July 1, 2005
The second annual Monogram Club Adult Tennis Camp, which took place last weekend at Notre Dame, was a success, providing two days of high-level instruction and camaraderie for the 52 campers, which represented an increase in participation of more than 60 percent from the inaugural event. Proceeds from the tennis camp benefit the Brennan-Boland-Riehle Scholarship Fund, which provides financial assistance to sons and daughters of dues-paying Monogram Club members who are attending Notre Dame.
The camp was open to adults of all abilities and was held on the 14 outdoor courts at Notre Dame’s Courtney Tennis Center and the six indoor courts at the neighboring Eck Tennis Center. Highlights included 11 hours of tennis instruction, match play in a spirited team competition, personal evaluation for future improvement and an awards ceremony.
Todd Doebler giving instruction to the campers in the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
|
 |
“It was a wonderful weekend for everyone involved,” said Notre Dame assistant men’s tennis coach Todd Doebler, who provided organizational and administrative expertise to the endeavor. “With the support and efforts of [Monogram Club executive director] Jim Fraleigh, [Monogram Club director of marketing] Beth Hunter, and [camp founder] Chris Kane, we were able to have an outstanding weekend, which included increased participation. It was an outstanding event, in which the campers got to experience the highest level of coaching and were able to improve their games, all the while coupling that with a lot of fun. We are looking forward to continuing to grow this camp into a special weekend here at Notre Dame.”
One of the second-year campers was Sue Bennett – the wife of 2003 honorary monogram recipient Mike Bennett of Lighthouse Imaging – who had another positive experience with the camp. “We all come to camp to improve our tennis skills, but we also end up having a lot of fun and cultivating many new friendships. Last year I met a number of players at camp that I have continued to play with since then. What makes this camp so great is that both the past and present players enjoy sharing their love of the game with us.”
Chris Kane (’75) is an advisor after completing a three-year term on the Monogram Club board in 2004.
|
|
Joining Doebler on the camp’s staff were a mix of current and former Notre Dame players, as well as some other current collegiate coaches. Kane, a former Irish tennis player who is now an advisor after serving a three-year term on the Monogram Club board of directors from 2001-04, was one of the driving forces behind the event, which he first proposed and organized for 2004. A four-year monogram winner, Kane helped the Irish win 76 percent of their matches from 1972-75 (69-22) while playing for Hall of Fame coach Tom Fallon. A 15-time state champion and two-time national champion during his junior tennis days, Kane went on to play No. 1 singles and doubles at Notre Dame. Since 2002-03, Kane has been the head men’s tennis coach at Lake Forest College in Chicago.
In addition to Kane, two other former Irish players – Jim Faught (’70) and Randy Stehlik (’77) – donated their time to provide instruction. Faught was a three-year monogram winner for the Irish, while Stehlik – a four-year letterwinner – holds the distinction of being the first Notre Dame player to qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship after the current format was adopted in 1977. Also a recipient of the Byron V. Kanaley Award, Stehlik garnered an NCAA invitation in his final season.
Current Notre Dame players Ryan Keckley, Andrew Roth, and Stephen Bass — shown here with assistant coach Todd Doebler — volunteered their time to be camp counselors.
|
|
Four current Irish players also volunteered to be part of the camp’s staff: rising juniors Stephen Bass and Ryan Keckley, as well as sophomores-to-be Sheeva Parbhu and Andrew Roth. Bass, who played No. 1 singles for the Irish in 2005, was the team’s MVP in ’03-04, while Parbhu copped that award this past season with a 31-7 singles record. Keckley, a South Bend native and graduate of St. Joseph High School, has played No. 1 doubles for most of the past two seasons, peaking at 14th in the ITA national doubles rankings.
Other notables on the staff included Bill Mountford, formerly a volunteer assistant coach for the Irish (1989-91) after playing collegiately at the United States Naval Academy for current ND mentor Bob Bayliss (who also made an appearance at the camp). Additionally, current Irish assistant women’s tennis player Michelle Dasso – a four-time All-American for Notre Dame during her playing career (1997-2001) – provided instruction to the campers.
Proceeds from the camp benefit the Monogram Club’s Brennan-Boland-Riehle Scholarship Fund.
|
|
An important goal of the Monogram Club is to provide financial assistance to qualified undergraduate students who are children of Monogram Club members through annual grants from the Brennan-Boland-Riehle Scholarship Fund (BBRSF). The Monogram Club’s BBRSF has grown on a yearly basis from three sources: contributions from members, a portion of the annual dues and earnings from investments. The BBRSF has become one of the more significant endowed scholarship funds that the University administers. Since 1980, the Monogram Club has presented Brennan-Boland-Riehle Scholarship Awards to 131 individual students, including a record-high 45 in 2004-05 receiving a total of $322,150.
Tennis Camp Team Photo
|
|