Tupelo tennis team finds sectional success in U10 competition
Sep. 6—MOBILE, Ala. — Omar Alciano has been coaching tennis for nearly 40 years, but some of the most gratifying experiences have come from a group of young players he's working with now.
In recent competition, he led eight boys and girls from Tupelo to the first ever sectional championship claimed by a Tupelo Country Club team. This is the ultimate achievement for a team in USTA tennis, as there is no higher level of competition conducted by the organization. Alciano is director of tennis at the Tupelo Country Club.
"This is a really special group," Alciano said. "They've been together for two years, and we hope to keep them playing together as they grow. They could play together in youth tennis for the next seven years. Hopefully they'll get to compete for another sectional championship in a higher age bracket."
Alciano works with players of all ages, but finds teaching the game to kids to be especially enjoyable.
"There's gratification found no matter who you're teaching, but when junior players listen to you, and you watch them grow in a game they'll play the rest of their lives, it's very rewarding," he said.
Teams in the United States Tennis Association, or USTA, qualify to play for their state championship. By winning there, they advance to sectionals. Tupelo plays in a sectional that includes nine states spread across the Deep South.
The sectional-winning U10 group, players age 10 and younger, was one of four teams the Tupelo Country Club sent to sectionals. The sectional winners had first qualified to enter, then won Mississippi's state championship tournament. They were joined by state champion U12 and U18 teams from Tupelo Country Club, and by a second U10 team from the club that was invited to sectionals as a wild card entry.
Alciano said the juxtaposition of a team atmosphere in an individual sport creates teaching moments and memories tennis players would not otherwise have.
"There is a team atmosphere that brings the group together," he said. "The Southern Sectional win is a big deal and a great achievement. They'll certainly appreciate it more as they get older.
"Their parents are very happy because of how we represented the club, the city and the state. It's a great achievement for everyone."
Alciano is originally from Santiago, Chile, where he grew up playing tennis. He came to the United States on a college tennis scholarship, playing for Auburn, then for the University of Alabama at Birmingham. After college and a year spent on the professional tour in Europe, he got involved in teaching the game, primarily in the Birmingham, Ala., area. He came to Tupelo 10 years ago for the tennis director's job at Tupelo Country Club.
Kevin is the weekend edition editor for the Daily Journal. Contact him at kevin.tate@journalinc.com.
