SF Tennis Freak

Posts Tagged ‘Alex Lin’

While most people are relaxing this Memorial Day weekend, hundreds of tennis players from all over the United States (and internationally) will be participating in one of the oldest gay and lesbian sporting events in the world.

For over thirty years, the Gay & Lesbian Tennis Federation of San Francisco (GLTF), a USTA NorCal Community Tennis Association, has hosted the United States Gay Open (the USGO) over Memorial Day weekend. What began as one of the only competitive outlets for gay and lesbian tennis players is now one of North America’s largest all-inclusive LGBT tennis tournaments. This year’s event will take place at Stanford’s Taube Stadium.

I served as tournament director in 2004 and am well-acquainted with the logistics involved in running a successful USGO. It’s a massive undertaking. Tennis courts, balls, water, trophies, volunteers… everything associated with running a large tournament, must be accounted for months in advance. It’s a rewarding task, but not for the faint of heart.

This year’s tournament director is Alex Lin, who also ran the 2011 event. Though his schedule before the tournament is “crazy busy”, I managed to grab him for a few questions about his involvement with the tournament, and what we can expect from the 2012 edition.

How long have you been a member of the GLTF? Were you involved on the board prior to becoming the USGO tournament director?

I’ve been a member since 2002. And no, my first USGO experience was as a volunteer in 2009.  I helped (then tournament director) Dave Campbell run the consolation matches.  I guess I did too good of a job, and ended up getting recruited to handle the registration portion of the event in 2010.

Why did you decide to take on the challenge of the USGO?

I did it because no one else wanted to do it. (Joking) Really, I did it because I enjoy event planning. And planning a tennis tournament was something I never thought I would do. So it was a good opportunity to challenge myself to see what I could bring to the event.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of running such a large tournament?

Meeting so many different people – whether it’s face to face at board meetings, or the email exchanges with players on a different continent followed by an eventual meeting at the tournament.

Conversely, what’s been the most challenging aspect?

The same as rewarding – meeting and dealing with so many different people and personalities, and trying to solve people’s issues related to the tournament.  People who haven’t been in this position really don’t understand that this is a full-time job for the entire month prior to the tournament. And it’s done by a volunteer.  Each person with their different issue only sees that little part the concerns him or herself, while I must keep the entire picture of the tournament in mind.

For those not familiar with the USGO (United States Gay Open), can you give me a quick rundown on the tournament (number of events, participants, etc.)?

We have 17 events this year with 240 players.  It’s a four-day tournament, during which players could have as many as 4 matches in a day. So it’s quite exhausting on the body. My goal is to provide as much for the players as possible so that all they have to worry about is their tennis.

What are the highlights of the 2012 tournament?

We’re featuring night matches on Friday, taking advantage of the great courts at Stanford University’s Taube Center.  One of our new events is doubles consolation, which is rarely seen at other tournaments.  Doubles players often get the short end of the stick compared to singles players, so I wanted to make it a satisfying event for everyone.

Lastly, what’s been your funniest moment as the tournament director?

Reading this question, and trying to come up with an answer.
Tournament play starts at 8AM each day over the Memorial Day weekend. Everyone is invited to come out and cheer on the contestants. Visit http://www.usgotennis.org for more information.