rain came early in the third round of playoffs. No lines were started when the match was called at 7:30 at Laurel Park. The visiting team, Highlands at Hamilton Township, which was 10 minutes away, said they had an army of people willing to work on their courts to get them playable. Laurel Park agreed and took their food, coolers, and players to Highlands where everyone worked cooperatively to get the courts playable by 8:15. Both captains said there were 25-30 people, from both teams, working with blowers, towels, and squeegees to get them ready. What a wonderful example of the spirit of ALTA and good sportsmanship!
