Barb Jorgensen
Rain can’t stop us. With assistance from our friends/neighbors at the IronOaks Tennis Club, a few matches were held there. Some were moved to Palo Verde, and some players returned to finish under the lights. We were back on schedule by Friday morning for our annual Bradshaw-Neu Charity Tennis Classic, which was held Nov. 16-23.
The 2025 U.S. Tennis Open in New York had more than one million attendees. Imagine the number of people it took to run that! While Cottonwood Tennis Club’s signature event doesn’t have that size of a crowd, the ratio of volunteers to run it to the record number of players, spectators, and vendors may be a close second. Our volunteers are second to none. The list of volunteers to pull this off is mind-blowing. It’s an all-hands-on-deck affair, and we are very thankful to each and every one of them, as well as our generous sponsors.
This year’s Bradshaw-Neu Charity Tennis Classic invited more tennis clubs than ever before. We even had a dedicated website, www.bradshawtennis.com, designed by Cottonwood Tennis Club President Mike Jaltuch. The website allowed user-friendly, easier registration and now has winners and photos posted.
Grand Canyon University Women’s Tennis Team held an exhibition during this event. Courts 1 and 2 were packed with spectators in awe of such athleticism. What great fun to add to our event!
The 2025 Bradshaw-Neu Charity Tennis Classic Champions are as follows:
Women 2.5: Bonnie Degrenier and Jill Benedict
Women 3.0: Barbara Ludwig and Pat Roberts
Women 3.5: Barb Jorgensen and Erin Dunn
Men 3.0: Stan Stewart and John Pollock
Men 3.5: Mark Sadosky and John Brauneis
Men 4.0: Dan Hopkins and Jim Munsil
Men 75+: Timothy Shum and Leo Lapane
At the very core of this unique atmosphere is our beloved food court. “In life, as in our tournament, sharing a meal is a powerful force that binds people together. This culinary hub is a tradition I have never witnessed elsewhere in tennis. It also represents the greatest act of selfless service by our volunteer corps,” commented Mike Jaltuch, Cottonwood Tennis Club president.
Cottonwood Tennis Club has Social Memberships for those who no longer play tennis but enjoy the atmosphere, short court tennis for those who want to transition to full court tennis or prefer not to run as much, free tennis clinics, and many, many social events. If you would like more information on joining this fun club, go to www.cottonwoodtennisclub.com.