FESTIVE SEASON

Over the last few weeks, I've been attempting to get to know the promising youth of the Club.  This is proving to be no easy job:  not counting the babes already wielding racquets & trooping joyfully in Wednesdays & Saturdays, the number of boys & girls from age 9 upwards hitting the ball with confidence & accuracy is impressive! Parents & older members watch these children training & already competing in matches against other clubs of the region, with justified astonishment. Apart from the satisfaction provided for parents & for all those concerned, this tennis proficiency of our young people is tremendous news for the Club as a whole! Let me start the photos with a service of Louis Gioanni & an enthusiastic attacking advance by Hugo Luna:  you can make a good guess at their ages from their sizes; but hardly from their confidence & proficiency........

All you other young players looking at these photos, don't worry, you'll all be photographed - just give me time.......

Let me jump up the age categories now to players of 'academy' level. Here are photos of Damon Roberts, 16 years old, practising serving. He is of Australian parentage, has played also for Hungary & is already classed 1/6 : 

      

In the adult categories, the results of team matches have recently been quite amazing;  on two consecutive Sundays, all visiting teams were defeated, each of those teams winning no individual match! Here is a photo of Luc Robert & partner Richard Garcia winning their doubles team match:

A special word of congratulation must be reserved for Didier Eysseric for his excellent wins in singles matches:  in 7 matches he lost only 11 games. Bravo, & a tennis with service-volleying technique, a pleasure to watch. Here he is, in position for the inevitable volley:

It seems, then that our Vignal Club has been en fête this year: this week this has continued by various group events in the restaurant, culminating with today's repas de Noël.  First Virginie's elegantly set tables:

Then Gilles Bélanger apparently dreaming about the recent success of his wife, Nicole's paintings in her Paris exhibition.

Sue Filer, who wanted to be seen in my blog at long last........

Philippe James, who caught my eye, & may have wanted to make the other ladies envious.........

Charles Bond & Peter Koch who seemed to be discussing the merits of various beverages.....

I hope this post gives some idea of the friendly & convivial nature of the Vignal Tennis Club to new readers, & more details of our success in coaching & in competition to all of you. In a subsequent post, I will attempt to pay tribute to the teachers who are doing so much to help players & members achieve excellence in our great game.

Bonnes fêtes, et surtout bon tennis.

COVERED COURTS

A few months have passed since my last post: we had a lovely summer, the Club Restaurant was thriving in the open air, many old tennis friends reappeared from overseas to play again in the beautiful surroundings they have appreciated for so many years.  Sometimes whole families came - in one case a mother & three daughters - each of the sisters good players & each with one or two young children to follow in their parents' footsteps: tennis steps of course! Members of that particular family live in different parts of France, but otherwise visitors from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, England, Scotland, Ireland, Kazakhstan, America, Australia, (& that's not a complete list), were happily welcomed, & thoroughly enjoyed their stay in this privileged area.

A lot of tennis then, was being played, weekly 'stages', were keeping the teachers busy, & everyone was having a good time!  But also workers were seen to be starting preparations for new constructions on two of our five clay courts; numbers 10 & 11.  This work continued until about a week ago, when suddenly all these efforts came to fruition; here are photos to show these transformations.

First, unpacking the parcels.

Next, spreading out the cover sheets.

Many tricky arrangements of all this material followed, with a vital fixing down of all the edges to the prepared base. The whole structure then was inflated - pushed up & out by air pressure: a procedure lasting a mere twenty minutes!

And here is the resulting 'bubble' (bulle) for court 11, as seen from the Restaurant Terrace & Centre Court.

And number 10, the most southerly of the courts, now appears like this, behind a few cypress tree branches in the photo.

And here is the court from inside.  The sunlight entering here is quite sufficient for play during the day. Artificial lighting for evening play will be provided by 10 lamps per court - one support (without reflector & bulb ) is visible to the left of the photo.

So we now have two covered, clay courts which can be used whatever the weather. A great improvement if members remember the frustrations for clay court players of the three first months of this year 2013. Congratulations & thanks then to the Vignal Owners, Sandrine & Olivier!

Just an important security note to finish this post. 

As the whole structure of this kind of court is supported by the air inside being maintained at a higher pressure than the atmosphere outside, & that this situation is kept stable by the continued use of a ventilator fan outside (& a second one in case of an electricity power cut), only one door of the double-door entry system, must be opened at a time, & this is essential for your own safety, & for the safety of others!

SUMMER EVENT

We are accustomed over the last year, to see our leading player, Jonathan Eysseric, between his great world tournament efforts, practising his hard-hitting tennis on Centre Court,  but yesterday involved a special surprise. 

Fresh from his successes at Wimbledon, Benoît Paire, at present number 27 in the World ATP ranking,  gave us a short demonstration of how he hits the ball.   A crowd of tennis-stage pupils watched carefully to see what they hoped to be doing one day in the future.

The demonstration continued between these two high-level players, using the vigorous practice scheme known as 'short tennis'. A point starts with one player holding a ball on the top of the net, & then letting it fall........... Movement of both players is rapid from this moment on.  Each in turn tries to put the ball as far from the opponent as possible & in the most inaccessible spot in the limits of the service areas.  Hard-hitting is out in this game:  it is a battle of dexterity, precision, & delicacy of touch.  Also, as this was played on clay court, long slides were necessary to arrive at the far distant places!  Here's one of them:

And now look carefully at the two players in action:

You get the idea!  Well make sure you try it out one of these days!

Many players & friends were watching by the time the demonstration finished, here's a good collection of those that had been on court:

And finally, Jonathan & Benoît, relaxing with a game of boules.

 (pétanque to you southeners):

And don't forget the summer event next Saturday, posted to you 

separately & to the ladies in particular.

OPEN TOURNAMENT

 The Club Open Tournament finished on time today with Finals in the numerous categories. The most spectacular match was, of course, the Open Men's Final: the two highest classified players (-2/6) had been eliminated in the semi-finals the day before, leaving young Lucas (1/6) against Mathieu (0). The struggle was hard, but the elder player won in two sets.

 New traditions were set up, in that this final was played on terre battue rather than on hard court, & that it was scheduled for 9 am, rather than in the afternoon. This arrangement proved eminently suitable, as all matches were completed before lunch, & the prize-giving ceremony still gave time for some welcome refreshment for players & spectators alike.

To give those unable to attend the morning's events some taste of the proceedings, here first, is a photo of the winner, Mathieu, looking at his new acquisition with some surprise:

Olivier adjusts his tennis cap before meeting the Lady Champion - who we are credibly informed, is of English origin !

Numerous Junior categories were provided for, & here is a photo showing several of the young champions :

A photo of the winners together with the organisers shows what a happy crowd they were:

Finally, the man who worked out all those draws, courts & times; our Technical Manager, Didier Eysseric................ apparently making off with several cups !

He surely deserves them, you will say;  but now back to more tennis for all those members who were not competitors.  We look forward to seeing you all back on court. 

Bon tennis & bonnes parties !

EIGHTIETH CELEBRATIONS

The Dutch group of players are good party makers; they have enjoyed two more recently. The first one was to celebrate the eightieth birthday of Dawn: I have written about her late husband Hank's achievements in an earlier post.  All their friends seemed to be there, & she managed to bring along her favourite jazz band as well.  Here is a photo of this local band, with her in  the middle:

The next photo shows some of the crowd arriving for the lunch:

Notice the animated discussions, with one of Dawn's well-known table decorations in the foreground.

And then came the meal - excellent as usual on the Restaurant terrace; followed by speeches in the usual Dutch tradition. The jazz band played, & then accompanied Anton who interpreted songs specially composed for the occasion by himself. There is other talent than tennis skills in the Club! 

Even some dancing & singing by Dawn, Chris & friend.......

This highly successful event was followed a mere week later by a Round-Robin doubles tournament of 24 players in 6 rounds: the number of players being doubled by hungry friends for one more good lunch.

Enough of our active Dutch members.......... what have other Club members been doing?

The internal Club tournament has produced many exciting matches; the end of these struggles will be celebrated this coming Sunday with an informal barbecue at the Restaurant.  (If you haven't yet booked, you're probably too late, these events are popular!)

Coming events;  a full Vignal tournament for all-comers & categories; a good replacement for the washed-out February event. Starting date 29th June; finals a fortnight later (14th July). Register as soon as possible.

One further photo - youth showing some rapid play on the mini-tennis court:

Try this sometime!  And look forward to an active summer in your Club with plenty new faces & visitors. The swimming pool too will very soon also be in use - 19 m by 9 m gives you plenty of space to keep really fit!  Go to it!

FURTHER PROGRESS

A recent promise of terrace extension has been carried out, not only efficiently, but with an attractive additional facility:  the surface extension is painted blue, with white lines providing a miniature tennis court!  The temporary addition of a net, has allowed members to practise play - most conveniently with a foam ball.  This provides a valuable new training method - only to be used of course when the restaurant is not in use - but already several younger players are showing exceptional skill in this mini-game, which will surely add to their competences in real tournament & match play.

The second club improvement rapidly achieved is the arrival of new furniture. The proprietors' choice was soon vindicated by the appreciative remarks of arriving members:  here is a view which will surely convince many other new clients & members:

The numerous plats du jour have been enjoyed by many of you & of your friends: Virginie & Manu, the Chef have devised further delights for your palates which you can investigate in a newly-designed Menu. Look specially perhaps at the list of desserts available for the summer season we are going to celebrate soon.

You will remember the disappointing fate of our February Tournament under those depressing deluges of rain; well, here's a pleasant surprise for all of you who wield a useful racquet, & who haven't yet read Didier's notices.  For the first time to my knowledge, we can announce the organisation of an Internal Tennis Tournament.  Consider the advantages arising from this decision:

1. All Junior categories (unprovided for last February) are available.
2. The matches start on the 11th of this month, & continue up to the 23rd of June.
3. Competition is restricted to Vignal members only - you already have seen how much easier it will be to beat some of your old friends, rather than those frightening visitors from other Clubs!
4. So now is that great opportunity to have that real classement  you've heard so much about, & have so much desired.
5. As more time is available, you are allowed to enter for more categories, say 2 or 3.
6. The modest entry fee per category also pays for the barbecue after the final matches.

Entries will be made through Oliver or Didier (Tournament Referee - Juge-Arbitre) or by filling-in an on-line document I will send out.

Jonathan Eysseric

You should recognise this name as of the eldest son of Didier & Pascale, & our leading player. He has been training hard recently on Court One, both physically with his coach, & at his game with his sparring partner, Jean-Philippe. From today you can see a photo of him in action just outside the restaurant.  Here is another:

 Here are a few details of his progress in high-level tournaments. You will remember he was World Junior Tennis Champion for the year 2008.  Subsequently he has had experience of meeting many strong players - even age 17, he gave Andy Murray a difficult match. As left-hander he has been a useful sparring-partner for Roger Federer. But what about recent successes?

His performance in the Qualifications for the recent Monaco Tournament gave further hope for his future:  against the Spaniard Albert Ramos he lost 7/5, 5/7, 7/6, with a match point for Jonathan in the third set. A disappointment to get so near; note the high world ranking (67 at the time; 38 last year, of Ramos.) The Spaniard continued several rounds after this close encounter, only losing to Fabio Fognini -semi-finalist loser to Djokovich. Then quarter-finalist loser to Nadal in Barcelone. High level tennis all this.

The local Grasse Open Tournament (a 'Futures' - level category) gave Jonathan a clear win in both Singles & Doubles. Great victories;  but he will go higher than this............ Keep your eyes on your leading player!

RAIN AGAIN

Waiting for a sunny day to give you more news, rain came again this afternoon: no more tennis today. Looking back as far as 1998, by far the wettest year was 2010, with 743 mm precipitation recorded in Cannes; the equivalent for today is already about 300 mm, with the month of March unfinished!

A very recent piece of news to give hope for the future:  cover for two of the claycourts has been ordered - you will soon be able to continue to play even during torrential downpours. Very good news! Photos hopefully in my next blog.

Another improvement to the Club facilities has been under way this week: doubtless because of the great success of the restaurant under our capable chef and the new proprietors, the terrace area has been doubled.  New tables and chairs will follow presently, all ready for the spring and summer days when it is so agreeable to eat under a completely blue sky.  Those few members and players who have not yet sampled the varied menus, will have no excuse but to join the happy band of regular clients. Remember friends of your families are equally welcome: they may even be lucky enough to witness a spectacular match on the centre court.

And speaking of spectacular tennis, I was one of the few who watched an extraordinary match  when the tournament referee (juge-arbitre) left his complex arrangements, to beat his athletic Cannes opponent in three sets. This, with innumerable service-volleys, and in spite of a groggy left-knee, and a developing cramp in his right leg!  Bravo Didier! Unfortunately this was one of the last matches possible: back came the rain to make more than 7 days lost out of the 14 available, and an inevitable tournament cancellation. (Watch out for the Junior events scheduled for July.)

A few privileged members were invited to the private exhibition of Nicole Bélanger's paintings a week or so ago.  This event took place in their newly-built modern mansion in the Peyrebelle area. This residence is fortunately quite spacious, for the alacrity with which Nicole (='Coline') executes her works of art, may one day soon, present a severe problem of accommodation for her strongly supportive husband, Gilles. Here is my photo showing something of the paintings (acrylic on canvas): a much more complete view is found on her website:   www.coline-art.com

Just a word now about the Nature happily around us at the Vignal; looking carefully at the many ash trees around the courts, you will see a yellowish-green material on many of the branches. Here is a photo:

This material, called lichen contains algae along with fungi; the two organisms live together for their mutual benefit. This association is called symbiosis; the algae contain the pigment chlorophyll which facilitates photosynthesis, and this vital process using sunlight provides glucose which is food for the fungi, (and incidentally oxygen for us!) The existence of so much lichen around here, is a good sign that there is no atmospheric pollution by sulphur dioxide - a gas which destroys lichen.  A good environment then!

Forthcoming Club events are round-robin tournaments both in the Ladies' group and the Dutch group. See the respective Captains Judy Haar and George Buter for more details. Now get back to practising when the courts are dry again. Bonne chance et bon tennis.

WINTER

The months of December and January have been decidedly wet and cold.  In this privileged part of the world, a day of rain can always be followed by a full blue sky, but we have experienced an exceptionally humid period. This has adversely affected the state of the clay courts which have been mainly unplayable during this time. So we are lucky to have so many hard courts!

Here is a photo of a well-washed shirt one frosty morning, illustrating one effect of the recent weather conditions;  thank-you Fred.....

 The tennis-playing groups have bravely kept up their good humour  and good eating. The IWG tennis captain, Judy talks to 25 of her ladies in the club restaurant here:

The accent was on decorative hats, as you see - Caroline next:

While the Chef quietly prepared the excellent meal in the background:

A great event as usual. 

The ladies followed this a few days later with a cocktail evening to view (and sell!) a good number of works of art painted by several group members.  What a talented and active crowd!

On a serious note of security, a little explanation could be acceptable, of the notice on the wall near the offices, indicating that a 'défibrillateur cardiaque' is available. Anxious members will have been appreciative of this important purchase by our owners;  but exactly how and when would this apparatus be used?

Let us earnestly hope that the occasion will never occur..............  but nevertheless, if it does happen that a player collapses on court;  members should be ready to act, and to act correctly and rapidly.

The first thing to check should be to find if the victim is still breathing - if not; this could be the most serious case, & heart massage should be initiated immediately, with someone telephoning SAMU at 15.

This is where the defibrillator comes in. The victim's chest should be uncovered, & the electrodes in the pack placed on each side of the heart, as you will see in the video linked to this text. With the apparatus plugged in to the set, an oral diagnosis will be emitted. If fibrillation (chaotic vibrations not allowing normal heart pumping) is detected; the instruction to press the button giving a strong electric shock, will be announced. 

All this carried out correctly could save the life of one of us: watch the video carefully, & imagine in your mind what you, yourself, would remember to do in such a situation. 

(Pour une traduction en français, viens me demander au Club: en tout cas le video est en français

Bon tennis & bon appétit dans votre restaurant !

Remember also the Annual Vignal Tournament from February 23rd to March 10th; I sent out forms to fill in before February 20th, to possible participants this afternoon. Otherwise communicate directly with Olivier or Didier at the Club. Bonne chance!