HEALTH & FITNESS : League Tennis--Fierce but Still Polite

In pursuit of a fit and healthy lifestyle, North County residents have pursued all the usual routes--walking, cycling, running--and quite a few of the unusual routes, too. They climb rocks, chase trails marked with flour and ride their bicycles in circles.

For every variation in taste, schedule and physique, there seems to be a route to fitness out there. Some folks have charted their own way, others have connected with an established program. Whatever your own program or lack thereof, fitness starts--or ends--with a good night’s sleep. And whether you exercise occasionally or often you’ll feel a whole lot better if you do it without injury.

If you’re ready to get up and get going, still just thinking about it, or looking for new ways to put yourself through your paces, we offer these suggestions for getting the lead out:

On a day perfect for tennis--not too hot or too cool, with a bit of a breeze and even a few wispy clouds to blunt the sun’s glare--the two tennis teams meet: the Canyon Hill A team versus the Singing Hills A team in women’s doubles competition.

Other team members watch or chat quietly, not wanting to break the concentration of the contestants on the courts. League tennis, although played for the joy of the game, should not be mistaken for the social variety, which sometimes features as much talk as it does tennis.

As more and more women break out their mid- or oversize racquets and hit the courts, the competition has become more, but still politely, fierce.

When competitive adult tennis teams were first formed in North County about 30 years ago, only five clubs participated: Escondido, Oceanside, San Dieguito, Ranch Santa Fe and El Camino. Now, 35 clubs field 103 women’s teams with about 2,400 regular and substitute players.

Some of these clubs are private, others are public and require little or no investment to join. Some have as few as three courts available; others, such as Lomas Santa Fe Country Club (with 15), have many more.

The original organizers formed the North County Doubles Tennis League specifically to provide a structure for winter tennis, which had been ignored until then. Now women’s matches begin the first full week after New Year’s Day, and most teams complete regular season play before May, when United States Tennis Assn. action begins.

Participants in winter play are divided by ability into six conferences, from the entry-level C on up to the highly competitive AA, said Carl Maier, who helped organize the first teams and is still in charge. He and assistant Julie LaRue take care of scheduling of both men’s and women’s teams and help solve the problems that never fail to arise.

As for the quality of women’s tennis today, Maier says it has improved dramatically from “a lot of moonballing” to a hard-hitting game. That led two years ago to the creation of the AA conference to accommodate the numbers of skilled players, including teaching professionals and recent graduates who played college tennis.

“We’re seeing a real resurgence of interest in tennis, especially for women, like that which occurred in the early ‘70s,” said Melissa Porzak, director of tennis at Rancho Bernardo Community Tennis Club. “We have a diverse group of women playing in this area, women of all ages, some retired and some with young families. More and more people are competing.”

League tennis doesn’t just offer the ex-college stars a chance, though. Women who first started playing after their children were in school or their careers established and who have never competed in the athletic arena also have the opportunity to learn, hone their skills and face opponents on the courts.

Although the ultimate aim for any club is to field the best possible team or teams to compete with other clubs, equally intense competition occurs among members of the same clubs vying for positions. Each club devises its own ritual for determining placement on a team; some have challenge ladders, others round robins, still others defer to the judgment of the teaching pro.

For instance, this year Fairbanks Ranch Country Club had enough players to form a C team for the first time, and a round robin was organized by Anita Edman Stoefen, social director and assistant pro. Since the club already fielded a B team, a short challenge period was arranged for people wanting to earn a position at that level.

The organizers at Stoneridge Country Club try something different every year to satisfy people, according to Jeanne Lucia, the women’s tennis representative for the club. This year they tried a six-week challenge period in which new teams declared their intentions and the positions they aspired to on the ladder.

At Scripps Ranch Swim and Racquet Club, potential A and BB team members play a challenge ladder, while the Bs and Cs play a round robin that also serves as a way of helping people get together as partners. Director of Tennis Ben Pigorsch has found that setting rules and laying them out for everyone ahead of time, while also remaining flexible, saves a lot of anxiety during the challenge process.

A few North County clubs, namely Canyon Hill Swim and Racket Club, Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, Lomas Santa Fe Country Club and Winners Circle Beach and Tennis Club, also participate in San Diego Winter League, a completely separate doubles league. Instead of playing at nearby Vista or Encinitas, women might find themselves traveling to Singing Hills Country Club in El Cajon or San Diego Tennis and Racquet Club in San Diego.

San Diego Winter League Chairwoman Sharon Ramsay has also found that in the past few years, the level of play has improved and that more people are getting involved. Winter league now has 48 teams, while just a few years ago fewer than 30 teams participated.

Now that winter competition has almost reached the three- month mark, some teams have completed all their matches, others will finish soon, and many women are turning their attention to United States Tennis Assn. action.

Participants on USTA teams must join the national organization (at a cost of $20) and must be officially rated according to the National Tennis Rating Program. Certified teaching pros rate players’ proficiency at different strokes or skills, such as serving, forehand or overhead. Players are then assigned to teams according to their ratings (from 3.0 to 5.5) and are matched against other teams of similar skill levels.

Each USTA team consists of both singles and doubles players, but not everyone plays every match. Captains make strategic decisions, including which team members would be most effective playing singles or doubles against a particular opponent.

When this format was brought to San Diego in 1985, there were four teams; now there are 117 for women and men, according to Lesley Waite, USTA area coordinator for San Diego County. One reason for the popularity of USTA tennis is the possibility of winning the local division and advancing. Those who make it to the nationals also attain the luxury of having most of their expenses paid.

For the most part, though, the rewards for playing league tennis are intrinsic: improving existing skills and learning new ones, actively competing and being out on the court when those perfect days for tennis come along.

AREA CLUBS OFFERING COMPETITIVE WOMEN’S TENNIS

North County Doubles Tennis League

Bernardo Heights Tennis Club, 16150 Bernardo Heights Parkway, 451-3580 (open to residents only). Teams: B, CC.

Brengle Terrace Park Recreation Center, 1200 Vale Terrace, Vista, 758-7570. Teams: B (2), CC.

Canyon Hill Swim and Racket Club, 3012 Bear Valley Parkway, Escondido, 743-3601. Teams: AA, BB, B.

Cardiff Courts Racquet Club, 875 Santa Fe Drive, Encinitas, 753-4705. Teams: BB.

El Camino Tennis Club, 3202 Vista Way, Oceanside, 757-9190. Teams: AA, BB, B, CC.

Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, P.O. Box 8586, Rancho Santa Fe, 259-8811. Teams: B, C.

Fallbrook Tennis Club, 2141 S. Mission Road, Fallbrook, 728-1100 or 728-9837. Teams: AA, BB (2), B, CC (2).

High Country West, (open to residents only). Teams: BB.

Kit Carson Park, 3333 Bear Valley Parkway, Escondido, 741-4691 (Recreation Division of Community Services Department). Teams: A, BB, B, CC.

La Costa Resort Hotel and Spa, 2100 Costa Del Mar Road, Carlsbad, 438-9111. Teams: BB, B.

Lake San Marcos (open to residents only). Teams: CC.

Lomas Santa Fe Country Club, Lomas Santa Fe and Highland Drive, Solana Beach, 755-4090. Teams: AA, A, BB, B, CC, C.

Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA, 200 Saxony Road, Encinitas, 942-9622. Teams: BB, B, CC.

Oceanside Tennis, 438-1709. Teams: BB, B, CC.

Olympic Resort, 6111 El Camino Real, Carlsbad, 438-8330. Teams: C.

Rancho Arbolitos Swim and Tennis Club, 14343 Silverset, Poway, 486-3670. Teams: A, BB, B (2), CC.

Rancho Bernardo Community Tennis Club, 18402 W. Bernardo Drive, San Diego, 487-9698. Teams: AA, BB, B, CC.

Rancho Bernardo Inn Racquet Club, 17550 Bernardo Oaks Drive, San Diego, 487-1611. Teams: B, CC.

Rancho Bernardo Swim and Tennis, 16955 Bernardo Oaks Drive, San Diego, 487-5002. Teams: BB, B, C.

Rancho Penasquitos Tennis Assn., 12350 Black Mountain Road, San Diego, 484-0745. Teams: BB, B, CC.

Rancho Santa Fe Tennis Club, 5829 Via de la Cumbre, 756-4459 (open to residents in covenant area only). Teams: A, BB (2).

San Dieguito Tennis Club, 1414 Tennis Club Drive, Encinitas, 942-9725. Teams: AA, A, BB, B, CC.

San Luis Rey Downs Golf, Tennis Resort and Country Club, 31474 Golf Club Drive, Bonsall, 758-3762. Teams: B.

Scripps Ranch South (open to residents of area only). Teams: BB, B, C.

Scripps Ranch Swim and Racquet Club (open to residents of 92131 ZIP code only), 271-6222. Teams: A, BB, B, C

Stagecoach Park, 3420 Mission Estancia, Carlsbad, 434-2895 (Parks and Recreation office at the park. Will refer interested people, but tennis league is not a Parks and Recreation program). Teams: AA, A, BB, B.

Stoneridge Country Club, 17166 Stoneridge Country Club Lane, Poway, 487-7777. Teams: AA, BB, B, CC.

Surf and Turf Tennis Club, 15575 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar, 755-5435. Teams: AA, A, BB.

Valley Center Tennis Club, 28751 Cole Grade Road, Valley Center, 749-7616. Teams: BB, B.

Vista Tennis Club, 685 Taylor, Vista, 726-4406. Teams: AA, A, BB, B.

Whispering Palms Tennis Club, 4000 Cancha de Golf, Rancho Santa Fe, 756-2471. Teams: BB (2), B.

Winners Circle Beach and Tennis Club, 550 Via de la Valle, Solana Beach, 755-6666. Teams: C.

San Diego Winter League

Canyon Hill Swim and Racket Club, 3012 Bear Valley Parkway, Escondido, 743-3601. Teams: A.

Fairbanks Ranch Country Club, P.O. Box 8586, Rancho Santa Fe, 259-8811. Teams: A.

Lomas Santa Fe Country Club, Lomas Santa Fe and Highland Drive, Solana Beach, 755-4090. Teams: B.

Winners Circle Beach and Tennis Club, 550 Via de la Valle, Solana Beach, 755-6666. Teams: BB.