When the last ball skittered over the net, Dataw fans erupted in cheers and shouts of “We love you, Dataw Boys!” Our 6.0 Senior Men had won a National Doubles Tennis Championship in Kansas City! That was back in 2005. More than 30 family members and friends traveled to the Midwest to see their beloved dAWGS compete. Earlier this month, ten years to the day, the Little dAWGS gathered for a reunion dinner at the home of Jim and Beth McCornock to reminisce, laugh, and tell stories of that memorable weekend!
The road to Kansas City was a tough one, with Dataw successfully defeating more than a dozen local teams in the Hilton Head League. From there it was on to States, Regionals in Birmingham, AL, and finally the National competition.
Although John Putz has moved to Florida, the remaining players: Captain Bob Wishart, Co Captain Terry Lurtz, Shep Raskind, Jim McCornock, Gabe Nagy, Norm George, Lou Laiken, Jim Marks, and Roy Crocker still live on Dataw and play tennis regularly. While gathering on the front steps to take a reunion photo, they declared that the very best part was the camaraderie and enduring friendships.
