29th ANNUAL
UNITED STATES GAY OPENTENNIS TOURNAMENT
RETURNS TO
STANFORD UNIVERSITY, MAY 22-25, 2009
www.usgotennis.orgSAN FRANCISCO, May 18, 2009
The first
gay tennis tournament in the world, and one of the first organized gay
sporting events, is back for another year of action at Stanford University’s Taube Tennis
Stadium over Memorial Day Weekend. After starting on San Francisco public tennis
courts in 1980 with roughly a dozen pioneering gay players, the USGO has grown into an
internationally-recognized event. This year’s racketeers come from as far away as
Argentina, Australia, and Europe, with a large
Bay Area contingent also in action. With
over 300 players from all around the United States and the world, the USGO remains the
largest gay tennis event in the country.
While this year’s tournament has
singles and doubles events for players of all levels, it
also sees the return of one of the most popular and unique events at the USGO—World
Team Tennis. In the
WTT format, women and men off all levels compete together in
high-energy, fast-paced singles, doubles, and mixed team play. As the competition heats
up, the teams vie to show off the wildest court-wear (
pink wigs were big last year) and
the most creative cheers. And, in homage to what many locals consider to be the best ice
cream in the Bay Area, all WTT teams are named after flavors of San Francisco-based
Mitchell’s ice cream. Incidentally, last year saw the Thin Mints, Jack Fruits, Chocolate
Raspberries, and Passion Fruits take home the medals.
In addition to tournament play, Saturday morning will also feature a
Tennis Block Partysponsored by the
United States Tennis Association at
Palo Alto High School’s tennis
courts. This social tennis event is for players not competing in the tournament and is open
to the public and totally free. Instruction, interactive games, fun, and food for players of
all ages and abilities will be offered. This event aims to give Bay Area residents a chance
to meet new players and learn about tennis programs for
LGBT tennis players.
On Sunday night, players will have to wait one more day to rest their tennis-blistered
feet, as the tournament action moves to
San Francisco’s Mission District for a Latin
dance party at
Roccapulco. Starting with dance lessons for the uninitiated, the party will
feature dancing to the
latin music of local eight-man group
Rumba Cafe, as well as a drag
extravaganza headlined by San Francisco star
Raya Light.
While the USGO is all about a great experience for the players, it also has a firm
commitment to give back to the local community. Over the last two years, the tournament
has raised over $13,000 for the East Palo Alto Tennis & Tutoring program. Using a
unique mix of one-on-one academic tutoring and tennis instruction,
EPATT has been
impacting the lives of hundreds of East Palo Alto youth since 1988.
A slew of sponsors have helped to make this year’s event possible. Adidas, Babolat,
Gamma, Powerade, and Mitchell’s Ice Cream all donated tennis gear and amenities for the
players. The
Bank of the West Classic,
USTA Norcal, and
Gay Day at Great America have
all supported the event. The USGO will have a booth at Great America’s Gay Day on
Friday, May 22.
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