Jaclyn Williamson and Scott Safford Repeat at Mixed MAPTA

April 30, 2021
Paoli, PA

Event honors Lucie McAvoy and Peter Harrison

Kelly Yodis and Annie O’Shea report: The 50th Annual Mixed MAPTA Paddle Tournament, hosted by Waynesborough Country Club on March 20, was an event that featured great competition by many of the region’s best players. During the event, we recognized Waynesborough members Lucie McAvoy and Peter Harrison, two founders of the event who were instrumental in developing Philadelphia paddle.

Jaclyn Williamson, of Philadelphia Country Club, and Scotty Safford, of Waynesborough, repeated as tournament champions, defeating DuPont Country Club professional Jeff Wiedemann and Wilmington Country Club’s Cindy Prendergrast, an accomplished National Champion and member of the Platform Tennis Hall of Fame.

Mixed MAPTA featured 40 teams, highlighted by the return of Waynesborough’s own Tim McAvoy to tournament paddle. Tim is a Hall of Famer and played with his sister, Laurie Hissey, a proven champion in her own right and the driver of the highly successful Radley Run paddle program. Tim and Laurie, who have partnered to win five Mixed MAPTA titles, made an inspired and highly cheered run to the quarterfinals. Waynesborough fielded nine players on seven teams, including club pros Vlatko Najdek and Nate Gambino.

Peter Harrison, a member of WCC, was recognized as one of the founders of MAPTA (the Metropolitan Area Platform Tennis Association) and a friendly, positive, and helpful presence whose attitude and spirit infuse Philadelphia paddle.

Lucie Bel McAvoy, Tim and Laurie’s mother and a beloved Waynesborough member, was remembered as a fierce competitor who taught hundreds of people to play the game she loved, developing paddle in the Philadelphia region. Lucie passed away in 1997, and her children embody her legacy of courage, resolve, resilience, skill, sportsmanship, and competitive spirit, along with a passion for teaching many people to play paddle so they can beat them! Lucie is a member of the APTA Hall of Fame. She won four National Senior Championships and many regional tournaments, including the Mixed MAPTA tournament nine times, four with Tim.

Passionate tournament participants enjoyed a spirited day of competitive paddle and celebrated the rich heritage of the sport, accorded by paddle founders like Lucie and Peter.