Podium sweep: Hatters take first, second and third in men’s tennis at Alberta 55-Plus Summer Games

By RYAN MCCRACKEN on July 8, 2019.

NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN
Medicine Hat's Craig Weich returns a shot while teammate Dave Reinheller looks on during the Alberta 55-Plus Summer Games gold medal match against Jin Shin and Peter O'Driscoll on Saturday, July 6, 2019 at Medicine Hat Tennis Club.

rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken

Medicine Hat swept the men’s tennis podium on Saturday at the Alberta 55-Plus Summer Games.

While it seems impossible on the surface – as each of Alberta’s eight zones is given a berth into the tournament – three zones did not send teams to the event, allowing two more Hat squads to enter in their place, and they didn’t disappoint.

“We had a lot of good Medicine Hat guys that came out,” said Dave Reinheller, who defeated Peter O’Driscoll and Jin Shin, 8-5, to win the gold medal alongside partner Craig Weich on Saturday at Medicine Hat Tennis Club. “We had a good match. That final was a lot tougher than I figured, so you get a little tight and that’s what happens. It was very enjoyable.”

Weich added he and Reinheller often face off an opposite sides of the court, so being able to team up with his friendly rival on the provincial level was a welcome change.

“It was actually nice to play with Dave on the same side of the net,” he said. “Dave stepped up his game today and played really well, so I just tried to follow suit, keep the ball in play and Dave would put it away at the net. I think it was a good combination.”

O’Driscoll says he and Shin finished third in the playdowns, which gave them one of the final spots in the Games – and he insists Shin made the most of it.

“My partner is an incredible tennis player, Jin,” he said. “He carried us all the way to the final and we actually gave the gold medallists a good run for their money so we’re happy about that too.”

On the next court over, Kerry McDowell and Mark Thorogood battled to defeat St. Paul’s Dave Shankowski and Yaun Beaudoin to clinch the bronze and secure the sweep of the podium. In the women’s tournament, fellow Hatters Sheila Reinheller and Wai-Cheng Pretzlaw took silver after falling to Zone 3’s Kerry MacPherson and Brenda Ringdale in the final – capping off an unforgettable weekend for the club.

“We had such great volunteers and we’ve got a great club that we’re proud of,” said Weich. “It’s great for people who come from other parts of the province to see what we have to offer here.”

On top of their successes on the court, O’Driscoll agreed the weekend was another great showcase for the club, which seems to be expanding by the season.

“We’ve had so many comments from the people from out of town about what an incredible facility this is,” he said. “We have seven courts, we have four of them lit and I think in the next year we’ll get the other three lit as well so if you want you can play tennis at 2 in the morning. An incredible membership, a great board that’s all volunteer, a fantastic manager in Ken Clement. It’s a hidden gem in this city, it really is.”