First, due to an electrical outage, the site of the BCTA Jr. Classic was changed from the Bucks County Community College in Newtown to Frosty Hollow Tennis Center in Levittown, where the first two rounds were played on Friday evening. Then, due to snow in October on Saturday, the tournament moved from Frosty’s outdoor courts to Pennsbury Racquet Club’s indoor courts.
Tournament director Barry Sysler did an outstanding job of keeping the tournament moving despite the foul tennis weather. “What a nice group of kids,” he commented at the conclusion of the tournament.
Congratulations to all the participants: Samir Akif, Ari Boyarsky, Derek Esplin, Jordan Feller, Casey Frederick, Alex Fuchs, Zacharay Hahn, Rowan Hobson, Benjamin Kron, Luke Lombardi, Tajay McLeod, Andrew Shoemaker, Ross Slutsky, Ethan Springer.
Also, a special thanks to Francis Rubert Jr., who spearheaded the creation of the special championship trophy in memory of his partner Ellen Hackett, a long-time Newtown resident who loved all sports, who passed away on November 21, 2005.
Born on July 7, 1961, Ellen Hackett graduated from Archbishop Carroll High School, where she was a member of the varsity girls’ swim team. After graduating high school in 1980, she became a nurse’s aide at Suburban General Hospital in its physical therapy department. She also was a seasonal employee of the Upper Merion Parks and Recreation Department before moving to Bucks County in 1990. Ellen graduated with honors from Bucks County Community College with the hope earning a degree in physical therapy.
Ellen became a United States Tennis Association tennis instructor, and for seven years, supervised tennis programs for Newtown Township and the Newtown Soccer Association. She also taught at the Frosty Hollow Tennis Center. In addition, Ellen worked as a seasonal playground counselor for Newtown Township Parks and Recreation at its Newtown Middle School site.
In addition to tennis, Ellen played (and refereed) soccer, softball (she was all-star pitcher and named MVP on her championship team in the 1998 Newtown Parks and Recreation League), golf (she won Charlie’s U-Turn Golf tournament Ladies division in both 1991 and 1993), and bowling (she scored in the 200s numerous times). Plus, being a former swimmer, she attained her WSI accreditation and performed lifeguard duty in the area.