The following chapter is an old one, but a goody, I wrote this one after the Albany Open Tennis Tournament where I was fortunate enough to have a win in the Mens dubs with Peter Rundle, legend he is.
Now it seems I may have upset someone at the Emu Point Tennis Club with the content of this particular chapter however I stand by the content of it and offer no apologies whatsoever. So to those of you who are not interested in the long drawn out version which is to follow, this is the shortened version.
I paid $25 to play the Albany Open Tennis Tournament at the Emu Point Tennis Club in January this year, worth every cent, great tournament. At the conclusion of the day's play I asked an official if I could please have 30 minutes practice with my mixed doubles partner as her and I were playing the next day. The official told me that I would have to pay court hire as I was not a member of the club, despite the fact that the courts were empty and it was nearly dark. I paid ten bucks.
My question is this; Has there ever been a more ridiculous request from a club official on the day of a tennis tournament where hundreds of dollars were pumped into a club with fees and sponsorship ?
So all of this has been reignited just recently as someone felt that it was a good idea to 'anonymously' send the following chapter to the Emu Point Tennis Club and it was then discussed by the committee, funny stuff indeed. So why has it taken this long then ? Isn't this site well known locally with the tennis fraternity for it's content that has seen me already threatened with legal action for speaking my mind ?
I used to see that many logon's onto this site from the locals that it was heading for an all time best seller as far as popularity was concerned, good or bad. So I am not quite sure why it took so long for someone to complain about this particular chapter as it was meant for public display right from the outset. All of the content on this site I stand by, I offer no apologies.
So to the 'bright spark' who thought they were breaking new ground by cutting, pasting and delivering to the Emu Point Tennis Club the chapter in question, well it's like this Champ. I don't hide behind any tennis club or association, I tell it how I see it and the way I saw that effort at the Albany Open, well I would call it 'weak as piss'.
That kind of officialdom has no place in any local sporting competition and whether you like me or not personally I paid my fees for the day just like everybody else. Was there a cut off time for those fees ?? Who were we bothering just before dark when the courts were empty ? Were you trying to recoup some of the $100 winner's prize money which I received ??
No matter what your answer is I believe you have no place to ask a competitor for extra fees for the day in a situation like that. It's taking the tennis rule book to a level of incompetence that has now set a precedent locally. Imagine if a travelling player was asked to do the same ? I doubt they would be back the following year.
Tennis tournaments should be a day of good fun, good competition and hospitality from local club members, not strictly a money making exercise.
So will I put my entry in next January ? You betcha, I need to try and win my ten bucks back........
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