Our board of directors
Stuart has been a Davisville member for the past 18 years — and our esteemed leader for 15 of them! Aside from his long tenure as President, he has held many other leadership roles, including stints as treasurer and heading up socials, player development and communications. He’s been a men’s B and mixed B doubles champion and says he is still “searching for the elusive B singles” win. Stuart started playing tennis with his grandfather in Southampton, ON. As if he isn’t busy enough leading DTC, he is also social director of NTSC, VP at the InterCounty Tennis Association, a “proud captain” of an N division hockey team, and vice-president of marketing at a communication company. Whew! His words of wisdom to new DTC joiners: “On a warm spring or summer day, there aren’t many places as nice as Davisville to spend your time with friends enjoying a sport that you love,” he enthuses. “Come to the club often and, pretty soon, you will be there all of the time.”
Davisville’s new social director has loved playing tennis “since first picking up a racquet in primary school.” A relative newcomer to Davisville, having joined for the 2017 season, Damian’s enthusiasm for the club didn’t take long to be noticed. He volunteered for last year’s OTA 5.0 tournament and umpired the season’s women’s B singles and men’s C singles finals. It’s not a surprise that he earned the “most enthusiastic new male member” award last season. Damian, who works at a downtown social service agency, calls himself a “big racquet geek,” saying he collects and plays with several different ones. His words of wisdom to newcomers? “I love that the DTC community is so supportive of all levels of competition,” he says. “Sign up early for the leagues and ladders, as spots fill fast.”
Sarah has been a DTC member for more than 10 years and board secretary for eight seasons. Her “favourite part of Davisville is the people I’ve met and the friendships I’ve made. It’s a pretty special community and I feel lucky to be part of it,” she says. To keep herself in tennis racquets and dress code-compliant gear, Sarah works in financial services. When it’s not tennis season, “you’ll find me running or playing hockey.” Her top tip for newcomers: “Come out and get involved,” she says. “There’s no better way to meet people than taking a lesson, playing in the Davisville Cup, going for a beer after social tennis or volunteering to help.”
Simon has been playing tennis since the age of 13, when he took up the game with friends on public courts in his hometown of Edmonton. A chartered accountant, he joined the club in 2013, and became treasurer in 2015, responsible for overseeing financial matters ranging from day-to-day duties such as bookkeeping and banking to preparing and presenting financial statements at the general board meeting. “I am fortunate to be part of a great team of board members and membership, which makes this club the great place that it is,” he says. His top tip: “If you want to play, just tag up. Someone will join you.”
Terry has been playing tennis for as long as she can remember, self-taught on cracked surfaces with fraying nets at suburban public hard courts in Toronto. A journalist and editor by profession and a mother of two grown daughters, she has long loved the competitiveness, strategy and social camaraderie of the courts — and experiences the game as a great way to de-stress. A member of Davisville for four years who joined the board for the 2017 season, she advises all newcomers to “join as many activities as you can. Tag up, play ladders, join house league, enter tournaments and be part of social tennis. It’s the best way to meet and get to know other players at the club.”
One of the friendliest faces and most helping hands at Davisville, Gene joined the club about five years ago. Once at the club, “I found I could not stay away,” she adds. It’s no surprise that not long after joining DTC, Gene won the “most enthusiastic new member” award, followed the next year by the “volunteer of the year award.” Calling herself a “late bloomer to tennis,” once she started, she found she really “enjoyed the game, especially playing doubles.” And while she considers herself competitive and likes to win – “who doesn’t?” she asks – she notes that “it’s also important for me to have fun and play with the many friends I have made at Davisville.” Gene becomes the director of teams and tournaments after chairing the portfolio last season. When not on the courts, Gene can often be found cheering other players from the hill, or working at her other passion as a real estate agent.Her tip for new members: “I encourage you to just come out: tag, play, watch (and) volunteer, and you will soon be part of this very special community.”
Nina has been a member of the club since 2013, and a board member since 2015. “I play tennis with passion, but I cheer (and comment) from the bench with even greater passion and zest,” she says. When not at Davisville, she is “in my studio struggling to make art out of wax, as an encaustic artist.” She’s modest about her artistic talent. Her advice to DTC newcomers: “Try to play in the competitive leagues and tournaments the club offers. It pushes you to always get better and implicitly to play more and stay active.”
Karen has been a member of Davisville since 2012. Credit her husband, Peter Cooney, himself a DTC member since 2007, whom she met a year before she joined the club. Not long after their introduction in 2011, Pete took Karen out to hit, and persuaded her to join the waitlist immediately. “I literally came home one day to a racquet and a tennis bag, The message was clear that I was taking up the sport,” she laughs. But she was a natural to the sport, and to Davisville. She has taken home the ladies C singles tournament crown and the trophy for a B doubles win. She has also previously served on the board as secretary. “I love how friendly our members are and the community it creates,” she says. Getting involved and participating in “everything really opens up the opportunity” to meet other members., she adds. There’s another Cooney generation in waiting at DTC. Young sons Liam and Owen are already taking tennis lessons and are on the Davisville waitlist!!
Colin has been a club member since 2013 — when he won the “most enthusiastic new member award” — and a board member since the 2016 season. His professional background in software helps explain why he is so valued in his role at Davisville. Aside from playing tennis, his favourite pastimes include learning new languages and travelling. Colin’s tips for new members: “Try to push your limits a bit and go outside of your normal comfort zone, for example, talk to and play with some people you don’t know. Or take a group lesson or private lesson,” he says. “Or come to the club at a time you don’t normally come. While this may take a bit more effort, I think you will find that the payback is well worth it.”
Chairs
- Tim Roy: Teams and tournaments chair
- TBA – Communications Chair
- TBA – Social Chair
- TBA – Player Development Chair
Pros
- Brian Ahlberg : Head pro
- James Seeraj: Assistant pro
- Santiago Camero: Assistant pro
2023 Staff
- Nicole Huynh: Club manager
- Thomas Visentin: Court steward
- Seth Kirsh: Court steward
- Audrey Sampaleaunu: Court steward