Mother-son tennis tandem captain Las Animas 6.0s to District
Championship
GILROY – Tennis has always been a constant within the Marques Family.
Mom plays and both her sons play.
But the mother-son bond grew ever stronger this year when Carol Marques invited her 20-year-old son, Kenny, to join her USTA 6.0 Mixed Doubles Team – based out of Las Animas Park in Gilroy.
“It’s very special,” said Carol, who also plans on recruiting her younger son, Robbie, as soon as he turns 19. “It makes for a special closeness between us.”
It also makes for some championship tennis.
Although they play on separate doubles pairs on the Las Animas 6.0s, the Marques connection has helped the local squad flourish on the hard court.
“She asked me to play,” said Kenny, who played two years on the Gilroy High varsity tennis team before graduating and attending Gavilan College. “My mom knew with me on the team we’d have a great chance to go all the way.”
It’s true because the Las Animas 6.0s – all members of the Gilroy Tennis Club – are now headed to the Sectional Championships on June 7-8 in Pleasanton.
“The Gilroy Tennis Club is really proud of them and their achievements,” said Club Vice President Ernie Olivares of the Las Animas 6.0s. “They have strong team unity and leadership.”
In the fall league, which runs from September to February, the Las Animas 6.0s won the Monterey Bay League title with an 8-1 record. The championship gave them an opportunity to represent their league at the District Finals in Pleasanton – where the three doubles teams combined for another championship against other Northern California teams. In the Districts, Las Animas’ run included sweeps of Half Moon Bay and Pioneer Park as well as a 2-1 win over Chico.
There are six players on the Las Animas 6.0s – making up three mixed doubles units. Kenny – who is playing in his first USTA mixed doubles season – is a 3.5 level player and his partner, Vickie Mood, of Gilroy, is a 2.5 for a needed total of 6.0. They are 8-2 overall this season.
“In our first match of the season, she played like she was playing for 10 years,” said Kenny of Mood. “I was just happy that we were going to Districts. But to win at Districts was special. My partner played very strong.”
Kenny said he helped groom Mood – who never played before – into a competitive player before the season even started.
“I practiced with her from August to October non-stop three, four times a week to get ready for match play,” said Kenny, whose first match was in November.
Carol – who has been in the USTA for nearly two years – is a 3.0 level player and her partner, Danny Covita, of Morgan Hill, is a 3.0 as well.
The third mixed doubles team is made up of Gina Lira and George Mena. Also filling in due to injuries this season were substitutes Joe Pack and Larry ‘Super Sub’ Scetrini.
The Marques’s co-captain this year’s squad – but it was Carol who started up the team two years ago.
“I played a little bit after college – but I just got back into it five years ago. I did it for fun,” Carol said. “Then we were talking to friends and they suggested that we start a league and see how we do since we play all the time.”
She not only played mixed doubles, but also played on four different teams at the same time. The dedicated team practices four days per week – sometimes five. Last year, Carol captained her squad and won the league championship. But they faltered at the Districts – making her hungry for another shot this season.
To strengthen her team, Carol recruited one son this year and hopes to do the same next year.
“We look at each other as friends out there,” Carol said. “I’m not their mom when we’re on the court. We’re all out there as players.”
