Greater Columbus Tennis Association

Each year at the end of the summer season, the GCTA has an awards ceremony to honor the winning teams and individual Champ of Champs from those teams. These winners are listed on the respective Men's and Women's League pages. Area Junior Qualifier champions and runners-up are listed on the Area and District Qualifer page. Jr. Davis Cup team members and Jr. Wightman Cup team members are listed on the Jr. Davis and Wightman Cup page.

Deena Snapp was the Committee Chair. Other committee members were Carol Alexander, Rita Brown, John Campbell, Erin Ortman, and Doug Snapp. Additional thanks to them for assisting on the day of the event.

Hugh F. Cliff: About 33 years ago, tired of bruises and pain from softball, flag football, and cigarette smoke at the bowling alley, Hugh looked for another sport. A friend, who he observed playing tennis, called out to him and asked, "Where's your racquet?" Hugh replied he had an old Wilson wood racquet at home that he had never used and that he didn't know how to play tennis. The friend said just go get your racquet. Hugh got his racquet and has been playing tennis ever since. He now plays four or five times a week throughout the year and has become a good tennis player. He has been very competitive and won many tournaments. Hugh has won the Gold Circle Doubles, Family Health Net Singles and Doubles, and the ATA Indianapolis Doubles, just to name a few. He has been the Industrial League Champion twice. Throughout the years Hugh has spread his love of tennis. He teaches neighborhood children as well as adults and children from his church. He really works with anyone who is interested in learning the great game of tennis. He does this at no charge. Hugh has been involved in organizing a team that played for many years in the former Columbus Industrial League during the summer; he has captained teams in the GCTA Silver and Platinum leagues as well as a senior group at Scarborough Tennis Club. Hugh is a cancer survivor and a tremendous proponent of tennis.

Christine L. Althouse: Chris began playing tennis as a young teenager. When Chris was in high school, she lived across the street from John Daly, the Ohio State University's men's tennis coach. She baby-sat for him in exchange for tennis lessons. Chris was the first girl under Title IX to play on the boys' tennis team at Brookhaven High School. She went on to play for the women's tennis team at Ohio State before transferring to Long Beach State in California. She was ranked 16th in the Western Open and played on the Avon Circuit for a couple of months. Chris has worked teaching summer tennis at several country clubs and has coached several high school teams. Even though she has played in many tournaments, she says her greatest accomplishment came when she was the coach of Walnut Ridge High School's girls' tennis team: members of that team won the Ohio High School State Championship in doubles and were State Runner-up in singles. That year, Chris was voted Coach of the Year. Chris has stayed involved with tennis in different ways throughout her life. For her enjoyment, she teaches adult lessons for Woodward Park through the Columbus Recreation and Parks Department. Her full time job is as an educator: she is an Adaptive Physical Education teacher for Columbus Public Schools. She always includes a tennis unit in her curriculum. She helps with Wheel Chair and Special Olympic tennis. Chris' husband, Jeff, works for the Westerville Recreation Department. Her daughter, Kasey, and son, Jeremy, play three sports at Whetstone High School. Chris said, "I owe a lot of thanks to my parents who drove me to tournaments and supported me, to John Daly who gave me my career, to Jim Criswell who helped me develop professionally, and to God who blessed me with a wonderful life."

John M. Fill: John has always been an athlete. He played football at the Ohio State University under Coach Woody Hayes from 1964 to 1966; he was co-captain of the 1966 team. After college, John became a physical education teacher. His first experience with tennis came in 1973 when he was hired as the boys' junior varsity tennis coach at Westerville South High School. At that time, he had no experience in tennis. But as a coach, John tried to apply many things he learned from Woody to tennis. He became the boys' head coach in 1976 and the girls' head coach in 1993. John still coaches the boys' team.

In addition to coaching, John has served as a District Representative for the Ohio High School Tennis Coaches Association. Throughout the years John has developed into a good tennis player. He was ranked in the top 35 in the Columbus Grand Prix Circuit. He has won USTA tournaments in the Ohio Valley. He has worked hard to improve his tennis knowledge by attending numerous tennis clinics in Ohio and Michigan. John acquired his USPTA certification and is currently at the Professional 2 Level. John has been dedicated to his players and their development.

He is proud that in the past two years, six of his former players played at the college level. Most of these players didn’t get started in tennis until their freshman year because he recruited many of them from his physical education classes. To quote John, "I am most proud of the fact that I talked a lot of kids into giving tennis a try and then helped them to reach a level where they have become accomplished players."

Kate Turvy: Kate is 16 years old. When she was nine, she started playing tennis by hitting with her dad and brother and followed that by playing tournaments. Her favorite tennis player is Roger Federer. To quote Kate, "His strokes and overall game are incredible and they are matched by the attitude of a true champion. He shows respect to all of his opponents while remaining extremely competitive which is something I aspire to do." Kate demonstrates many of the traits she sees in Federer. She holds Ohio Valley District titles in the 16's (2005) and 18's (2006 and 2007) and runner-up finishes in the 12's (2003) and 14's (2004). She has GCTA Area Qualifier titles in the 12's, 16's, and 18's. She placed 3rd in 2006 USTA National Clay Court Championships (16's) and finished in the top 12 in the 2007 USTA National Clay Court Championships (18's) while finishing 6th at the 2006 USTA National Winter Championships. Kate earned a top 10 USTA national ranking in the 16's and won the Ohio High School Division I State Singles title in 2006 while playing first court for Dublin Jerome High School. This year, as a junior, she will be playing on Dublin Coffman's high school team. In addition to her playing accomplishments, she was awarded the Dorothy Sharer Award in 2006 as well as the John P. Harlow Sportsmanship Award and the USTA Girls' 16's 2006 National Winter Championship Sportsmanship Award. Out of all of these, she is most proud of her Top 10 National Ranking. Outside of tennis, Kate has been an Honor Roll student and has maintained a 3.8 GPA. In the future, she plans to play tennis in college and then possibly try playing some pro tournaments. Her parents are Kathleen and John and she has one brother, Alex, who will be a sophomore at Miami University. Kate's coach is Scott Welsh. Kate says she practices with a great group of friends at Wedgewood Country Club in Powell.

Bryce Lee Warren: When Bryce was six years old, he began playing tennis in a PeeWee group at Wickertree Tennis Club. He has continued working on the game and has improved his skills with hours of work and tournament play. He won the 2007 GCTA Boys' 18 Qualifier. He reached the semifinals in the Midwest District where he received a Sportsmanship Award.

Bryce played four years on the DeSales High School tennis team. He won back-to-back CCL Championships: this was the first time in twenty years that back to back championships had been won. He has been ranked in the top ten for his age group in the Midwest. He won the Ohio High School Division II State Singles title as a senior in 2007.

Bryce is 18 and graduated with honors from DeSales High School this spring. He is currently attending Butler University in Indiana on a full tennis scholarship. Butler is a Division I program which has qualified for the NCAA tournament for the past six consecutive years.

For Bryce, tennis is a family sport. Karen and Jack, Bryce's parents are tennis players. They hope to play on a more regular basis now that Bryce is in college. His sister, Brittany, is a senior at the University of Kentucky. She also was a good high school player. Bryce's favorite tennis player is Andy Roddick, although he believes Federer is the best of all time. Bryce loves college football and is a huge fan and follower of the Oregon Ducks.

The Kobelt Family: Paul, Paula, Peter, Maddie, and Alex Kobelt are an active tennis family. Paul started playing tennis with his dad and brothers when he was eight years old. He grew up playing in the local parks program in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. As a senior in high school in 1974, he was State Doubles Champion and spent the next summer running the same parks program that he grew up in. While attending the University of Wisconsin, Paul continued to spend his summers teaching tennis at summer camps for his high school tennis coach, Steve Contardi (Director of Tennis at The Racquet Club at Harper’s Point in Cincinnati). Steve mentored Paul towards a career in tennis. After completing his MBA at the University of Cincinnati, Paul continued to work in the tennis industry as Director of Promotions for a tennis racquet manufacturer, Marketing Director for the Kenny Rogers Classic Weekend, and General Manager of the Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Paris, France. In 1992, he was hired by Marty Riessen to be the Head Tennis Professional at New Albany Country Club, and Paul is currently Director of Tennis at the club.

Paul gave Paula her first tennis lesson and her first tennis racquet, a Chris Evert wooden racquet, while they were both attending graduate school at the University of Cincinnati. After moving to New Albany, Paula became more involved with tennis and captained several GCTA teams at NACC. She is currently a 3.5 USTA player and is the captain of a 4.0 GCTA team. She loves traveling to tennis tournaments each summer and also getting a few pointers from the kids. Paula has her Masters Degree in nursing and works part-time at Grant Medical Center as an Education Specialist in Pain Management and Coordinator of the Complementary Therapies Program.
Paul and Paula are co-owners of the New Albany Tennis Center, which they established in 2005 to bring year-round tennis programs to residents of northeast Columbus.

Peter, who is now 16, got his first tennis racquet as an infant as a gift from Paul's high school doubles partner. At age 1, Peter walked around his home in France with a bottle of milk in one hand and tennis racquet in the other. From age 2-4 he loved to hit on a ball machine, but refused to hit any backhands and would only hit his forehand cross-handed as hard as he could. Peter has always loved all sports. He played tennis, basketball, baseball and golf through middle school and still plays basketball and golf. Peter is a junior at New Albany High School where he plays 1st singles for the varsity tennis team and is slated to start for the varsity basketball team this winter. Although he has done well in many tournaments, here are a few highlights. Peter is a three time GCTA Area Qualifier Singles Champion (2004-2006) and was a finalist in 2002, 2003, and 2007. He was the Division II Boys' Ohio High School State Doubles Champion in 2007.

Maddie, who is now 15, had a slower start in tennis because she refused to wear all white at NACC. She did start hitting the ball at age 2-3 and loved to follow Paul around the court and ride in the cart of balls. It wasn't until she was 10 that she decided to play tennis competitively. Maddie also played a few years of softball and basketball, but gave them up after discovering track in middle school. She's currently a sophomore at New Albany High School and plays 1st singles on the varsity tennis team. Maddie has done well as she was the 2007 GCTA Area Qualifier Girls’ 16's Singles Champion, the OVTA District Girls' 16's Singles Runner-up and Doubles Champion, 2007 Midwest Open Girls' 16 Doubles Champion and 5th in Singles. Maddie is also looking forward to competing in the 400 yard sprint for the Eagles varsity track team again in the spring.

Alex , age 10, has had a tennis racket in his left hand since he could walk. He grew up watching his brother and sister play tournaments until finally, at age 8, he qualified for Districts and became a player and not just a spectator. Alex qualified in the District Qualifiers Boys’ 12's in 2005, 2006, and 2007. He enjoys competing in tennis tournaments and also playing for his basketball and lacrosse teams.

To quote Paul and Paula, "Through tennis and their other sports we hope our children learn valuable lessons and skills that will help them throughout their lives. Our family also stays active within the community and church and places a strong emphasis on education." Two additional members of the Kobelt family are their cats, Tommy and Carlos. They were born at Olympic Indoor Tennis Club and are named after Tommy Haas and Carlos Moya.

Jim Criswell: In his senior year in high school, Jim switched sports from baseball to tennis, a sport that he had played to some extent when he was 12 years old. He played 3rd singles on the first Worthington High School Tennis Team. Following graduation from high school, Jim helped organize the Cardinal Tennis Club in Worthington. Over the next several years, he was a club officer and president of the group. He actively promoted play by the formation of tennis ladders and team play for adults and youth.

Jim played college tennis for the Ohio State University and lettered in 1960. His college coach was John Hendrix. After graduation from OSU, Jim became a chemistry teacher and a tennis coach at Columbus Whetstone High School. During his years at Whetstone, his teams won 11 consecutive City League Championships. Two of his players, George Learmonth and Randy McLaughlin, won the Ohio High School Athletic Association's State Doubles Tournament one year and they were the runners-up the following year. During Jim's time at Whetstone, he never cut players from the team. Each year, he would have around 30 players playing in varsity and junior varsity matches. Jim has always felt that it is important that everyone who wants to learn the game should be encouraged to do so.

While at Whetstone High School, Jim was an active member of the Ohio High School Tennis Coaches Association. He served as Secretary-Treasurer for several years. He helped set up the State Coaches Team Championship Tournament. He was twice speaker at the annual Ohio High School Coaches Clinic. For many years, he coordinated the Columbus area high school tennis scene by being the Director of the Central District High School Tennis Tournament for the Ohio High School Athletic Association.

For eleven years, during the summers, Jim was the first tennis pro at Columbus Country Club; he was also the Head Pro at Winding Hollow Country Club for three years and at Olympic Swim & Racquet Club. After 11 years as a teacher and a high school coach, Jim left Whetstone High School to become the Manager and Director of Tennis at the Olympic Indoor Tennis Club. He is still there today. As with the Cardinal Tennis Club, Jim set up Olympic with the same primary emphasis on league and team play for adults and juniors. For over 20 years, Jim and Olympic Tennis have offered free tennis lessons to both adults and young people in a continuing effort to get more players into the game of tennis. His USA-123 Programs have brought over 100 new players into the game each year. The Easter Seal Tennithon at Olympic for Junior players has raised close to $100,000 over the years. Jim was recognized with an "Outstanding Promotion of Tennis Award" by GCTA in 1999.

Three years ago Jim started The Bernard Master Junior Satellite Circuit that is played at all the local indoor clubs. It is a series of six tournaments and a masters tournament played in each age group of 10's thru 18's for boys and girls. Close to 200 juniors participated last winter.

Jim has been a major promoter and organizer of tennis in the Columbus area for over 45 years. During this time he has helped to develop the USTA Adult Leagues and he has established and directed several USTA sanctioned junior and adult tournaments. For many summers, the best players from around the state have played in the Bernard Master Olympic Tennis Classic which Jim has organized. He has also been the co-tournament director of three men's professional satellite tournaments that have been held in Columbus.

Jim and his family have truly supported tennis. Jim has written several articles for local publication in the SNP papers in support of tennis. His wife, Mary, works at the Olympic Indoor Tennis Club; his son, Wynn, is a teaching pro in St. Louis where he was just awarded St. Louis Magazine's award as the top teaching pro in St. Louis. Wynn was a professional player with wins over the Bryan Brothers and James Blake in doubles as well as Sandon Stolle in singles.