The Coronado Junior Tennis Awards Ceremony Thursday night at the Community Center sparkled with the glitz and glamour of the Oscars. The nominees dressed up just as the stars do at the Oscars; the girls in party dresses, with the older ones sporting jewelry and a touch of makeup. The boys were a bit more casual, though many wore ties and sport coats.
The Nautilus Room was decked out with balloons and flowers. There was even a red carpet for the nominees to walk down as photographers, mostly parents, snapped their photos.
Former tennis coach Don Henson began the program by offering some sage advice to the coaches, parents and players. “Give [players] first a foundation that allows them to grow,” he told the coaches. He reminded parents that “time with your child on the court is a time of joy.”
“You have an incredible opportunity to succeed in anything you want be — in tennis, music, baseball — if you commit to it and be the best you can be at whatever you chose,” he told the players.
The award categories reflected the values of perseverance and commitment that Hanson passed along: most improved serve, most improved player, spirit award, most improved footwork and fitness, sportsmanship and most valuable player and two divisions: under 12 and over 13 years old for boys and girls.
“These were all based on the qualities we are looking for in producing excellence as a tennis player, but more importantly as a person of outstanding character who will understand the importance of giving back during their lifetime,” said Sue Hites, Coronado Tennis Center Coordinator, who created the categories.
The coaches selected the nominees for each category. Hites picked the winners with the help of pros who knew all of the kids, not just the ones they coached.
Each nominated player received a certificate. The winners also received a patch to put on their gym bag. The winners included:
Most Improved Serve: Sophia Valades, Diego Yanez, Crista Izuzquiza and Evan Thoms
Most Improved Player: Spencer Busby, Hank McNeal, Mar Hernandez, Jorge Yanez, Luca Hernandez, Crista Izuzquiza, Aitana Ituarte, Allie White, Ximena Sanchez and Esther Nahmad.
Spirit: Santiago Gonzalez, Olivia Strong, Alex Hulbert and Sofia Name
Most Valuable Player: Hannah Quirk, Billy Rowe, Lily Vu and Aitana Ituarte and Jorge Yanez
Most Improved Footwork and Fitness: Aldara Krantzberg, Hank McNeal, Jimena Ituarte and Tye Murree
Sportsmanship: Ryan Wood, Kayla Sacks, Carolos Solla and Lauren Petitt
Integrity: Sam McNeal, Jasmine Summers-Evans, Fernanda Name, Allie White and Sam Brown.
While there was technically a competition among the players, everyone seemed thrilled to just included and up on the stage with their friends, unabashedly seeing the honor in being nominated.
While the ceremony was Hites idea, she gave credit for the evening what she called “awesome” committee of Beth Mulcahy-Elardo, Nevi Nelson, Hilary Davis, Heather White and Kate Brown. “This would have never happened without them,” she said.
Many parents believed that Hites deserved much of the credit not only for the evening, but also for fostering an environment at the Tennis Center to help kids succeed at tennis and at life.
“She has had a huge influence on the kids here, including both of our boys, because she has the power to make them believe in themselves,” said Laura McNeal. Her son Hank was recognized for most improved player and for most improved footwork, while her son Sam was recognized for sportsmanship.
Future tennis stars weren’t the only ones celebrated. Hites introduced The Village Stars, members of the Village Elementary After School Program, which takes tennis to the school and lets kids learn on their own playground, she explained.
High School Coach Nevi Nelson reminded everyone of the role the Coronado Tennis Association plays in promoting tennis in the community, Among the group’s many accomplishments she listed included changed tennis services from a system where there was only one coach, to one where players have a choice of coaches. Along with changing the system it was also instrumental, some say critical, in persuading the city to build the Tennis Center on Glorietta. The group also donates tennis bags and uniforms to the Coronado High School tennis teams and saved the tennis courts at the high school from being demolished a few years back.
After the awards were presented there was a jump rope demonstration, followed by an after party featuring homemade desserts and dancing.
Volunteer Noa Hocker streamed the music and Rodney Nakamoto took photos. Jackie Hites, Jasmine Summers-Evans and Shanell Finley helped keep things moving during the event, shepherding plays along the red carpet and passing out certificates and patches among other duties.
Noa Hocker streaming music from his laptop
At the beginning of the evening Hites warned everyone that things might not go smoothly. “This is live. Nobody knows what’s going to happen,” she said, but for a first time event, things went extremely well.
There was just a slight timing problem – the awards were all handed out before the evenings entertainment had arrived and some mangled names – one of the coaches jokingly apologized to anyone who didn’t receive their award because they didn’t recognize their name when it was announced.
Missed the event? See our exclusive red carpet interviews and footage from the event here:
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Gloria Tierney
Staff Writer
eCoronado.com
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