The USCTA Annual Awards Dinner and Auction was a huge success. Over 100 people gathered at the NY Racquet and Tennis Club on Friday night to honor the 2009 USCTA award winners and to bid on some amazing silent and live auction items, the proceeds to benefit the USCTA. Many of the attendees were fresh off the court sporting victories (and/or defeats) as it was also the first day of the Whitney Cup.
The evening kicked off with remarks by Charlie Johnstone, auctioneer extraordinaire, Alexis Hombrecher, Whitney Cup Chairman and Greg Van Schaack, USCTA President. During dinner, the following awards were presented.
- Most Improved Player – Jeff Horine
- Most Improved Junior – Jacob Mason
- Hughes/Slater Award for contribution to the game – Peter Pell
- Boenning Sportsmanship Award – Rich Moroscak
- George Plimpton Award for Creative Achievement – Ed Hughes
- Professional of the Year – Steve Virgona
Following the awards and dinner, the some intense bidding began for the 20 plus items that had been donated for the auction. Roughly one hour later, a somewhat hoarse, Johnstone, announced that over $40,000 had been raised! And with that, a successful evening ended.
As an added bonus for the night, The USCTA with the help of Sarah Slater, gave each attendee a DVD from “The John Slater Collection”. The DVD features some rare footage of Pierre Etchebaster, AB Martin and others! John “Jack” Slater is a former USCTA President.
Congratulations to all of the USCTA award winners. Thank you to all of the donors and successful bidders. Finally, a special thank you to the evening’s chairs – Charlie Johnstone and Brian Owens for organizing a fantastic dinner and auction. All in all, it was a great evening! To view photos from the night, click here!
