DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The top Florida league tennis teams in the Mixed 55 & Over age group will gather at the Florida Tennis Center in Daytona Beach this weekend, April 19-21, for the USTA Florida Adult Mixed 55 & Over League Section Championships.
Champions will be crowned in the Mixed 55 & Over 7.0 and 8.0 divisions. Participating teams will represent the counties of Alachua, Collier, Escambia, Hillsborough, Lee/Charlotte, Leon, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota/Manatee, and Volusia/Flagler.
Under the 2013 USTA League restructure, the former monikers "Senior" and "Super Senior" have been replaced by a more representative grouping based on age -- 18& Over , 40 & Over, 55 & Over, and 65 & Over leagues. USTA League research and focus group results predict a significant increase in the coming years in league participation, with changes designed to better align age groups with current and future league populations.
"All local league champion teams will advance directly to the adult section championship for their age division in 2013," said USTA Florida Director of Leagues Sandy Marshall. "I believe we are going to see many more close competitive matches at all NTRP levels in both the adult and mixed divisions of play under this national realignment."
As they had previously, adult players will continue to compete by NTRP rating within each division. The 18 & Over and the 40 & Over divisions feature both singles and doubles, while the 55 & Over and 65 & Over will consist of three doubles positions. The Mixed age divisions will not change and will continue to offer three doubles lines of play.
Here are the divisions and teams participating this weekend:
7.0 Division (Flight 1) -- Hillsborough County (captain: Marilynn Madson), Lee/Charlotte counties (John Welsh), Polk County (Leah Carrerou), Sarasota/Manatee counties (Peter Ceccacci)
7.0 Division (Flight 2) -- Alachua County (captain: Mark Raudabaugh), Collier County (Gary Lefebvre), Escambia County (James Chandler), Volusia/Flagler counties (Connie Fenchel)
8.0 Division -- Alachua County (captain: David Staal), Lee/Charlotte counties (Jan Wheeler), Leon County (Wanda Peterson), Pinellas County (John Green), Polk County (Judi Whitaker), Sarasota/Manatee counties (Betsey Buxton)
