End of the Season Notes and Team Picture!

It was a great year for the Stingray Tennis Team. We went into our last match against Gifford Middle School undefeated but Gifford was undefeated too, and the defending Middle School champions. They were a little better than us and beat us in a close contest, 9-6.

Congratulations to the entire team. I would like to acknowledge Colin Rhodes, who went undefeated at #1 Boys Singles this year, Madelaine Rhodes, who lost only one match at #1 Girls Singles, and Kendall Schlitt, who started off the year playing doubles, then stepped up to play #2 Girls Singles and went undefeated.

I was very proud of the team's performance and how they supported each of their teammates.

Here is a picture of 18 of our 20 kids (missing from this picture are Brittany Hatch and Garritt Garcia, who were both out of state when the picture was taken).

From Left to Right: C.J. Cypert, Dylan Matson, Madelaine Rhodes, Kendall Schlitt, Jeannie Dume, Tess Prater, Coach Daugherty, Ashley Beck, Shannon McLeod, Jackie  Carabia, Salome Rivera, Sunny Lulla, Colin Rhodes, Ian Orzel, Benjamin Baker, Sam Weinstein, Chris Neira, Jackie Neira, and Ryan Wahl.

Also, a huge than you to Brian Orzel, who assisted me with tennis practices and Karen Schlitt, our team Mom.

I hope the kids enjoyed tennis as much as I did coaching them.

Sincerely,

Coach Daugherty

Practice on Wednesday, Matches on Friday and Saturday

Hello Parents and Players,

We have quite the busy week with tennis this week. We have practice on Wednesday, after school until 5 p.m. Then we have a match on Friday, April 25th and a match on Saturday, April 26th.

Friday's match is a rematch with Sebastian River Middle School, beginning at 4 p.m. The match will be held at the Sebastian River High School's tennis courts. You should park in the East Parking Lot between the High School and the Performing Arts Center. The courts are behind the high school, so park in back. Make sure your child has lots to drink and a snack. Players need to report no later than 3:40.

Saturday's match is a rematch with Oslo Middle School, beginning at 12 noon. The match will be held at The Vero Beach Tennis Club, in the Timber Ridge community off of Oslo Road in South Vero Beach. To get there, heading south on US1, turn right on Oslo Road (there is a light at that intersection with a Publix on the left and a Walgreen's on the right. Cross Old Dixie and the railroad tracks and head west about a half mile. Turn right into Timber Ridge. There is a church at the entrance. Continue along that drive about 1/4 of a mile and the tennis club will be on your right with ample places to park. Make sure your child has lots to drink and a snack. Players need to report no later than 11:40.

See you soon,

Coach Daugherty

Stingray Tennis Update, April 12, 2014

Well, we won another match. Everyone who played won at least one match, some won twice. The final score was Storm Grove 14 Oslo 3. Winning is always nice, but it's not the most important thing. I would say "trying your best" is more important and I believe all of our Stingrays tried their best.

Our match against Gifford that was scheduled for Friday and was rained out will probably be rescheduled, though maybe not. Gifford's coach will call me next week and we'll look at possible make-up dates. There is a possibility we won't be able to find a date that works for both of us. We play them on Friday, May 2nd already. They are the best team, by far, that we will face.

This week we don't have any matches scheduled, but we do have a practice on Wednesday, April 16th. Our next match is scheduled for Friday, April 25th, against Sebastian River Middle. That match will be held at Sebastian River High School, at 4 p.m.

Thanks again for your continued support of the tennis program at Storm Grove Middle.

Coach Daugherty

Stingray Tennis Update, April 7, 2014

Well, we did it. We had our first match yesterday and we won most of the matches. My unofficial count was Storm Grove 11, Sebastian 7, with one tie. What was really great for me was having our beginners get their first experience. Thank you to all of the parents for your support of our tennis program. It was nice to see all the parents there and your kids appreciated your support, too.

This week we have a practice on Wednesday, a match on Friday against Gifford Middle School (they will be heavily favored), and a match on Saturday against Oslo Middle School. The match on Friday will be held at the Vero Beach High School tennis courts (south side of the high school). The match on Saturday will be held at Hidden Palms Tennis Club, located at 4291 5th Place SW in South Vero Beach. To get there from SR 60, head south on 43rd Avenue, past 4th St where there will be a traffic light, continue south until you get to 5th St. SW. Turn left, make your first right, then a quick right, and follow that road to the end. You will find yourself at Hidden Palms.

Their coach contacted me Friday and told me that they have a conflict at the scheduled time. It was scheduled for noon but now they need to make it 9 a.m. or else move the match to another day. The problem is we don't have another day that works for us, except maybe on a Wednesday. I would prefer to play at 9 a.m. I realize we have a match on Friday and then a quick turnaround to have another match on Saturday morning, but hopefully we can do this.

Please reply to me indicating if you are OK with the change in time, or not. Another option would be to cancel the match entirely, but I'd like to still have it, if possible. Again, please email me back to let me know if your child can play both Friday afternoon at VBHS and Saturday morning at 9 a.m. at Hidden Palms.

Thanks and I'll talk to you soon.

Coach Mike

Kendall and Madelaine 

Parent Meeting this Thursday, February 27th

Hi Parents,

This is a reminder that this Thursday is the mandatory Parent Meeting for those who have children wanting to play Middle School Tennis for Storm Grove this Spring. The meeting will be at 5 p.m. in the Media Center at Storm Grove Middle. We should be out of there by 6 p.m.

The children do not have to come, but they can come if they want to.

I am still waiting on a couple children to hand in their paperwork and to complete their registrations online. The web address to register, for those who haven't already done, so is http://mfcfmiddleschooltennis2014.eventbrite.com.

Thanks and see you Thursday!

Coach Daugherty

Stingray Tennis 2014 Season Information

Welcome to the Storm Grove Stingray Tennis Blog. My name is Michael Daugherty and I am the coach of the Storm Grove Middle School Tennis Team.

I teach 7th Grade Math at Storm Grove. I also teach tennis. During the school year, I am the Head Pro for the Mardy Fish Children's Foundation Tennis Program. A team of USPTA certified tennis professionals go around to the different elementary schools in the school district, set up portable tennis courts on the schools' hardcourts, and give tennis clinics to the students in the school district. In the summer, I head north to Michigan where I am the Director of Tennis for the Leland Country Club in Leland, MI. I return in time to report to school for the beginning of the school year.

I love both of my jobs: teaching Math and teaching Tennis!

Last school year was the first year that Storm Grove Middle School had a tennis program. We have a deep and sincere gratitude to Mardy Fish and his Foundation for financing the program. They provide the balls, racquets, and scholarships based on financial need, and compensate the tennis pros for their efforts. Thank you, Mardy!

The team is limited to 16 players. It is not based on skill-level. There are no tryouts. Even if you're a complete beginner, you can be on the team, so long as you are one of the first 16 students who return all of their completed forms along with a check made out to the Mardy Fish Foundation for $68. A team shirt is included in this price.

Unofficial practices will be held the week before Spring Break. Spring Break begins March 24th and ends on March 30th. Students return to school on March 31st. The first match is tentatively scheduled for April 4th. The season runs for 6 weeks. We will have one practice and one match each of those 6 weeks. There will be an end-of-the-season tournament the first weekend in May to culminate the season.

Weekly announcements will be posted on the blog site, so bookmark it for convenience sake.

You can reach me at Michael.Daugherty@indianriverschools.org.

Looking forward to the tennis season!

Sincerely,

Mr. D.
Coach Daugherty