Junior Program Moves to a New Level

In the last year our junior program has moved to a new level of excellence. Maybe it’s this new group of top players that are now coming to the Club very late at night (similar to the 80’s when Mt. Tam had over 40 juniors ranked in Nor Cal and over a dozen with top 10n rankings in the country. They all played after 8:30 pm each night) or maybe it’s some of the programs our teaching staff has put together. There are even cases where some of our top men players have helped in guiding the play of these juniors with great potential. Whatever, it’s great to see, and we look forward to taking this program to a new level.

Above pictured are many of our new players to be future Stars. Steve and Raina proudly display her trophy from a Recent USPTA win at Stanford. Below, 10 and Under tennis has opened the doors for many new young players and member Alan Uzelac also begins his collection of trophies.

New Chair Yoga Class with Dr. Megan Scott

Wednesdays 3-4pm

No matter what your fitness level, body size or shape, condi-tioning, or if you ever exercised in your life, this class will help you become more fit, toned, flexible, balanced, strong, confident and enhance everything you do in your daily life. These classes focus on increasing range of motion and posture. Great class for those who want to find a practice that does not include getting up and down off a floor. This class also is great for those who are recovering from an injury and need additional support. This is a fun and uplifting class that will make you smile and leave you with an over all sense of “wellbeing.”

Club of the Year, Six in a Row! The fact is, mostly what determines the Marin County Tennis Club of the Year is the members. The membership speaks for itself. Our membership is a collection of avid tennis players who look at the game from a standpoint of improvement and competi-tion. Combine that with the total fitness package we provide and anyone who is both serious about the game and hopes to become a top athlete ends up becoming a member at Mt. Tam. As for the program, the Team Tennis and Family Nights are rare, but the four free clinics we provide every month are very unique to the industry and make a direct statement that our tennis staff cares about our members.

It’s Time to Plan Your Summer The Mt. Tam Multi-Sport Camp will fill quickly with only six sessions this year. The 2017 dates for the Multi-Sport Kids Camp are the weeks of June 19, June 26, July 24, July 31, Au-gust 7 and August 14. This traditional camp has everything! Swim lessons, tennis lessons, crafts, lunch by the pool, yoga and plenty of sports and games. The camp is for children 6-12 and is from 10-4 with before and aftercare available. What more could you ask for! Online registration for the camp is available. The flyer and registration can be found at the activities board. If you have any questions, please email tishb@mttamrc.com.

Easter Sunday Club Hours 7am-2pm

No Fitness Classes all day.

Outdoor Pool Opens? The date is not set, but historically we have opened the outdoor pool in April. The determining factor is having at least five nights in a row of the tempera-

ture staying above 50 degrees. April also is about the time that our solar system becomes effective enough

to have a positive impact.

Free LightForce Leadership Workshop Sunday, April 9, 3 – 4 p.m.

Presented by Hillary McGinnis, girls will learn key leadership characteristics from influential wom-

en. “Embrace that strength has no gender.” Serena Williams

Ages: 7-10 For further information, please e-mail mylight-

fore@gmail.com or visit mylightforce.org.

Lost but Not Found Every day there are at least a dozen items left behind

at the Club which we sort out and put in our Lost and Found. Due to the lack of space, after one

month, if the items are not collected, we then donate to various charities.

April 2017

Club Hours:

Monday - Tennis courts closed: 8am - Noon

Monday-Friday - Club Hours 5am - 11pm

Indoor pool closes at 10pm

Weekends: 7am - 9pm

Childcare Hours:

Monday - Friday: 8:15am - 1pm

Saturday: 8:00am - 1pm

Sunday/Holidays: 9:00am - 1pm

Newsletter

Address correspondence to:

Mt. Tam Racquet Club

P.O. Box 116

Larkspur, CA. 94977

(415) 924-6226

email: info@MtTamRC.com

www.MtTamRC.com

Fitness News and Updates

More Spin to Come After a brief hiatus, the Friday 10:30 a.m. spin class is BACK with new instructor Caroline “Pixie” Gomez. Mem-bers have requested we continue to offer this fun and chal-lenging class so we brought it back. Join Pixie in the spin room starting April 7th! Also, evening spin is back by member request! Join our own Natie Tillotson for an exciting and fun hour of spin from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., complemented by Ken Carr’s ongoing evening spin class Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. You can pre-register for this class at the front desk! Don’t miss this fun and exhilarating evening class-a great way to start off the week.

Unwind and Restore with Vicki Sidley Do you feel as though the pace of life is too hectic, and that you could use the opportunity to relax and unwind? Restorative Yoga has numerous benefits, allowing you the space and time for a recuperative, healing experience and a chance to really connect the mind with the body through breath, gentle movement and rest. Starting on April 19th, on Wednesdays – from 6:20 to 7:20 p.m. we will be offering a new yoga class called “Unwind and Restore.” In this safe and supportive envi-ronment, we start with a few gentle warm-ups and simple stretches to mobilize the joints and muscles. These provide us an easy way to release tension, which is the prelude to being able to relax the body fully. We continue the rest of the class on the floor using vari-ous props to support or bolster the long-held poses for complete comfort or to softly open certain areas of the body. The poses are held for several minutes while we are guided into a deeper experience of the breath, and while also being taught the principles of proper (complete) breathing. This practice is one of nurture, of surrender, and it calms the nervous system. It will help anyone to deal with the subtle and not-so-subtle stresses of our driving, modern life and is particularly helpful for anyone suffering emo-tional stress. For everyone this is a profound practice, one that brings you into a greater appreciation of what it means to be able to release tension. You should leave the class feeling renewed and refreshed.

About Our Staff... Rayner Needleman has been teaching yoga over 23 . As well as mat yoga, she teach-es seniors and people with less mobility chair yo-ga. Rayner currently teach-es at several Bay Area clubs and senior centers and has offered her yoga services in many volunteer capaci-ties. She uses yoga as a tool to create community and bring light and joy into people’s lives.

Swim News and Updates

Fundraiser Success Thanks to everyone who participated in the February Fitness Challenge. Every meter mattered! forty swim-mers joined the effort of How many meters can you swim in the month of February. Collectively we swam 953,650 meters (636 miles). We are a great team of swimmers! Thanks Mt Tam for donating money to the three local school districts. In Third place, Team Kik (Kentfield School District) swam 312, 000 meters and received a check for $200. In Second place, Team Kiddo (Mill Valley School District swam 312,875 meters and $300 was do-nated. In First place, Team Spark (Larkspur Corte Madera School District swam 328,775 meters! They re-ceived a check for $500 and one fitness membership ini-tiation fee waived!

Learn to Swim Better? What is the Learn to Swim Better Swim Pro-gram at Mt. Tam? Our Learn to Swim Better Program is the best! It is offered every week of the summer. Although many children take advantage of this great program each summer, it is also a good way for adults to learn as well. Simply pick a week and work on swimming, no matter what level you are. We offer weekly sessions to teach new swimming skills and perfect the ones that are al-ready there. For the younger less experienced swimmer there are 3 swimmers in a group and lessons are 30 minutes long. If space is available it can also be taken as a private lesson. Something for everyone as long as you are over four! Please call 924-6226 X32 or email Tish at tishb@mttamrc.com. Please include your swimmers age and swimming ability along with the weeks you are inter-ested in.

Personalities of Water Aerobics Yvonne Young has been teaching Water Gym since 2004. This is a deep-water fitness work out involving the whole body, using aerobic, core and stretching elements. Yvonne has resided in Marin County for over 40 years and currently lives in Bel Marin Keys with her husband

and two dogs. She is also a hard-working real estate agent here in Marin with a 30+ year career. Having been a student of this water fitness program before becoming an instructor, she is a passionate ad-vocate.

League Standout Results Congratulations to the following outstanding Mt Tam USTA teams! Our M4.0A team (Capts Euie Hill, Bryan Baker) finished the Local Season 1st in their flight with a 9-1 record. They play Ti-buron Peninsula Club in the first round of Local Playoffs Satur-day, April 1, 11:30am on Mt Tam courts. Mt. Tam’s W3.5A team, The Hot TAMales, (Capt Karen Man-gan) finished the Local Season 2nd in their flight with an 8-2 record. The TAMales also play Tiburon Peninsula Club in the first round of Local Playoffs Sunday, April 2, 12:45pm on Mt Tam courts. Mt. Tam’s W4.0B team (Capts Susan Wirta, Diane Brocco) finished the Local Season 3rd in their flight with a 6-4 record. Who do they play in the 1st round of Local Playoffs? Tiburon Peninsula Club, of course, Sunday, April 2, 3pm at TPC. Our W4.5 team, (Capts Loren Quaglieri, Nancy Hooper) finished the Local Season in 3rd place with a 6-4 record. They play (take a guess!) Tiburon Peninsula Club in the 1st round of Local Playoffs Friday, March 31, 6pm at TPC

Our M3.5 Team, The MounTenneers, (Capts Rick Holland, Doug Akay) finished the Local Season 4th in their flight with a 6-4 record. The MounTenneers play Rafael Racquet in the 1st round of Local Playoffs Saturday, April 1, noon at RR. 40+ Mixed League

Mt. Tam’s Mixed 7.0 team (Capt Sue Pearlstein) finished their Local Season in 3rd place with an 8-3 record. They play Rafael Racquet in the 1st round of Local Playoffs Sunday, April 9 at noon on RR courts. Up Next? USTA 18 & Over Adult Leagues with local rounds March 27-June 18. Contact our Club league coordinator, Ross Hollowell, for more information: 2rosshollowell@gmail.com or go to the USTA site : http://www.norcal.usta.com/adults/leagues/adult18/ Follow our USTA teams at Mt Tam’s USTA home page: https://www.ustanorcal.com/organization.asp?id=3117

Tennis Tip Every year about this time, we like to remind all of our league players to begin to prepare for possibly some of the most rugged and demanding tennis that you can experience. It’s not just the heat, it’s also the traveling, the intense competition and often the sched-uling. The heat is simple; make sure you stay hydrat-ed and have plenty of H2O and shade if possible. Take the time to rest on the switch overs. As for the compe-tition, practice as you may, prepare the best you can, nothing draws down your energy level and emotional balance like real competition. Finally, know when to say no, don’t allow your schedule to override your com-mon sense. With one league finishing and the other just getting started, avoid spreading yourself too thin.

Free Clinics for April Please remember that these clinics are for members only this time of year. We do offer special guest usage when the weather gets better. Tuesday, 4th and 18th, 1pm Saturday, 8th, noon

Fun Tennis Night Friday, April 21, 5:45pm With Easter week, Steve is looking into some alterna-tion family activities, including a run at the new sport, Spec Tennis. You’ve got to try this to find out how great a challenge and how much fun it can be.

Court Resurfacing Monday, April 10 Start This project will address courts 1 - 4 and the singles courts 7 and 8. These projects can run a short as five days to as long as eight days, depending on the weath-er.

The Process of Change… In a perfect world, you simply get an idea and begin to work on it. In the real world, especially the club world, you get an idea, run it by the powers that be, research the feasibility and then run it by the members to get their feedback. At the conclusion of that process, you put together a plan of attack and just hope you can get your permits. As an example, the entrance way, which took six months to complete, (much due to the bad weather) took over two years from the time of conception to the start of the project. There is another factor that needs to be considered in this process and that is the rapid development of technology and science in our industry. Three years ago, a number of top tennis players at the Club were pushing for a new software program that would video a match and provide data to help with coaching and line calls to help with competition. Those programs cost about $11,000 per court. Today they have technology that provides nearly the same results costing about $300 a court. We also ran into this with the outdoor lights for the tennis courts. A few years back, LED lighting became the talk of the tennis world only to discover that the scotopic lighting effect that they produce made it nearly impossible to play with the glare, especially true for those over the age of 50. As it turns out, it appears that they are just a short time away from resolving this issue, and when that happens we intend to make a change. Last month we visited the IHRSA convention, where venders and suppliers preview their new products and equipment. It was an eye-opener in many areas, including surfacing materials, spin cycles, new cleaning products and, maybe most interesting, water and energy saving products. The bottom line is that during this time of rapid change and upgrades in products, it’s important to do a complete re-search and review of any new materials and equipment. Once done, you need to beat the bushes to make sure you have the most current version and have positioned yourself for the future by buying products that can be modified to any changes and upgrades that are inevitable.