Tourney in Big Easy could mess up Wexford captains' vacation plans

It's a tough decision that, quite frankly, Cal Navis and Carrie Vormohr are hoping they are forced to make.

That would be the choice of playing in a national tennis tournament or sticking to the commitment of a family vacation.

Navis and Vormohr are co-captains of the Wexford Dream Team, a 5.0-rated mixed doubles tennis squad that will be competing in this weekend's USTA League Southern Sectional Mixed Doubles Championship in New Orleans. The winners of the round-robin tournament will advance to the USTA League National Eastern Mixed Doubles Championships in Orlando, Fla., next month.

But should the Dream Team make it that far, Navis and Vormohr each have vacations scheduled during the same time.

"Who would have thought we'd even be talking about that as a problem?" Navis said. "It's one we hope to have. I think we have good enough players that they could get along without me."

Wexford will take a group of 10 players to New Orleans to make up five mixed doubles squads, the same pairs that won all but one of their matches in straight sets at the state competition in Charleston.

"We had some new players this year because we didn't have enough to field a team with the leftovers from last year, and we've jelled together," Navis said. "It's been a perfect mix. We have a vibrant team. Our philosophy is just to go down there and have some fun."

Two local seniors teams also qualified for this weekend's event -- which includes teams from nine states -- after winning the state championship last month: the Port Royal Topspinners (7.0) and the Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center (8.0).

The Topspinners and Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center will compete in group play, with the winners of each group advancing to a championship match.

The Topspinners finished league play in Beaufort County 6-0, while Palmetto Dunes Tennis Center went 9-0 and lost only 11 sets in the team's nine matches.

VAN DER MEER OFFERING FREE LESSONS

The Van Der Meer Tennis Center is giving another round of guinea pig sessions during TennisUniversity week. Visiting professionals will conduct the lessons on Oct. 20-23 from 5-6 p.m. They are free to the public, and no reservations are required for attendance. For more information, call the Van Der Meer Pro Shop at 785-8388.

PTR HIRES CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

Pat Decker has been named as the Professional Tennis Registry's chief operating officer. Decker has owned Middlebury Racquet Club in Connecticut since 1995, and she is currently on the board of directors for USTA New England.

"We are excited to have the expertise and knowledge that Pat brings to the staff," PTR CEO Dan Santorum said.