Team members pictured are, from left to right, Troney Hutchins, Eric Rohlman, Dave Frederick, Mike Harter, Jim Lewis, Rick Camozzi, Greg Fisher, Jonathan Colter, Dan Lichtenfeld, and Curtis Patchin. Missing from the picture, but an integral part of the team, are Ed Elliot and Cliff Hopps. (Photo by Karen Kattar)
Donna Gillen
This season has been beyond stellar for our competitive men’s team. Both the Men’s 3.5 and the 4.0 Hot Shots/Beer Nuts won their divisions.
The regular season for the men starts in December and culminates at the end of February. At that time, the real fun begins: the playoff matches commence.
The 3.5 men entered the finals with nine wins and one loss in the regular season. The team captain, Mike Harter, reflected that it was a fun and exciting year. Everyone on the team made great contributions to the success of the season.
There are eight teams in this league. Winning the regular season was, in Mike’s opinion, a great feat. The team needed to win three playoff matches to claim the title. The first playoff was in the bag; the second round, once again, was a big win. This gave the team the chance to win it all. However, the final match was not as smooth. In the finals, there were four sets won and, to add to the excitement, four sets lost.
The playoff came down to the wire; the last set was a hand-wringing, teeth-clenching match! The team was losing two games to five. The team needed a very strong comeback to finish what they started and win it all. The men pushed onward and the game ended in a tie. So now the entire season rested on the tie breaker … and they won! The season ended with 12 wins and only one loss.
Mike and the team are grateful for all the supporters who came out to watch the tournament. He thanks everyone for helping to give the team the confidence to pull us through. Mike’s final thoughts on this feat: “A great team effort by a truly fun and talented group!”
Congratulations from all of us!