KTAC Newsletter
April 2015
www.kitsaptennis.com
360-692-8075
Follow Us on Facebook- Kitsap Tennis & Athletic Club
FROM THE BOARD CHAIR: Sandy Byrne
Hello. I am writing this before the 4th of April because right now it is irrelevant
how successful you are with the public. What is an incredible success is the amount
of volunteer-ism, both in material and time, exhibited by the members supporting
the production of the KTAC Easter Egg Hunt. The amount of “I can do” emails flying around is awe inspiring. We
know that a lot of this enthusiasm is due to the personality of the Social Committee Chair, Debbie Gilman, and the
people who gravitate to her. Thank you for that, thank you for the interest in offering an opportunity to the
community, and thank you for the benefit and energy it brings to the Center.
Sandy Byrne
KTAC NewsKitsap Tennis & Athletic Center turns 45 !
Thanks to some visionary founding members, a bare plot of 12 acres was transformed into the Bremerton Tennis &
Swim Club on April 1, 1970. Many of those that worked tirelessly to make that dream a reality are still around today.
Read on for the story of one of our Founding members.
Derek Hilt Elected to Board of Directors
We are proud to have Derek back in a governance position with the Center. After a decade of faithful service as an
employee we are lucky to get his experience and knowledge back working for us. You may know Derek is now
working full time for Amazon and living in Seattle. He gets over many weekends to continue his passion for playing
tennis. Please join the board and the staff in welcoming Derek to the board.
KTAC’s Board Releases New Mission and Vison Statements
Mission Statement
KTAC – Serving our community and youth through an unparalleled racquet sports, aquatics and fitness experience.
Vision Statement
KTAC strives to be the premier facility in Kitsap County for the health and wellness of youth, individuals, families and
community, by providing opportunities for physical fitness, recreation, education and character development through
racquet sports, aquatics and fitness.
Day Use Lockers Now Available
Chris in the maintenance department has converted 10 lockers in each the men’s and women’s locker rooms to day
use. They are marked with signs indicating day use only. Members and guests may use the lockers and bring their
own lock. The locks must be removed each day. Remember we have additional lockers to rent and $45 per year.
Wi-Fi Added to Pool Area
Maintenance has been busy this month and now we have a Wi-fi extender that will enable our members and guests
to access their devices in the pool area.
Fruit Added to Snack Bar
By request from the membership we have added apples, bananas and oranges to the offerings in the snack bar.
April Member of the Month
th
With KTAC celebrating its 45 anniversary, we could
find no more apropos subject than one of our original
“founding fathers” for this month’s Member of the
Month. He was one of our three original founding
fathers and was the inspiration and a driving force
behind a dream – to build a tennis and swim club to
serve a community.
Robert Yekel was born in Scotts Bluff, Nebraska in
1933. It was a turbulent time in the world. Hitler had
come into power and the US stock market had crashed
just a few years before. Those devastating effects
would be felt until the start of WWII. Bob’s parents
lived on leased land that they farmed.
They were poor and you could say dirt poor. Perhaps
that description was used because that’s how the
family made it’s living from the dirt on their land.
Bob’s dad planted potatoes, beets, beans, alfalfa, peas
and corn. But times were tough and so was mothernature. Multiple times they were completely wiped out
by hail storms and other natural disasters. That was
life in Nebraska. Bob was the first of 6 children
although a younger brother was lost before his second
birthday to whooping cough. Four sisters followed so
Bob grew up quickly and took on extraordinary
responsibility for a young boy. Farm work was tough
and never ending. There were always cows to milk
and pigs to feed and other chores to complete. Bob
would attend a two-room school house in western
Nebraska with K-3 in one room and 4th to 8th grades
in the other. Things might have seemed pretty bleak
but Bob was lucky. He had a wonderful teacher, Mrs.
Arturburn, who was very stimulating. The school was
very disciplined, and yes there was a dunce cap.
Bob’s parents were incredibly supportive. Besides an
education, they wanted their children to have what
they didn’t, especially music and sports. This is
something Bob enjoys immensely to this day.
Bob excelled in that little school house. His potential
was displayed in the first grade when he won the
county spelling bee. Learning came easy to Bob and
he was becoming an outstanding student receiving all
A’s. He was also excelling in athletics.
Bob was running the tractor on the farm by age 8
and driving the pick-up truck by 10. He would be up
at dawn to complete his farm chores and learned to
play the trombone at band practice before school.
After school it was more work on the farm before
sports practice. Bob played every sport they offered:
football, basketball, track and later baseball. Being
the academic star Bob would be assigned the position
of quarterback. Things were going better on the farm.
So much so that his dad bought the farm they were
leasing. But tragedy would strike again. Another
devastating hailstorm would wipe them out and lead
to the loss of the farm. His father was forced to move
into town and go to work at John Deere selling
implements. Bob got his driver’s license at 14 so he
could go to school. He took on extra responsibility at
home, babysitting his younger sisters.
Something happened to Bob earlier in those
formative years. He was inspired by a person who
would become a driving force in his life. It was a
doctor in his rural community, Dr. Dunham. Bob would
describe him as “very stimulating”. It would be that
contact and that inspiration that would lead Bob to
amazing success in the field of medicine. Tragedy
would strike his mentor later, as Dr. Dunham was
killed in a plane crash. A fate that was all too common
with country doctors who needed to fly to serve those
communities.
That inspiration would be a life changer for Bob. It
would put him on an academic path, taking Latin,
advanced math and science. Excelling at Bayard High
School led to a scholarship to the University of
Nebraska. He was also invited to play football for the
university, but there would be no time for that. Bob
would complete 21 units a semester and always got
A’s. He would work three different jobs. He sold
women’s shoes on commission, worked in construction
and ran a shooting gallery. His pre-med classes were
demanding. He would study late after work, often
until 1 or 2 in the morning. He would establish a
pattern where he would need very little sleep and yet
accomplish so much. Partying and carrying on like
many of his classmates wasn’t for him. He literally
had no time to waste. Bob graduated in just 3 years
and applied to medical schools. He was accepted to
prestigious eastern medical schools but he couldn’t
afford them so he stayed at the University of
Nebraska. He earned Phi Beta Kappa status and
launched into his studies in medical school. During
this time, another game changer occurred. They say
behind every great man is a great woman. Bob
stepped onto an elevator one day. As the doors
opened, there stood a young woman with a radiant
smile and incredible beauty. She was so warm and
friendly Bob had to ask her out. She accepted. Her
name was Jean, and she was an undergrad nursing
student. Bob was smitten and after that first date
there was never anyone else. They fell in love and
were married during Bob’s senior year of medical
school. They were blessed with a son during Bob’s
residency and later a daughter. They were complete.
Bob and his family moved west to Virginia Mason
Hospital in Seattle for his residency. Not only was it
demanding, but he needed to take on a second job at
night. Pay was only $425 a month so Bob worked at
the King County jail at night to make ends meet.
During his last year of residency, Bob was named
Chief Resident. He was such a skilled surgeon that it
was only natural Bob found his specialty. It is so rare
for people to start at the top and keep climbing. Bob
is one of those rare individuals. Upon completion of
his residency, Bob joined the Air Force. After basic
training he was named Chief Surgeon of the London
Hospital.
After three years overseas fulfilling his commitment,
Bob returned to the Seattle area and became a
General Surgeon for the Doctor’s Clinic in 1966. Bob
loved the area. It was during this time he started to
play tennis. In London, Bob’s game was golf. He
quickly realized there would be no time for that. He’s
not exactly sure when he met Bob Fredericks, but it
was on the tennis courts for sure. Fredericks and Jack
Dunn were the big tennis guys in the area, but with
some help from a college aged instructor, Bob was
their third gun in no time. As the tennis boom was
accelerating, one day Bob mentioned to Fredericks
they should think about building an indoor club to
serve the community. The seed was planted and they
were on their way. They held house parties to tout
the idea. They quickly lined up 140 individuals who
pledged money. Bob scouted around and found our
current site. They were able to secure the twelve
acres for $20,000. With the help of Great Northwest
Bank, a loan was secured to build two tennis courts,
two racquet ball courts and the swimming pool. The
budget was a huge constraint, but they were
determined. The pool cost just $25,000 to build and
Fredericks saved over $55,000 in electrical contracts.
The Bobs’ shared management duties for the new
club. But for Yekel, a new commitment would create
another opportunity.
Bob noticed a great need for trauma services in
Kitsap County so he started the Emergency Services
Operation in Kitsap County. His group began
ambulance service, which was sorely lacking. He
wrote the curriculum for EMT’s. He trained the
Medical staff and advisors. Mind you, he did this while
continuing his surgical duties for the Doctor’s Clinic.
Bob helped write a grant to the Robert Wood Johnson
foundation, which netted 4.5 million dollars. An
emergency communications center was built, which
unified agencies and enabled an efficient system of
communication. These extraordinary accomplishments
by one individual changed the face of medical services
for the entire peninsula. Such feats of dedication and
skill that shape lives are indelible.
Like the founding fathers before him, Bob Yekel
blazed a trail that made life for the rest of us better.
Along with everything else he did, Bob found time to
be an avid outdoors man. He and Jean skied all over
the west and he became an adventurous mountain
climber. They also love kayaking, sailing and fishing.
If there is a moral to the story of Bob Yekel, it may
be that discipline and diligence are the pre-cursers of
achievement. But the truth is, triumph can follow
tragedy. And out of struggle, success.
Tennis News
Stringing:
We have added a new string brand into the center! It is called Solinco. We have brought in three strings;
Tour Bite (poly), Vanquish (multifilament), and Pro-stacked (synthetic gut). Tour Bite has been voted Poly of the
Year and #1 in spin since 2011. It has been used by many of the world’s top juniors, academies around the world,
college teams around the US such as University of Washington, and by ATP players such as Nikolay Davydenko (ATP
highest rank: 3), Donald Young (ATP highest rank: 39), Igor Andreev (ATP highest rank: 18), Andrey Golubev (ATP
highest rank: 33), and many more. At a limited time only, when you get your tennis racquet strung with Solinco, you
can get a Solinco over grip and installation for FREE! Please make sure to indicate on the restringing tag that you
would like the free grip.
Juniors:
On March 6th-8th we held the Kitsap County Junior Champs tournament, where Tye Loan (Boys 18s and 16s),
Oliver Doerr (Boys 12s), Thomas Williams (Boys 12s), Gabriel Ross-Neergaard (Boys 14s), and Sabrina RossNeergaard (Girls 16s) competed. Tye had a great weekend by making it to both finals of the Boys 18s and 16s! He
won the Boys 16s with a win over Mark Vasat 6-2, 6-1. Sabrina made it to the Girls 16s Semi-Finals. Gabriel won
the Boys 14s Consolation Finals against Eli Savitt. Thomas and Oliver both played very well to come out as the two
top Boys 12s in the tournament, including having a 5+ hour match against each other that had only lasted two sets!
Congratulations juniors for a well-played tournament.
USTA Leagues
This month starts the new USTA League seasons, the 40 and over and the 65 and over. Below are the
schedules for home matches for both leagues. The 40 and over league is played on the weekends while the 65 and
over is played during the weekdays. Both schedules show dates and times so you know what days and times are
available to call in to reserve courts.
The 65 and over league uses three courts for an hour and a half while the 40 and over league will use a total
of 5 courts spread within 3 hours. Good luck teams!
Member/Guest
In the month of May, we will be holding a Member/Guest friendly doubles tournament to bring guests to our
center. The tournament will be a doubles compass draw. There will be food and prizes. Match play will be an 8
game pro-set with no-ad scoring. The purpose of this friendly tournament is to team up with a guest with the
potential of joining our center. Registration forms will be out April 7, 2015.
From the Fitness Center
Congratulations to our weight loss challenge participants for a total loss of 109.4lbs so far! We are about 12
weeks into the challenge and those who are consistent in their efforts are achieving their goals. They are an
inspiration to us all
Aquatics
Check our evening fitness classes
6:30 MW Water Fitness with Sierra
5:30 TTh Cardio Power with Paul
There is still room in our Spring Break camps…
Junior Lifeguarding – M-F 9am-3pm
Swim Camp – M-Th – 10:30a-12pm
Swim lessons registration open for the next session beginning April 13th
Upcoming Swim Clinics
May 9th Triathlon Training
June 13th Seniors swimming technique
Lifeguard training May 22nd-24th