16TH ANNUAL GUSTAVUS TENNIS GALA
What a day! Bright sunshine, with the temperature in the high 80's! For the third straight year the weather cooperated beautifully! The fun event brought together current players, parents, alumni, and friends for a festive afternoon of tennis. Gustavus president Jim Peterson cordially welcomed all the guests.
Lorri Steffen and Jan Foley again led the parents' committee that hosted the event. The flowers, food, drink, and decorations were outstanding! Marvelous support came from many parents. The professional sports tickets they gathered for the winners and finalists in each flight included front row seats for the Timberwolves!
The flight winners were Daryn Collins & Loren Hom (Australian Open flight), Dan Choiniere & Josh Knutson (Sony-Ericcson flight), Aaron Zenner & Danny Suchy (Pacific Life flight), Rachael Click & Song Thao (U.S. Open flight), Ryan Skanse & Dave Jussila (Wimbledon flight), and George Stickney & Kevin Stickney (French Open flight).
The flight finalists were Ben Lundell & Chris Lundell (Australian Open flight), Evan Wilcox and Bruce Wiessner (Sony-Ericcson flight), Krishan Jethwa and Kyle Olson (Pacific Life flight), Bill Sternard & Emily Sternard (U.S. Open flight), Charlie Paukert & Nick Hansen (Wimbledon flight), and Ron Jones & Jon Farnsworth (French Open flight).
So far the event has raised $13,000 for resurfacing our outdoor tennis courts. We hope that additional contributions in the next couple of weeks will bring our total to $20,000. Last summer the nine Gibbs courts were resurfaced for $38,000. Now eight of the Brown courts in front of the Swanson Center need immediate attention- preferably before Gustavus hosts the 2008 NCAA III women's national tournament in May. Contributions to the 16th Annual Gala will help us be ready for this important event.