JANUARY 2026 | VOLUME 18, ISSUE 1
New Members
Karen Kaminski & Family
Julie Davis
Rachel Nickolette
Ian Cobb
Terry Kitagawa & Family
Carol Kleiner
Yacopetti Family
John Masyczekj
Jolinda Gladstein & Family
Liduvina Carreon & Family
Shaylan Mayer & Family
Rob Black
Lisa Sennott
New Members: Please contact hitwithfitt@gmail.com to get your court gate key.
A Letter from the President
Greetings NVTAers, and Happy New Year!
It’s another sunny day in Napa as I write this, so I hope many of you are getting out and enjoying playing tennis. You may have noticed that we’ve embarked on a project to clean up the trees in the courtyard. Although to the untrained eye it may look like not much has been done, in reality there has been a significant amount of careful trimming and thinning done to maintain the health of the trees and still provide an effective canopy to provide the shade needed during the warmer times of the year. The next step is to address the roots of the trees that are impacting the courtyard pavers and causing the upheaval in certain areas. This work will be scheduled for 1 or 2 Saturdays in February and will be done to minimize the impact of playing on our courts.
We continue to make progress on our strategic efforts to ensure the continued existence and flourishing of NVTA. As previously reported, our relationship with the Napa Valley Unified School District (NVUSD) is very positive and we are moving forward with them to create a viable long term plan for our current Vintage HS
campus facility. Recent communications with NVUSD have given us further encouragement that a more definitive plan and agreement is being developed and may be presented to us shortly. Similar progress is being made with our developing
relationship with NV College. We have already exchanged draft versions of a comprehensive Memo of Understanding (MOU) and are looking forward to moving that to a definitive contract in the next several months.
To remind everyone, the NVUSD and NV College activities will be complementary, it is not one or the other. We will be expanding the footprint of NVTA to include BOTH facilities, each providing capabilities that the other can’t. We’ve been notified by NVUSD that significant infrastructure activities will be taking place at Vintage HS during the summer recess. The entire parking lot off Jefferson and most of the Trower lot will be used for staging materials and equipment, so will not be available. Alternate pathways to our courts are being developed in order to minimize the disruption to our activities, including our annual July 4th Tournament. We know that there are days and times when our 8 court facility is getting crowded, with clinics, leagues and member play all happening at the same time. This is particularly the case on weekend mornings. The Board is looking at ways to alleviate some of the overcrowding and we’ll let you know as soon as we have a proposed solution.
Finally, to anyone interested in joining the NVTA Board please reach out to any current Board member and let us know. We are in particular need of someone with reasonable accounting and financial skills.
In the meantime, get outside and play tennis! It’s a great stress reliever and is not only fun, but good for you!
Jeff Gold
President, NVTA
Club Reminders
PLEASE NOTE:
Do not speed in the parking lots. A complaint was made to school officials and they have asked us to remind our members to be cautious of pedestrians and students in all parking lots when entering and exiting the facilities. We appreciate your compliance.
Lost & Found will be emptied by Sunday, February 8. Please claim any items you may have left at NVTA before then.
Upcoming Tournaments & Events
Sign up for FITT’s Galentine’s Day clinic, Friday, February 13th at NVTA: a ladies clinic featuring gal pal doubles and spicing up your racquet with a lovely new grip, dampener and stencil.
Sign up to the waitlist in CourtReserve now! Spots will open up!
USTA Tournaments
February 13
L7 in Lafayette, NTRP 18+ 2.5-5.5 - Reg by February 8
L7 in San Jose, NTRP 18+ 3.0-4.0 - Reg by February 8
February 20
L7 in Lafayette, NTRP 18+ 2.5-5.5 - Reg by February 15
February 21
L7 in San Jose, NTRP 18+ 3.0-4.5 - Reg by February 15
Advertising Opportunity
Showcase your business and services in the NVTA Newsletter!
100% of the proceeds from advertising in the Newsletter will go towards NVTA's Tennis Court Fund. We encourage you to support our fellow NVTA tennis members.
If you are interested in advertising or want to brainstorm other ways we could partner together, please contact nvtanewsletter@gmail.com
I'm interested in advertising!
Playoffs & USTA League Reminders
NVTA’s Women’s Combo 5.5B, 6.5A, and 7.5 teams all had a great time at Sectionals!
Women's 6.5A combo team
Women's 5.5B combo team (and friends)
Attention Captains: Reminder to make sure all your players are maintaining active NVTA memberships. All players on USTA teams must be NVTA members. NVTA Membership: https://app.courtreserve.com/Online/Memberships/Index/9328
Interested in playing on a team or captaining but need some guidance on where to start? Then don't hesitate to reach out! You can email hitwithfitt@gmail.com or reach out to any NVTA Board Member.
NVTA welcomes new team captains and all players and it's best we know of your interest to play or ability to captain in advance so we can do our best to help field teams to meet the roster requirements.
Adult 55 & Over
Team Registration: Jan 19 – Feb 17, 2026
League Season: Mar 16 – May 24, 2026
Playoffs: Jun 11-14, Jun 18-21, Jun 25-28, 2026
Sectionals Weekend: July 10-12, 2026
Current/Prospecting NVTA Captains:
W 55+ 8.0: Dianne Maher, diannermaher@gmail.com
M 55+ 6.0 inquiries to Stan Boehm, s-boehm@comcast.net
M 55+ 7.0 inquiries to Doug Fraggi, dj.fraggi@gmail.com
Adult 18 & Over
Team Registration: January 19 – February 17, 2026
League Season: April 6 – June 14, 2026
Playoffs: June 25-28, Jul 9-12, Jul 16-19, 2026
Sectionals Weekend: August 7-9, 14-16, 2026
Current NVTA Captains:
W 18+ 2.5: Laura Gaffney, Laura.e.gaffney@gmail.com
W 18+ 3.0: Diane de Seve, d.deseve@gmail.com
W 18+ 3.5: Niki Camerin & Samanda Dorger, nikiphotographysonoma@gmail.com
Register a team link: Register A Team
Adult League Calendar: https://www.usta.com/en/home/play/adult-tennis/programs/northerncalifornia/adult-league-calendar.html
View League formats here: https://www.usta.com/en/home/play/adult-tennis/programs/national/about-usta-league.html
Adult League Tournaments: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AlJt6CBIwoB8N9ZJF1AAYG7zy7FJ0hxt7P9lAK1xTnA/edit?gid=1649684414#gid=1649684414
Parks & Rec Youth Tennis Classes at NVTA
Parks & Rec classes offered at NVTA will resume in April for the April and May sessions. Please review our other kids' classes in CourtReserve as we offer kids classes year-round!
Parks and Rec Sign up: Catalog - City of Napa Parks & Recreation Department
If you have any issues with enrolling or questions about enrolling/attendance, please reach out to hitwithfitt@gmail.com
ID Badge Process
No ID badge needed Monday, February 9 or Monday, February 16.
An ID badge is required to visit NVTA during school hours. Updates on how to obtain ID badge are available on the NVTA website. You can get your photo and ID badge in one visit and must email Lisa Carroll. Please review the badge policy and steps to complete by clicking the button below:
Membership Renewal Reminder
Please renew your NVTA annual Individual or Family Membership via CourtReserve. You will receive an email notification from CourtReserve reminding you of your membership expiration and renewal.
Members must login to their existing Napa CourtReserve account and go to "My Membership" under their profile once logged in.
If you have questions about your membership or CourtReserve, or need your password reset, please email Annika at hitwithfitt@gmail.com
Remember: if you are playing on a USTA team out of NVTA, you must become a member or make sure your current membership is active/renewed.
Join FITT for weekly clinics at NVTA!
Clinics offered Monday through Sunday. Register for each clinic through your profile in CourtReserve!
Weekday clinics from 8am-4pm require you to have an ID badge when school is in session. Evening and weekend clinics do not require the ID badge.
Mondays
12pm-1:30pm, Cardio Tennis, Levels 2.5-3.5
6pm-7:00pm, Adult Tennis 101, Beginner- new 2.5
Tuesdays
6pm-7:30pm, Live Ball, Levels 3.5 & up (3.0s can email if interested)
Wednesdays
5pm-6:30pm, Live Ball, Levels 2.5-3.5
Thursdays
11am-12:30pm, Rusty Racquets, Levels 2.5-3.0
Fridays
12pm-1:30pm, Doubles Live Ball, Levels 3.5 & up
Saturdays
9am-10am, Adult Tennis 101, beginner- new 2.5
10am-11:30am, Cardio Tennis, 2.5-3.0
11:30am-1pm, Live Ball, 3.5 & up
Sundays
9am-10am, Adult Tennis 101, beginner- new 2.5
10am-11:30am, Cardio Tennis, 2.5-3.5
***Weekly schedule subject to change.
Please check CourtReserve for current schedule***
A message from our pro
Happy New Year everyone!
Hope this message finds you well. Here are a few things to work on in 2026 to play better doubles:
Angle volleys (stop hitting it back to the baseline player), hit it low and away.
Poach early and poach often! Start moving more at net.
Practice your overhead. Most club players lob a lot, so develop good technique on the overhead and always have good margin.
2nd serve: work on adding more spin/pace to second serve. You’re only as good as your second serve on the Ad side of court.
Returns of serve is the least practiced shot and literally half the game! Remember, a groundstroke and return of serve are not the same. They are different footwork and different backswings. Work on them!
Communication and court coverage: talk with your partner on how points are being lost and won. Change court position or shot selection to change point outcome.
Cheers!
Coach Mike
Connect
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Quick Links
Napa Valley College Scholarships
These are difficult financial times for many NVC students, some affected are those who could benefit the most from college.
Please go to the following web sites and to learn more about the organization and consider helping with a donation:
On The Move
10,000 Degrees
Napa Valley College Foundation
The NVTA Court Reporter newsletter will be published monthly. Please submit articles and photos to nvtanewsletter@gmail.com.