TENNIS / SAM FARMER : Weather Heats Up Perils on Court

Coupled with smog, the area’s record temperatures this week have made playing tennis uncomfortable and even potentially dangerous.

Richard Gallien, men’s tennis co-coach at Pepperdine, has noticed some disturbing trends, especially among junior players.

“Kids don’t know much about water intake,” said Gallien, who is coaching a tournament-training camp at the Warner Center Club. “They warm up and play a set, sit down, and that’s when they take their first sip of water. Then it’s almost too late. Then they’re just drinking for thirst.

“It’s mostly heat exhaustion, dehydration and lungs caving in from the smog.”

Gallien added that the tension of competition serves as a catalyst for heat exhaustion.

Dr. Robert Fields of Calabasas, an avid tennis player and sports medicine specialist, said players should be wary of lightheadedness or a rapid or weak pulse.

“If all of a sudden you were to stop sweating, then you’ve really got a problem,” Fields said. “That’s when your body starts closing down. It’s going into shock. Your body temperature has started to rise too high.

“It doesn’t matter what type of shape you’re in, there’s a limit to what you can take in the heat.”

Some tips from Fields:

Drink water after each game, not each set. Rest often.

Use a strong sunscreen and, if possible, wear a hat.

Avoid using salt tablets.

Sectional update: Things heated up at the Los Caballeros Sports Village in Fountain Valley on Thursday, the second day of Southern California junior sectional competition.

Natasha Pospich of Woodland Hills defeated Heidi Djanogly of La Jolla, 6-1, 6-2, and advanced to today’s quarterfinals of the girls’ 18s. Pospich will play Ingrid Kurta of La Mesa.

Camarillo’s Bob and Mike Bryan, the nation’s No. 1-ranked doubles team in the boys’ 12s, defeated Kambizm Vahabzadeh of Palos Verdes and Richard Shen of Torrance, 6-2, 6-2, in the 14s.

In the boys’ 18s, Thousand Oaks’ Gary Potter lost to Beverly Hills’ Ari Nathan, 6-1, 6-4.

Volvo news: The Volvo League sectional playoffs take place Aug. 17-19 at Los Caballeros. Volvo standings for Ventura County through Sunday are as follows: men’s 3.5--Ventura Tennis Club (10-1); men’s 4.0--Sunset Hills I (8-1); men’s 4.5--Cabrillo Racquet Club (8-2); men’s 5.0--Malibu II (1-0); women’s 4.0--Pierpont Racquet Club (8-0); women’s 4.5--Thousand Oaks Racquet Club (6-1).

Earning interest: Because of a shortage of parking, the Oakridge Racquet Club in Simi Valley sacrificed three of its eight tennis courts. Those trims mean that new pro Marc Majdick has his work cut out for him.

Majdick, a former assistant at the Northridge Tennis Club, is battling to resurrect tennis interest in the area. He has special events and clinics in store for club members. Still, the situation is taxing.

“I almost need Chris Evert to come in here and save me,” he said with a laugh. “I think tennis is out there but it just hasn’t been channeled. We have a young, energetic community with a value for tennis.”

Majdick is seeking 20 boys and girls ages 12-15 to participate in a summer instructional league.

Information: (805) 522-5454.

Charity tournament: The Lene Wagner Memorial tournament for boys and girls ages 12-18 will be held Monday through Friday at the Westlake Village Racquet Club.

Information: (818) 889-2700.

Tour of duty: Sharon Ley of Agoura Hills won a silver medal in the women’s doubles division of the recent World Tourism Games in Burgenland, Austria.

The games, sponsored by the Austrian Government Tourism Council, are modeled after the Olympics and include participants from 32 countries in such sports as tennis, golf, soccer, shooting, cycling, running and windsurfing.

Ley, who also won the consolation singles final, works in the travel industry and learned of the competition in a trade publication.

“I figured it was going to be more of a trip where they crammed us full of sights and prices but it wasn’t,” Ley said. “Everyone was yelling for countries instead of people. It was really exciting.”