“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” — Theodore Roosevelt

At the Dos Pueblos High School courts this past Saturday, our annual Mix-and-Match Doubles fundraiser finished with sweet success, as Yogurtland (the Oh family) joined our crew. Our players enjoyed manning the booth.

Energized and pumped, our team  united together with community players in five rounds of  fun, fiery tennis. The community players came from the three Channel League schools as well as from the various clubs, academies and city courts. Before the tournament started, we had instructors and coaches warm up the players for 30 to 40 minutes.

We are very appreciative and touched by the community for its immense support of our program. Also, we received generous donations from everyone, even from those who could not play in our tournament.

Every year we honor those who have made an impact to our program. This year, we applauded Madhu Khemani and Kathy Hensley, two team moms noted for their generosity, courage and selflessness.

We had a few families who had multiple players in the tournament; it was fun to watch the dynamics when members partnered together or played against each other. In addition, we had  instructors or coaches partner with the younger players. Those pairs provided entertaining matches. Throughout the tournament, we could also hear cheers from our little mascot, Alex Casady, proudly wearing his Dos Pueblos tennis shirt.

We finished the tournament with nice platters from Subway and, of course, Yogurtland treats.

I want to thank our team and adult helpers who did major set up and clean up.

I also acknowledge our local instructors and coaches who have helped us: Cindy Nalley, Hugh Stratman, Adam Webster, Ross Skinner, Ricky Echanique, Dimitar Yazadzhiev, John Kinsella, Alec Horton, Alexei Prilepine and Fred Hartzman.

I thank you all. Way to go, Chargers!

— Liz Frech coaches boys tennis at Dos Pueblos High School.