NorCal Men bring diversity to Nationals
September 24, 2011 01:41 PM
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NorCal Men, hailing from all over the globe, pose for a team photo.
© Andrew Ong
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By Matt Birch, special to USTA.com
Tucson, Ariz. --- The Silicon Valley region in Northern California is known for its diversity and many cultures. The men’s team representing that region at this weekend’s USTA Adult League 4.0 National Championships at the Jim Reffkin Tennis Center are the perfect embodiment of the many nationalities represented in the Bay Area.
The team, which is based out of San Mateo features athletes who have nationality ties to: China, Croatia, France, India, Japan, Philippines, Russia, South Korea, and Thailand, in addition to the United States and Native American ancestry.
This group has been playing together as a team for three years out of Beresford Park and this is their first appearance at the National Championships. The team originally competed at the 3.5 level, but moved up to the 4.0 level this season.
Team captain Phil Quan, who comes from an American Chinese background, said that although each member of his team may be from different cultural backgrounds, it does not impact them on the tennis courts.
"We are all very appreciative of each other, on and off the court," he said. "We’ve gotten to be pretty good friends, and it does not matter what our backgrounds or occupations are."
Quan also pointed out that Beresford Park is a public park with four tennis courts, which is unique since many of the teams which make it to Nationals compete out of various tennis and country clubs. The San Mateo men are proud of their success from practicing and learning the sport at their local, public park, and are glad that they can represent their region on such a high stage.
Many of the men on the team met each other through practicing tennis at Beresford and eventually decided to put a team together. Now, just a few years later, they have become one of the top teams in their region.
"The nicest thing is that we all got brought together by our passion for tennis, and it has led to some great memories and friendships," Quan added.
The team now is making new memories at the National Championships and hopes that they can bring back some trophies to their local public park.