By Gina Clance, Net News Contributor
In our last issue, we featured five ALTA captains who have served 100 seasons or more since the year 2000. Three more long-time ALTA members have reached that milestone! Captains are the “first responders” for our members, and we are honored to have these people in the ALTA family!
Carl Michelakos (The Club at Spalding Corners)
129 seasons
“I joined ALTA in 1986 and became a captain in 1988, and I have been one ever since. I like meeting new people and giving my teammates direction,” said Michelakos.
What is his favorite thing about his time as captain (so far)? “Needless to say, winning six city championships in addition to several division winners over the past 37 years,” he exclaimed. “My first city championship was in 1999 for my newly formed Friday night senior C3 team. We came in second place for the regular season then advanced through to the playoffs in the City Finals at Dekalb Tennis Center on August 1, 1999. We beat the team that had won our division to take home the plate!”
Longtime teammate, Chris Stolte, explained why Michelakos is a success at the helm of his teams. “Carl is a special guy! I met him in 2000 when I started on his Mixed Doubles team. As he does with just about every newbie, Carl was my partner at Line 5. Carl loves the game, the people, and the food. He’ll come to a match even when he is not playing and stay until the last line finishes. He’s a good communicator — often with the words ‘URGENT! URGENT!’ in the subject line to get his team’s attention. It works. His formulas for pairing players work. He has many bag tags and several ‘big’ plates to his name.”
Susan Eder (Terrell Mill)
104 seasons
“Being a tennis team captain is one of the most rewarding experiences for me,” said Eder. “I love the sense of responsibility that comes with leading a group of passionate players. Whether it’s celebrating a win together or supporting each other through losses, the bond we share as a team is truly special.
“My favorite part of being a captain is the trust that my teammates put in me,” she continued. “As a captain, you have to wear so many different hats, and the fact that I am continually allowed to do this speaks to a trust among the team. The friendships have turned into a valuable part of my life. We have formed book clubs, vacation clubs, dinner clubs, and other social activities away from the courts. Some of these teammates have become more than court friends and I want them all to know that I love and respect them!”
“Susan is and always has been a relentless, fearless captain,” teammate Allison Kelly said. “She is always willing to go to bat for her players! Despite her recent shoulder surgery, which has sidelined her for the past three months, she continues her role as captain. Can’t get any more committed than that!”
Steven Thomas (Oxford Mill)
129 seasons
“When I first started captaining a team in 1995 it was about being organized,” Thomas said. “Before ALTA had a website, everything was done by paper and phone calls. I soon realized ‘captaining’ was more than completing a lineup. There were things like knowing ALTA movement rules, preparing for playoffs, and understanding the ALTA scoring system. As I learned and gained experience, I also became more experienced in ‘team dynamics’ — pulling together teams with many levels of skills and play. I enjoy the comradery, the competition, the socialization, and friendships developed over the years. It can be a lot of work, but in the end, you hope to have made ALTA tennis enjoyable for all the players.”
Teammate David Nesselroad claims Thomas has shaped their neighborhood teams by his willingness to lead. “Steve just loves being part of teams and getting people off the couch,” he said. “We have a great tennis community and do open play, and Steve works hard to get new residents involved. It’s great to have a leader like Steve in Oxford Mill!”
