Kathleen Parker and Andrew Green Triumph at Colorado Mixed Open

January 11, 2018
Denver, CO
by Cary Hodges

As
Was it the “crack bacon”? Or the “awful margs”? Word spread quickly through the hut that Andy Parker had served his lovely wife, Kathleen, a steady dose of both before the tournament began and whadya know?! She and partner Andrew Green ripped through the bracket without dropping a set and taking down Deedee Schneiders and Tim Kofol in the finals, 6-2, 6-2.
Sarah Shore and Matt Kranich recovered from the semi loss to Parker/Green to take third place over Amanda Howell/Jay Schwab, who had registered the upset of the tournament in a marathon 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 over last year’s runner up Wendy Bermingham and Ian Hintz. Cyn Rentz and Ken Croney took the A consolation and Annie Stookesberry and Ben Burke won the Last Chance bracket in a three-setter.

Bs (Tracy Kerr/Pete Walters Win the B )
Fancy progressive diets aren’t the ticket to a title for everyone. Tracy Kerr took a very different track in the B bracket this year. Initially registered with Ian Stone, whose temp gauge went north of 102 degrees a couple days before the event, she cast a net to find a replacement. Boulderite Pete Walters happily joined the tournament and after upsetting the #3 seed (Cady Sheldon/Scott Ripley) in the quarters, and the #1 seed, Maggie and Eddie Hays, in the semis, the new duo found themselves in the finals across from Kathy Givan and Jake Schneiders. Givan/Schneiders were feeling good, too, after rolling through without dropping a set so it was fitting that the first set of the finals went down to the wire with Kerr/Walters taking it in a 7-4 tiebreaker. Givan/Scheiders could have used some leftover crack bacon; Kerr/Walters won the second set, 6-2.
Andrea Carey, who spent time behind the desk at Arapahoe Tennis Club as a youngster, teamed with Charlie Capp to take fifth. Ellie and Nick Morris, with their baby Bea (red head babies are the cutest) in tow, took the Reprieve bracket. Bobbie Brandon and Dixon Waxter had the closest match of the tournament with a 4-6, 7-6, 7-6 victory in the Consolation finals. Kimberlee Berman and David Wilkins had an arranged blind paddle date that worked out in the end as they captured the Last Chance bracket.

Cs (Mary Ann Hilt and Paul Barrow Sweep the C)
For the first time in Colorado State Mixed history, the event hosted a C bracket with eight teams registered. We have seen Mary Ann Hilt around here before, but had not seen her partner Paul “Byron” Barrow. Steve and Ginger Stookesberry had been on site before, but only to root on their daughter Annie. Meg Tobler and Chris Giblin had their first run together with us as did Barb and Rob Fraser. Cailyn Welsh and Kyle Testerman showed up with tutelage from Brock Borman out at Meadow Creek Tennis Club and Denise Perkins and Byron Craig joined us from Denver Country Club. We also had a mother-son team, Caroline and James Rassenfoss, and Lina and Lawrence Kuljis showed up to play and remind everyone that Lina has won the Soup Party twice!
Tobler/Giblin started off strong with back-to-back straight set victories over the Rassenfosses and Perkins/Craig, respectively. On the other side of the bracket, Hilt/Barrow survived a three-setter in the semis versus Testerman/Welsh. In the finals, Hilt’s experience (and a new 5.0 tennis rating) complemented Barrow’s steady play to guide them to a 6-2, 6-1 win over Tobler/Giblin. The Kuljis took the consolation bracket over the Frasers, and the Rassenfosses outlasted the Stookesberrys to take the Last Chance final.
Thank you to all 100 participants who played this year. It was the largest Colorado State Mixed on record and the first time to see three different brackets. See you all at the Arapahoe Invitational in a month’s time.