The Women’s Committee and Playground Partners of the Central Park Conservancy took to the courts in an energetic tennis tournament at the Central Park Tennis Center. The event raised nearly $195,000, which will be directed to the Conservancy’s year-round care and maintenance of the Park’s 21 playgrounds, ensuring safe and fun play spaces for New York City’s children and families.
This year’s “105” style tournament featured two women’s sessions, a courtside brunch, and—for the first time—a men’s session in the evening, followed by celebratory cocktails. Players were fitted in stylish athletic attire from Tuckernuck, the event’s sponsor, for the matches.
“Play for the Park brings our community together in a spirit of fun and friendly competition, while supporting the care and preservation of Central Park’s playgrounds. We’re especially excited to build on that momentum this year with the addition of a men’s session, creating an opportunity for even more Park supporters to come together and enjoy a day on the courts for our cause,” said Barbara H. Scott, Women’s Committee President.
“This event displays the enthusiasm of some of the Park’s greatest supporters – the Women’s Committee and Playground Partners. Thanks to their dedication, the Conservancy can continue to provide the city’s families with play spaces embodying the highest standards of safety, innovation and creativity,” shared Betsy Smith, Central Park Conservancy President & CEO.
Event Chairs Katherine and Marco Birch, Juliana and Patricio Diaz, Brooke and Andrew Fadale, Alana Frankfort and Dovid Spector, Tracey and Craig Huff, Neda and Peri Navab, and honorary chair, Yesim Philip, were joined by Playground Partners Co-Chairs, Kara Gerson and Lizzy Quick, and Playground Partners Vice Chair, Anna Bender-Zeckendorf. Other players and spectators in attendance included Suzie Aijala, Darice Fadeyi, Brian Haufrect, Adrienne Israel, Samhita Jayanti, Sherry Lee, Melanie McLennan, Paula Mahoney, Jeffry Sarkisian, Sundar Subramaniam, Amy Tarr, and Hasty Torres.
Melissa Crandall and Regina Goldman Krumholz won the morning session competition, and Eileen Angelo and Katherine Birch were named champions of the afternoon session. James Clippard and Nam Nguyen took home the inaugural men’s trophy. Attendees hydrated between rounds thanks to smartwater and fueled their backhands with brunch and bites catered by Thomas Preti. All guests were true winners with gifts provided by Tuckernuck, Stanley 1913, and Greek Goddess Gourmet, with prizes awarded to tournament winners from Tuckernuck and USTA Eastern, along with a special door prize donated by Buckskill Tennis Club. The tournament was facilitated by pros provided by NY Tennis at Central Park.
Tennis has a long history in Central Park and has been played there since the 1880s, when the sport was beginning to grow in popularity in the United States. The Tennis House was the first completely new building to be added to the Park in the 20th century. In the 1980s, the Women’s Committee helped raise funds to renovate the space as one of its first initiatives. This site now hosts the City’s largest set of public tennis courts, with 26 Har-tru courts and four hard courts, available for public play through NYC Parks permitting. The Tennis Center and the Playgrounds are just a few of the many activities and amenity spaces that the Women’s Committee of the Central Park Conservancy has supported throughout its nearly 45-year history.
Image credit: Bre Johnson & Maxwell Brown/BFA
