President’s Cup: Men’s Region III win 9th title and Women’s Region I win 4th straight

With defending Region IV champs missing several veteran players, the Region III dark-horse men’s team delivered a stunning victory in front of their hometown fans. After four rounds of competition, Region III had won 18 out of a possible 20 points, mathematically winning the Cup prior to the final round against a strong Region I (NY/NJ) squad.

Lead by the undefeated play of John Stefanik and Tim McAvoy at #1, Region III started strong and never let up, bringing the Cup back home for the first time since 2000, when Captain Pete Mathews led the team in Rochester.

As with every PC victory, this year was a total team effort. The up and coming rookie team of David Caldwell and Blake Cordish went 4-1 at #4. Also, Chris Gorman, another first-time PC player, joined forces with Fred Gumbinner in the #5 slot and also went 4-1. They too, went undefeated in their first four matches. The veteran teams of Scott Freund and John Horine at #2 and Larry Hyde and Bruce Redpath at #3, also delivered winning performances for the home team.

Region 1 dominated the Women’s Presidents Cup this year (New England, Long Island, and Connecticut) during the worst conditions ever to be seen on paddle courts! Rain, sleet, heavy hail, snow, and frigid temperatures never seemed to dampen any of the spirits of these girls. Never was there heard a complaint about the conditions.

President’s Cup is famous for always having lousy weather so I guess everyone thinks it comes with the territory. Region I defeated Regions 4, 5, and 6, by 5-0 shutouts. They won over Region 2 by a score of 4-1. Region 3 was spared since it was the last match of the day and nothing could not have changed the final outcome.

The evening was held at Overbrook Country Club with a fabulous sit down dinner and a special award given to Yvonne Hackenberg for the longest running participation in PC (since 1979).

Source: Platform Tennis Magazine, Vol. 4, Issue 5, May, 2003