Author: dlockwood2@berklee.edu

The Summer Ladder Awaits…YOU!

I am delighted to announce that we are still 12 days away from the official start of the 2023 Tennis4All Summer Challenge Ladder and we are already at 28 rungs! There is always room for more and we invite you to take part in all things ladder. Here is the link but the gist of it is: $10 and a membership in good standing and you’re in! We accept new players all summer long in fact, so if you’re not sure now but you decide later in June or July you’d like to join, you can!

2023 Summer Challenge Ladder

Also, though again official matches do not begin until the 27th, if you’re already on the ladder and would like to engage in what we call a ‘friendly’ match, by all means, do! Contact someone and set up a match, enjoy the beautiful weather we’re having. Just don’t report the score to me, as it won’t count until the 27th. That’s when everything counts. Every. Thing.

-Doug

 

 

Shakespeare-Tennis Man!

Hello tennis friends.

I recently sent a message about joining the Summer Challenge Ladder. You should totally do that.

You might also wish to see me playing Touchstone in Actors’ Shakespeare Project’s production of ‘As You Like It’ over on the Tufts campus in the Balch Theatre. It runs pretty much the month of June. Come out and support the Arts and I believe it will be a very good time to boot!

While we all know Shakespeare lends himself to all things Queer, I will add that this production will be extra Queer. The director is Harold Steward from the Theatre Offensive.

Here is a link to all of the info:

As You Like It

If some of you want to get together and go as a ‘Group’ there are Group Discounts available if you email the lovely Evan Turissini at: evan@actorsshakespeareproject.org

Cheers!

-Doug Lockwood

 

 

 

 

 

Winners of the 2022 Challenge Ladder!

As Ladder Master-2022, I am pleased to announce the winners of the 2022 Summer Challenge Ladder. You will also see each winner here depicted with a prize for their efforts.

#1 Player: Scott Lee! (pictured with tiny silver #1 thing) ; Scott simply never lost a match.

Biggest Leap up the Ladder: Thomas Le!  (pictured here with frog with a crown on it) ; Thomas went from #29 to #9

Most Points for Most Matches Played: Jason Wu (101 points) and Martin Romm (98 points)! (pictured with gorgeous water bottles); These two just kept playing!!

We had 35 players on the Ladder this summer. Next year….you could be one of them and you too could take home some kind of unfathomable prize.

Until then….the ladder master rests….

Winners of the 2022 Summer Challenge Ladder!

Good day.

Thank you for another excellent summer of tennis and bitchiness. I loved it.

Here are the Winners of the 2022 Summer Challenge Ladder….

End of Season #1 Player: Scott Lee (living up to his 4.5 status, Scott Lee simply could not be touched)

TOP 2 Players for Point Accumulation: Jason Wu (101) and Marnin Romm (98) (exhausting)

Highest Climber from Starting Position to Final Position: Thomas Le  (from 29 t0 9!)

Congrats to the winners and everyone who participated this year. You will all be receiving glorious prizes in the mail.

Hope to see you all on the ladder next year.

-The Ladder Master is….out!

 

Final Week until the ladder COLLAPSES!

Greetings from a Sunday night Long Legs

One week from tonight, the Ladder shall close.

Our leaders on the Match Ladder are: Scott Lee, Ian Shank and Terry Epps at 1, 2 and 3 respectively.

Will anyone sneak up on these three for a place at the top of the ladder?

Our leaders on the Points Ladder are: Jason Wu at 101 and Marnin Romm at 98. I don’t believe they can be caught.

One more week. What chaos can you bring down on the ladder? Whom can you usurp?

I will tell the final story one  week from tonight.

When the ladder Collapses.

-the ladder master has spoken

September is It!

Greetings Summer Challenge Ladder!

We are in the final month now. September 25 is the last day of the summer Challenge Ladder. After that, the ladder disappears. Into thin air.

The US Open is happening, sure, I get it….but will anyone usurp Scott Lee from atop the Challenge Ladder? Well done, Scott. You remain ensconced up there. Ensconced.

Congrats to Terry Epps, who recently took over 2nd place on the ladder. Huge!

Special kudos to both Alan Gnani and Ian Shank who, on separate days and not against one another, played 2 matches in one day. I simply do not understand this feat but it was achieved by both of them. And this summer has been hot as….

On the points ladder, Jason Wu has just entered the 90s. Well done, Mr. Wu. Marnin Romm  is not far behind. The top 2 on the points ladder will receive spectacular prizes. Can anyone catch these guys? I think not.

I have removed myself from the ladder as a player as I am dealing with a left leg injury. Feeling optimistic now about playing in the Fall singles league but I’ve had a pretty awful time with sciatica and other left leg woes that are too boring to speak of,  so thought it best to take time off, lots of stretching and walking and just, ya know, watching the US Open.

But I am still here to record all of your matches and make the occasional catty report.

Enjoy the September temps!

Your ladder master…ensconced in all kinds of things…

longlegs

Sizzle!

Well, well, well….some spicy news to report.

We have a new 4.5 arrival on the ladder this week in the form of one Ian Shank. Welcome aboard, Ian. There is only one other 4.5 on the ladder and that player sits on top. Will Ian make his way up for a 4.5 showdown with Mr. Lee? We shall see….there are some very talented 4.0s who might have something to say about it….

Speaking of making his way up, Mr. Mark McDonough defeated Mr. Terry Epps this past brutally hot weekend over at Tufts and took over the #3 spot. Well done, Mark:  only two players ahead of you now!

As Mark and Terry began to warm up, I was being soundly defeated by Mr. Alan Gnani. It has been 2 substantial losses to Mr Gnani this summer, and despite the fact that he’s just a super nice guy, I am FURIOUS!

On the points ladder, Mr. Jason Wu and Mr. Marnin Romm are starting to run away with things, entering the 70s now. You guys are astonishing!

Remember, fabulous prizes will be awarded to the top 2 on the points ladder, the number 1 of the challenge ladder itself and 1 prize for whomever rose the highest from beginning to end of summer. Hopefully, I have kept track of that….I totally have.

This weekend doesn’t look quite so brutal on the humidity-side of things. I look forward to reading about your scores from Block Island, where I will be competing in the Lockwood Family Olympics.

yours sincerely,

The Ladder Master

 

The Ladder is Hot!

Your ladder master is impressed.

Despite scorching local temps, you continue to get out there and play tennis.

I got off the plane tonight coming home from Oakland and was overwhelmed by the wall of humidity.

But not you. The summer challenge ladder players cannot be stopped.

Mr. Wu, Mr. Romm and Mr. Le continue to battle it out on the Points ladder, all of them have entered the 50s, very well done to them!

Mr. Romm also continues to ascend the Ladder itself…some very impressive wins of late. Mr Jackson and Mr Smith are also putting together some nice victories of late. How high can they soar?

Mr. Lujares and Mr. Wu have had two EPIC matches already this season, both won by Mr. Lujares…perhaps third time’s the charm for Mr. Wu?

Mr. Lee continues to Lead the ladder in the #1 position, thwarting the valiant efforts of Mr. Epps most recently…(who now has a hold on the #3 spot, by the way.) Can anyone melt this man’s game down?

Keep hydrating. Keep reporting. Keep making sure I’m getting the scores and shit right.

-Ladder Master Lockwood

 

Post-Wimbledon Announcements

Well, the grass court season is done. Ms. Rybakina and Mr. Djokovic did fine I guess… but the real intrigue is here with the Summer Challenge Ladder!

Mr. Grosdidier and Mr. Lee had their first battle and Mr. Lee proved a worthy #1, prevailing 1 and 1. So many 1’s, so little time….

Will it be Mr. Krasikov or Mr. Epps who take on Mr. Lee next? Mr. Epps has been making his way slowly but surely up both the matches ladder AND the points ladder where he is currently #4 in both! How far can he go? Only time will tell….

Mr.Le, Mr. Wu and Mr. Romm remain the top 3 contenders on the points ladder but so much could change in these next few months: no rung is really secure. Some may in fact be on the wobbly side even as I type…

A few matters of business: if you know you’ll be traveling or have an injury that will keep you out for over a week, please let me know so I can ‘freeze’ you and so others don’t come after you with their challenges. Also, you may want to check your Spam folder once every couple of days. It is possible that some challenges are ending up there in that spammy wasteland. To that end, if you are a challenger and you don’t hear from the person you’ve challenged within a day or two, you may wish to try them via text/phone.

I’m doing a bit of traveling myself these next few weeks, hopefully my back will also have time to recover from chasing Mr. Poyar’s and Mr. Lee’s spin-balls all over the place (!)

I will have my lap top by my side however, ready to update your results during this beautiful spell of summer we are having. While many in the world turn their attention to the U.S. Open series, while players prepare for San Jose, for Cincinnati, for Washington DC and eventually for the U.S. Open itself, my focus remains GLUED to this page…to the 2022 Summer Challenge Ladder.

There is simply nothing else like it.

-Ladder master Longlegs