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Did you know that the Senior Olympic Festival is held every January in Tucson for a few weeks? There are many activities to participate in, ranging from racquet sports, bowling, horseshoes, bridge, archery, shuffleboard and the list goes on!
For years tennis players have competed at the Reffkin Tennis Center in Tucson for three days and played doubles, mixed and/or singles. Competition is grouped according to the USTA standards of Senior (50-59 years old), Super Senior (60-69 years old) and Ultra Senior (70+ years old).
Players compete for their age group rather than level of play. No qualification or USTA membership is required. The match format is 2 out of 3 sets with a 10 point tie-break instead of the third set.
Years ago, there were often over 50 SaddleBrooke tennis players participating! Melanie Murphy has enjoyed this event since 1999. She and her husband Ed have performed in all events including MXD winning multiple gold and silver medals. Melanie has also teamed up with Kathy Jensen for the past 10 years and they have won silver and bronze medals too!
This year, 32 events were held at 24 locations in Tucson. The oldest woman was 95 and playing shuffleboard! We had a few participating tennis players this year from SaddleBrooke. Congratulations to Jim Abrahamson and Gary Rowell who won gold in the men’s 70+ doubles. Jim Abrahamson and Debbie McGeehan won silver in the MXD 65+. Melanie Murphy and Kathy Jensen won bronze in the women’s 70+ doubles.
It’s a great fun event and we hope more SaddleBrooke tennis players will join in the fun next year! Our tennis club will not fail to advertise it before the 2023 registration.
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