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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 12, 2020)
Wednesday, February 12, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon 5 Sisters woman hits the court By Sue Stafford Correspondent Pat Vandewater of Sisters recently returned to her Pine Meadow home from Orlando, Florida, after her Athletic Club of Bend women9s tennis team placed fifth in the United States Tennis Association National Championships, representing the Pacific Northwest region of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Vandewater started her competitive tennis career as a member of the Madison High School tennis team in Portland when they won the City cham- pionship. After school she put her tennis racquet away and didn9t bring it out again until her early 40s while living in Seattle. She and her husband, Doug Croce, played for fun in local outdoor parks and while wintering in Palm Desert in their 27-foot Winnebago. In the desert, Vandewater was a member of two different teams, playing every day and sometimes twice a day. With their motorhome, they met up with friends made in Palm Desert to camp and play tennis. One such gather- ing occurred in Shasta City, California, where Vandewater, at age 63, played five matches between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. in 105-degree heat. After that, Vandewater said her tolerance for playing in the heat was greatly diminished. Over 10 summers, Doug and Pat built their house in Camp Sherman9s Metolius Meadows. They found time to play tennis with friends on the two tennis courts in the development. Their three chil- dren, two daughters and a son, worked at Black Butte Ranch during those summers. When they moved into their Sage Meadow home in Sisters, their son attended Sisters High School for his last two years and played basketball for the Outlaws. NOW OPEN They joined the Athletic Club of Bend and Pat pur- sued her competitive doubles tennis as a 3.5 player (based on the USTA graded scale from 2.0 3 5.0). She has now moved up to 4.0 and plays and competes with partners and a team she truly enjoys. She is a member of the Super Seniors (65+), and Vandewater says she is <the superest of all 8cuz I9m 73.= In 2018, their team won the Southern Oregon League which includes Ashland, Medford, Salem, Eugene, and Bend. They then played in the PNW sectionals but didn9t progress any further. In 2019, the eight-woman team won their league and then the sectionals, which were played last September at Sunriver. That meant they got to repre- sent the PNW at the National Championships in January 2020 in Orlando on clay courts. Every year the cham- pionships alternate between Orlando on clay and Surprise, Arizona on hard courts. Vandewater said for five months of 2019, her full- time focus was on tennis. Her husband acted as her coach, drilling her on skill sets like lobs, and overhead and drop shots. She also participated in once-a-week clinics run by club staff and team practices at the Athletic Club of Bend. Fortunately, Vandewater9s current home is adjacent to the Pine Meadow tennis courts, making fair-weather practices very handy. Not used to playing on clay courts, the team arrived in Orlando four days before the tournament to allow time for practice. Vandewater said that by the third day they were acclimated to playing on clay. At the end of the first day of the tournament, the PNW representatives had won two matches against Texas (Dallas) and Eastern (New PHOTO BY SUE STAFFORD York) and were in second place. On Saturday their two Pat Vandewater traveled to Florida for competitive tennis action. matches were delayed by rain and high winds. They were determined by looking playing surface, and play- finally played one match at at the number of tournament ing against a variety of dif- 10 p.m. on damp clay, losing sets won 3 they were tied. ferent people,= Vandewater to Florida. Most of the other The total number of games said. <It was a week spent teams were able to play both won was the deciding factor with a grand group of women. of their matches on Saturday. 3 Northern California 132, I just absorbed the whole The Bend team made it PNW 129, putting PNW in experience.= back to their rooms by mid- fifth place. When asked how long night to be up at 5 a.m. for a Vandewater was very she plans on playing com- 7 a.m. match against Southern impressed with the USTA petitive tennis, Vandewater California, who had won the National Tennis Center which responded, <I9m grateful for championship the previous covers 64 acres with 100 every day I wake up and can year. By beating Southern courts. go on the court. I want to play California, they were tied for <I enjoyed testing my skills into my 90s.= She did add, fourth place with Northern against a variety of challenges <I9m at the stage now, I9m just California. 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