By Joanne Easton Durham
LONGMEADOW, MA - The 28th annual Clem Easton Super Seniors tournament will be held at the beautiful Field Club of Longmeadow July 7-10.
However, the Easton brothers, Chuck and George, have retired as co-directors and have officially handed over the reins of this successful tournament to two younger and well-qualified people, Karen Fawthrop- Myers and her husband, Michael Myers.
"George and I and several in the family will remain involved behind the scenes," said Chuck Easton, "providing transitional support for the Myers this year."
In 2010, the Clem Easton tournament drew a record number of 70 players. With some playing both singles and doubles, the draws of the 13 events totaled 90 participants.
Charles, Chuck and George Easton
New co-directors Michael Myers and Karen Fawthrop-Myers seem to have the ideal background and passion for running this popular senior tournament.
Michael is Tennis Director of the Enfield Tennis Club in Enfield, CT. He founded and directs the East Longmeadow summer tennis camp for kids and works directly with several local towns on their tennis programs. Previously, he ranked as the No. 1 tennis player for Springfield College and is a former men's and women's coach of the college's tennis teams. His passion for the game of tennis was a driving force behind formation of the Enfield Tennis Club in 2003
Karen Fawthrop-Myers is an avid tennis player and manager of the Enfield Tennis Club. She captains several USTA teams, is co-coordinator of the Western Massachusetts Adult Leagues, is an active member of USTA New England Western Mass State Association, and has served as tournament director for several USTA adult district championship events.
From 1999 until 2010, the Easton family ran the tournament with Clem Easton's sons, Chuck and George, serving as co-directors. As associate directors, granddaughter Joanne Easton Durham oversaw the registration process and her husband, Rick Durham, managed the TDM database.
Clem's eldest grandson, Chas Easton, assigned courts to the players and posted results of matches played. A number of other Easton clan members, sometimes from as far away as Seattle, Park City, Atlanta and Baltimore, also volunteered their time on site working on check-in, providing refreshments, setting up and awarding prizes, updating draws on the computer, and sweeping the courts.
It's been a true labor of love to honor Springfield native Clem Easton, who was inducted into the New England Tennis Hall of Fame posthumously in 1997 for his decades of service to the sport of tennis and his long record as a ranked New England senior player. The tournament won the USTA New England's 2006 Adult Tournament of the Year award.
"I love coming back to this tournament each year," commented George Easton, "and will continue to do so. We are satisfied that under the leadership of Karen and Michael, the tournament will continue to appeal to large numbers of New England's senior players."