Team: North Ridge Racket and Paddle
Captain: Robert Corts
Players: Robert Corts, James Wang, Matthew Shepherd, Michael Boukzam, Abhijit Nath, Robert Rosenau, Leif Christman, Kevin Doss, Ben Zagorski, Vasile Katsaros
Key Losses: None
Key Additions: All of them!
Notes: Returning to North Ridge after a one year hiatus - or forced departure due to the place burning down - this may seem like a new team but it is in reality most of the fellas that hoisted the invisible 40+ title last season! From Captain Robert to stellar singles player Mathew to veteran 3.0 doubles stalwarts Robert and Ben and Michael, this is a team loaded with 40+ talent, 40+ experience, and 40+ players!
Key Question: Now playing back at their friendly confines of North Ridge, will they be able to harness the away match focus they had to utilize all season last season that helped make them one of the best clubs in the area? And will they have the roster depth for a long season, because other than depth, this team is loaded at each and every spot!
Team: Avon Oaks Country Club
Captain: Ted Macfarlane
Players: Ted Macfarlane, Andrew McNally, John Finucane, Greg Matzinger, Rick Baker, Bob Nicolay, Fernando Bertero, James Sweeney, Simon Lam, Garvin Carrington, Ron Salim, Nick Haas, Ken Luke, Michael Elliott, Michael Leszcz, Sean Haas
Key Losses: None
Key Additions: All of them!
Notes: Like North Ridge, Avon Oaks is seemingly new this season, too. And just like North Ridge, after a one year break, the 40+ "Bubble Boys" are back! And back-to-back they'll play, for the strength of this club is surely on the doubles courts where Ted and Mike bring not only experience but knowledge and info from their one season with Bay! Moreover, former Doubles Player of the Year Garvin, back from a tour on the 3.5 courts, gives a winning pedigree! If they
Key Question: Who is playing singles, because doubles looks to be a team strength at "The Bubble"! And what kind of success will Ted, Michael, and Garvin bring from their past experiences with Bay ... because if there's one thing Bay has, it's ... um ... yeah...
Team: Chagrin Valley Athletic Club 1
Captain: Steve Poe
Players: Steve Poe, Bill Glime, Mike Carroll, Matt Greenberg, Carl Parker, Orlando Dangond,
Jonathan Sherwin, Brad Lucas, Christian Manchester, Jeffrey Spencer, Mark Seifried, Adam Kohn, Tim Hofer
Key Losses: None
Notes: Returning almost their entire lineup from 2021, experience looks to be the big advantage CVAC will bring to their historic courts in 2022. And, with Matt, the 2022 NTRP Championships champion holding court at singles, and Bill willing and able as well, Captain Steve's job will be to find a few doubles tandems to help with the team scoring!
Key Question: Who will be holding court on the doubles courts? With two strong singles players in Matt and Bill, does Captain Steve roll the dice and put them in doubles? Or have them play singles ... AT THE SAME TIME?!
Team: Paramount Tennis Club Westlake
Captain: Sean Schulze
Players: David Fechter, John Keller, Sean Schulze, Doug Michelsen, Arindam Basu, Chris Daniels, Michael Reid, Ryan Kowalski, Kevin Dieterich, Gale Wetmore, Oscar Avelar, John Schuld, Mark Smitek, Dale Bilczo, Mark Tabora
Key Losses: None
Key Additions: All of them!
Notes: Another new club, Paramount Westlake looks to gain valuable experience with what happens to be a pretty experienced group of players. John and Ryan may end up splitting singles duties, but both are solid doubles players as well, so Captain Sean's big job may be using the early part of the season figuring out the strengths and weaknesses of what looks like a very solid 3.0 lineup!
Key Question: Time, does Captain Sean have it? How long will it take him to figure out hislineups? Look for Paramount Westlake to have a strong second half of the season once the nitty gritty is all sifted through!
Team: Mayfield Village Racquet Club
Captain: Earl Beebe
Players: Earl Beebe, Ravi Krishnan, Kern Jolibois, Robert Haught, Nicholas Fasola, Brandon Carrus, John Holzheimer, Scott Limestoll, Mike McManemy, Michael Sreshta, Jeeho Chang, Ryan White, David Frederick, Eric Smith
Key Losses: None
Key Additions: All of them!
Notes: Yet again, a new club enters the 40+ arena! But with Captain Earl, a renowned tennis coach, at the helm, this new club enjoys a very strong roster. Indeed, Nicholas and Brandon can win on either the singles or doubles courts while Scott brings doubles acumen few can match!
Key Question: How do Nicholas and Brandon split time? Both are renowned singles players at the 3.0 tournament level, so how does Captain Earl utilize their strengths?!
Team: Wembley Club
Captain: JP Ayyappan, Dino Rizza
Players: JP Ayyappan, Dino Rizza, Michael Deyo, Michael Henry, Andrew Burnight, Kyle Hulewat, Jason Padley, Kiyotaka Fukamachi, Joseph DeBoth, David Shisila, Justin Wilcox, Brandon Hopkins, Gary Nowac, Larry Dubin
Key Losses: Karan Jolly, Patrick Tobler, James Pruce, David Ries, Roger Lee, David Sternberg
Notes: Wembley lost more impact players than any other team in the Flight, and Captain JP has his work cut out for him if he's going to return Wembley to the playoffs. But Captain JP is one of the best captains around, and if anyone can do it, surely it's him! With a fresh face of 40+ newbies, look for Captain JP to work his magic to get Wembley back to their winning ways!
Key Question: Who's playing?! Wembley enjoys a deep roster, but it may take time for Captain JP to solidify the roster. Like Paramount Westlake, look for Wembley to have a strong late seasons surge!
Team: Towpath Tennis Center
Captain: Frank Licari
Players: Frank Licari, Rich Herbruck, Mark Robeson, William Fox, John Consilio, Craig Warner, Jamie Daniels, Michael Terapane, Brett Kimmell, Steve Barker, Vince Cheverine, Mike Devine, Brad Sakowicz, Thomas Parks, Curt Binder, Peacock Gregory, Ron Novak, Harvey Krieger
Key Losses: Jeff Magistrelli
Key Additions: William Fox
Notes: After a disappointing 2021, Captain Frank re-tooled his Towpath roster by signing a former 3.0 great, William, to bolster an already impressive roster! Doubles looks to be set with John and Craig, fresh off their 55+ National Championship title while Curt and Ron add even more experience. If Frank can settle the singles court, Towpath will no doubt be pushing for a Flight title before all is said and done!
Key Question: Who is playing singles? Is it Captain Frank, one of the winningest players in 3.0 history? Or does Captain Frank bolster the doubles courts by adding himself to that end of the lineup?!
Team: Paramount Tennis Club Medina
Captain: Ron Sanchez, Rob Skidmore
Players: William Farr, Richard Patterson, Denny Huff, Ben Gilbert, Tom Yoder, Ron Sanchez,
Rob Skidmore, Roderick Yamat, Jonathan Glazer, Michael Kenny, John Richardson, Chad Wilson, Andrew Chan, Max Steiner
Key Losses: Patrick Renz, Dustin Carpenter
Notes: Paramount Medina has always been strong in doubles, and this season looks to be no different! William, with more than 50 career 3.0 wins, and Denny, with more than 50 career 3.0 wins, will lead the charge, but veteran 3.0er Roderick, he of many a top ten all-time 3.0 record, will join them in helping to lead Paramount Medina back to it's rightful 3.0 glory!
Key Question: Who is playing singles? Losing Patrick hurts, so who will pick up the singles slack?!
Team: North Canton Racquet Club
Captain: Timothy Booher, Matthew Johnston
Players: Matthew Johnston, Timothy Booher, Randy Abrams, Munir Ahmad, Jason Kabbara, Mel Paulino, William Emley, Guy Cecchini, David Tates, Allan Lynch, Tony Harley, Douglas Snyder, Sunny Makey
Key Losses: Rex Degler, William Woodard, Sebastian Birceanu, Edward Steigerwald, Leon Crumpler
Key Additions: Mel Paulino
Notes: Losing Rex and Sebastian hurts NCRC's depth, but adding free agent signee Mel and his league, playoff, and tournament success, will no doubt help NCRC's chances in 2022. And with Munir at singles, Matthew and Captain Tim, who just recently won the Akron Open doubles title, at doubles, two of the five courts look as strong as can be!
Key Question: How does Captain Timothy set the lineup? Play strengths by putting himself and Matthew together? Or split the dream team up to bolster the other groups??
Team: Bay Village
Captain: Erik Overberger
Players: Erik Overberger, Tom Fleming, Steve Holly, Charlie Post, Brian Chambers, Tom Mullee, Michael Hendershot, Patrick Murray, Kuldeep Vaghela, Tony Slabicki, Donald McLeroy
Key Losses: Dietrich Schelzig, Travis Haselswerdt, Ted Macfarlane, Michael Elliot
Key Additions: Kuldeep Vaghela
Notes: Despite losing two singles players, this Bay team is one of the most experienced and veteran-laden groups around. Erik, one of the top captains in Bay 3.0 history, has many heads to lean on as Charlie and Michael are also former captains. Meanwhile, Tom and Charlie and Brian and Tony are well-oiled doubles tandems, and who can forget the legendary status of Donald?! Captain Erik and Kuldeep bolster the singles courts, leading some to ponder if this is the best Bay 3.0 team ever???
Key Question: Is this the best Bay 3.0 team ever? Loaded with 3.0 experience and 3.0 talent, if this group can overcome the one obstacle that seems to always up-end their season - attendance - this could be a season of dreams for the fellas from Bay!
Team: La Tuchie Tennis Center
Captain: Geoff Fiedler
Players: Shengyong Wang, Timothy Adkins, Geoff Fiedler, John Clay, Todd Hofer, Alan Eng, Qingyuan Fan, Xiaofeng Wang, Christian Coughlan, Ashish Sharma, Nicolas Savelieff, Sanket Shah, Peter Culver, Narendra Sahney, Amit Jain, Joe Paydock, Florencio Marquinez
Key Losses: Jeff Sterling, Scott Hovey, Ronald Thomas, Chris Thompson, Reddy Vittedi, Jeff Sirak
Notes: Last season's runner-up and eventual District Champion, departures have decimated this once veteran lineup. However, all that means is that it is time to begin anew, and begin anew with a fresh group of rookie newbie 3.0ers!
Key Question: Who's playing? The biggest group of rookies in the Flight means that LaTuchie will be the most unknown club in the Flight, meaning LaTuchie will be a tough each each and every week, meaning LaTuchie is probably the odds-on favorite to win it all!
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