by Gary Barnes
Georgian Court University and The Racquet Club of Philadelphia co-hosted an extraordinary Gould Invitational on March 16th and 17th
Due to its goal of promoting Georgian Court to the entire court tennis community, this event was not only a celebration of the amazing strides the partnership of GCU and Preservation Foundation have made together, but generated more ideas for how we can continue to expand the appreciation for this historic court as well as for us to host additional sanctioned USCTA events going forward.
Although play occurred at both locations on consecutive days, we had 22 players come from a variety of destinations including Boston, New York, Washington, Philadelphia, Aiken and GCU itself – thanks to Dino Raso, the head soccer coach at GCU who has caught the court tennis bug!
Mixed doubles play consisting of a total of 6 games per match began at Georgian Court on the morning of the 16th, followed by a delicious lunch in the Casino Ballroom and tours of the grand Mansion, spectacular gardens/lagoon and the Casino itself – containing a marble swimming pool, the oldest bowling alley in the U.S. and a rediscovered squash tennis singles and doubles courts and fives courts. The afternoon was capped off by Temple Grassi’s beautiful dedans shot to end the final match.
The short journey back to Philadelphia went smoothly and we gathered in the newly refurbished Grille Room at RCOP for cocktails and a wonderful dinner. Many toasts and speeches were made; all as heartfelt and generous as the people in attendance. Many thanks to Derek, Chef Manny Gonzalez and the team for providing such a fabulous experience.
Play picked back up on the morning of the 17th – people were in good spirits and the pace and quality were excellent.
By a combined score of games won over both days, congratulations to the overall victor: Melissa Purcell!
Many thanks are in order to have such a memorable and lively event:
Expert marking and organization, although Steve Sader may disagree, by John Lumley and Robbie Whitehouse from the RCOP
Wonderful orchestration by Lori Thomas & Tara Strickland from GCU, Rich Moroscak & the Georgian Court Committee and Bill McLaughlin from the Preservation Foundation.
Thanks also to Schuyler Wickes for, unprompted, taking some great photos over the weekend.
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Photos by Schuyler Wickes
