Annual tourney has ups, downs

Greeley's Deb Neumaier has seen a lot of changes in Greeley tennis over the years, probably more than most.

Neumaier, 52, started playing tennis as a child in the Greeley recreation department program. She played high school tennis at Greeley Central High School and went on to play in college for the University of Northern Colorado.

However, she has probably seen the biggest changes in the Greeley Tennis Championships which she's played in since its inception 25 years ago. She's seen the annual tournament grow in size yet shrink in length.

Last year to try to help draw more players into the tournament, GTC co-directors Alice Smith and Rosemary Fri shortened the annual tournament from seven days to five and changed the event so that it would start on Friday and end on Tuesday to help players with time commitment issues and conflicts with USTA league matches.

It may be working. After a significant drop from 331 players in 2003 to 200 last year, the numbers are up to 230 participants this year.

Smith and Fri are doing even more to hopefully increase the numbers by shortening the mixed doubles to a three-day event that will end Sunday.

Smith said it makes it easier on players who are competing in other events where the time commitment may be too much during the week when they have work or may be participating in USTA leagues that conflict with their tournament schedule.

As an interior decorator with a busy schedule, Neumaier sees the benefits of shortening the doubles event so players can play less matches during the week.

"I think the tournament normally is such a large draw that it does kind of run into a lot of time constraints with people who work and things like that,'" Neumaier said.

Lynn Young, 65, is also an annual participant in the event and has been playing mixed doubles with his wife Anice for more than 10 years.

As he gets older, Young sees the benefits of getting the mixed doubles out of the way early. Young is also playing men's 4.0 doubles with Greeley West High School boys tennis coach Robb Audette and having the mixed doubles out of the way early will allow him to concentrate on men's doubles if he and Audette advance.

It will also help him with any weary legs after playing so much tennis over the weekend.

"I have come home from that tournament just totally worn out," Young said.

Greeley's Renee Adams, 49, has played in the tournament for 15 years. She is the top seed in Mixed 8.5 doubles with new partner Randy Rouse of Greeley. Adams doesn't think the new mixed double format will make that much of a difference for the players since most of the mixed doubles matches have been on Friday through Sunday in the past.

Adams actually misses playing consolation matches which were eliminated last year to help make the tournament shorter.

She said it puts more pressure on players since they have to win every match to advance, but it is not something she minds.

"It was just always nice for people, including myself, to know that we would have two matches promised, but they were up front with that ahead of time so people can't come back and say 'I didn't know that.'"

ANOTHER NEW FORMAT: The tournament will also have another change this year. Players who split sets will be given the choice of playing a third set to decide the match or stick with a 10-point tiebreaker that has been used in the past.

YUM, STRAWBERRYS: Just because the tournament's format changed last year with the finals being played on a Tuesday doesn't mean Young isn't still serving his usual Strawberry's and Cream for all the participants and spectators as he's done annually in the past. Young will still be serving the treats on Sunday starting at 8 a.m.

WHAT: Greeley Tennis Championships

WHEN: Friday through Tuesday; Weekday matches start at 5:30 p.m. with weekend matches beginning at 8 a.m.

WHERE: Centennial Tennis Courts, Work Out West and various other sites.