Jerry Higgins

The Cottonwood Tennis Club (CTC) opens its regular 2023-24 tennis season with its annual Rainbow Classic. CTC tennis players are ranked by color: Red (4.0), Green (3.5), and  Blue (3.0), and in the Rainbow Classic, players are intermixed on teams, allowing the various rated players to play with and against the other rated players. With the mixture of different color-rated players, it’s a rainbow. Players are drafted on the Blue team, captained by Kathy Sundsrud; Orange team, captained by Barb Jorgensen; Yellow team, captained by Dave Sobeck; and Green team, captained by Steve Nolan, with Dave Sobeck, Kathy Sundsrud, Barb Jorgensen, and Steve Hardesty subbing for Steve Nolan.

Fifty-eight players participated in team-colored shirts and hats, with fans and players cheering each point: Blue 28 points, Orange 24 points, Yellow 18 points, and Green 8 points.

Tournament Director Dean Sinerius was pleased with the success of his first event and is hoping for a bigger event with the Bradshaw/Neu fundraiser tournament. Despite all that play time, players still found time to enjoy breakfast food, snacks, and lunches, through the efforts of Angela Dodge and her staff Linda Vogelaar, Felisa Kulba, Dolores Mahaffey, Teresa Hermsen, Bonnie DeGriener, Sue Elsner, and Penny Peterson.