Prompted by a recent Vero Beach 32963 story about the disappearance of amateur adult tennis tournaments in Indian River County, local realtors Mike and Meg Hickey decided to take a shot at organizing just such an event – and using it to promote their business.
So Mike Hickey pitched his plan to The Boulevard Tennis Club’s new general manager, Joe Snailum, who eagerly embraced the idea, and together they began organizing the inaugural M&M Spring Classic.
The tournament, scheduled for May 13-15 at The Boulevard, will offer competition in men’s and women’s singles and doubles, as well as mixed-doubles, with draws based on United States Tennis Association ratings: Men’s and Women’s singles (3.0, 3.5, 4.0 and Open); Men’s and Women’s Doubles (6.0, 7.0, 8.0 and Open); and Mixed-Doubles (6.0, 7.0, 8.0 and Open)
The entry fee for adults is $20 per event for singles and $30 per team for doubles. The entry fee for high school players is $10 per event. A player may enter no more than two events.
The entry deadline is 11:59 p.m. Friday (May 6), and the draw will be available May 11. There will be consolation brackets in each division for first-round losers.
“There really isn’t much going on, as far as tournaments, so we’re going to give it a try and see how it goes,” said Snailum, who will serve as the tournament director. “It is great exposure for the club, and it’ll give the players around town an opportunity to compete against each other.
“Right now, we’re going to get the word out to the other clubs and, hopefully, they’ll get on board and we’ll have a good turnout,” he added. “It should be a lot of fun.”
The tournament will be sponsored by RE/MAX Associated Realty’s M&M Group, which was founded by the Hickeys, a mother and son who both play tennis.
“I came down from southern Maine, where, in the summer, we had a terrific public tennis tournament schedule,” said Mike Hickey, who moved to Vero Beach in January 2014, roughly two years after his mother moved here. “There were as many as eight tournaments, and it cost only $10 or $20 to enter, so a lot of people played.
“When I moved here, I was surprised that there weren’t any tournaments, except for the Charity Cup at Quail Valley – and that’s not really open to the public,” he added. “Then I read that article in the paper about how there used to be all these tournaments.
“That’s what got me going.”
Mike Hickey said he approached Snailum first because his mother joined the club in January. They agreed that sponsoring the tournament would be a good way to make their company’s name better known in the tennis community.
Snailum and Mike Hickey said the amateur tournament probably would attract more players in March or April, before the community’s seasonal residents depart for the summer, but scheduling conflicts and addressing the necessary preparations made it impractical. As of last weekend, 20 players had entered, but Mike Hickey said he expected a flurry of entries before the deadline.
“Realistically,” Mike Hickey said, “May was the earliest we could do it.”
Snailum said the tournament would be played earlier next year, and that it probably would be used as a fundraiser for a worthy charity.
“We just didn’t have enough time to get all that done this year,” Snailum said, adding that the club’s bar and kitchen would be open throughout this year’s tournament.
“The only negative to having the tournament here is that it takes a fair share of courts away from the members,” he said. “But we’re hoping most of our members will play.”
