Multiple Pelham tennis teams achieve victory in state championship

By DONALD MOTTERN | Staff Writer

PELHAM – Multiple Pelham club tennis teams recently showcased their strong talent and love for the game while representing the Pelham Racquet Club and Pelham Tennis Center in Mobile during the Alabama Junior Team Tennis State Championship sponsored by the United States Tennis Association July 19-21.

Helmed by coach Ryen Valentine, the head tennis professional at the Pelham Racquet Club, and coach Rusty Wilkes, an assistant tennis professional at the Pelham Tennis Center, Pelham’s tennis scene sent a total of eight teams to the state championship, all of which were co-ed.

Among those teams, who at times were even in competition against one another, three would successfully come out on top and secure state championship titles in their respective divisions. Two from the Pelham Tennis Center and one from the Pelham Racquet Club.

The teams that took part in the state championship were as follows:

PTC Teams:

• The PTC Breakers – 12-and-under team beginner level
• The PTC Panthers – 14-and-under team beginner level
• The PTC Heat – 18-and-under team beginner level
• The PTC Challengers – 18-and-under team beginner level
• The PTC Storm – 18-and-under team intermediate level

PRC Teams:

• The PRC Pineapples – 18-and-under team intermediate level
• The PRC Potatoes – 18-and-under team intermediate level
• The PRC Peppers – 18-and-under team beginner level

The first of the victors, the PTC Breakers, were also the youngest of the competitors on Pelham’s teams, and were featured as the sole competitors from either club in the 12-and-under beginner level division.

The roster for the PTC Breakers was as follows:

• Sam Costa Rena
• Brent Henson
• Izaya Kusiak
• Emmie Nelson
• Gabby Hunt
• Lyla Watkins
• Elliott Valentine

The PTC Breakers entered the tournament already on a hot streak, having gone undefeated throughout the most recent summer season in the Birmingham local leagues. Proceeding through the championship, they further built upon that success by continuing their perfect run through to the end.

“Our 12-and-under team (the PTC Breakers) went undefeated,” Wilkes said. “They went 5 and 0 at state as a team. Together they defeated two teams from Mobile and other Birmingham area teams including Greystone Country Club, Hoover Country Club and a team from Thompson.”

For the majority of the kids on the team’s roster, it was also the first time that they had ever been to a state championship of any kind.

“It was exciting for those kids because the majority had never played in a state championship before,” Wilkes said. “Most of them also have only maybe about a year of experience, they have improved so much and, in that time, have played fall, spring and summer seasons locally. They have come a long way and improved a lot.”

The other team from the Pelham Tennis Center that claimed victory at the state championship were the PTC Challengers, who played in the 18-and-under beginner level division.

“The Challengers were in a division that had a larger group of teams,” Wilkes said. “I think there were 13 teams total and we played four rounds through Saturday. The way the division worked was—after the main draw was done—they then took the top four teams and moved them into the playoffs.”

The Challengers ultimately finished in that top four and then won in their single playoff match against the Pelham Racquet Club’s Peppers with a 39-22 score in the semi-finals.

In a mixed bag for the Challengers, they were however unable to move forward with the final match against the team from the Riverchase Country Club due to inclement weather and rain that drowned out the majority of the Sunday games in Mobile.

Although initial efforts to reschedule that final match were attempted, it was eventually decided that the PTC Challengers would instead share the division title of co-champions alongside the Riverchase Country Club team this year.

That outcome signaled a second year of success for many of the players among the PTC Challengers who also achieved victory last year when they played in the 14-and-under division. With many of their players having played for the past five years, their achievement now marks their second state championship in two years across two divisions.

Players that made up the ranks of the PTC Challengers were as follows:

• Asher Eaton
• Brewer Jones
• Colin Baggett
• Braxton Strickland
• Avery Adair
• Carolyn Morton
• Emily Reid
• Elsie Cross
• Kendall Lewis

In addition to the success of those two teams, the PTC Storm also reached high levels in the championship but was ultimately bested by another Pelham team.

“After four rounds, the PTC Storm were able to make a top-eight playoff and then won their quarter-final round against the Auburn team, 34-28. They then lost their semi-final round against the PRC Potatoes, in the next semi-final round.”

After that win, the PRC Potatoes would then be scheduled to face the TNT Intermediate team in the finals but would also see their final matchup canceled due to uncooperative weather.

In an identical decision to that affecting the Challengers, the PRC Potatoes and the TNT Intermediate team will also share the title as their division’s co-champion.

Players that made up the ranks of the PRC Potatoes were as follows:

• John Davis Walker
• Reggie Henson
• Asim Virani
• Abby Gobbells
• Hannah Hwangpo
• Kristina Hwangpo
• Riley McClain
• Abrianna Irvin

While always sweet and happily reached, the success found by the club teams of the PRC and PTC is only half of the focus for their coaches. For Wilkes in particular, the personal development of the kids playing is just as important as any state title.

“My number one priority is always building sportsmanship with the kids,” Wilkes said. “Working on their character is always a big factor to me and, in addition to constructing that sportsmanship, I believe that junior team tennis is really great in helping kids learn valuable life lessons.”

Enhancing that focus, Wilkes, who has 22 years of active experience coaching the game, also highlighted a simple fact about club sports, which he feels also enhances the experience for each and every participating player and is perhaps its strongest attribute.

“With our being club teams, the kids can really come from a mix of different areas,” Wilkes said. “The PTC Breakers is made up of kids from Pelham, Helena and Thompson.”

Wilkes further noted that the PTC Challengers are incorporated from an even larger mix. For the Challengers, a majority of the players are actually from Helena, with other players hailing from Pelham, Thompson, Briarwood and even one player from the Gardendale area. Other teams also carry with them a mixture of kids from varying municipalities.

“When you have kids from different schools playing on our club teams, it allows them to make new friends and form bonds with one another where they otherwise wouldn’t be able to,” Wilkes said. “They are playing with other kids who couldn’t be on their school teams and meeting kids they wouldn’t otherwise meet.”

Those who are interested in learning more about the program, or who are looking to involve their children in Pelham’s PTC or PRC tennis teams can learn more at the Pelham Racquet Club’s website at Pelhamracquetclub.com/901/Racquet-Club or by calling the club directly at 205-621-3380.

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