The McDaniel’s Tennis Tournament played from Thursday, February 24th through Sunday 27th was an excellent source of friendly competition in the name of a wonderful cause. Many from the Casa de Campo community came out to support the McDaniel Family Foundation’s initiatives and see the close matches between players of La Romana Country Club and La Terraza Tennis Club.
The McDaniel Family Foundation, celebrating its 17th anniversary this year, has sought to sponsor the education of Casa de Campo’s ball boys and the players’ health insurance through their annual fundraising tournament which year after year has succeeded in achieving their goal. The doubles format, with a pre-arranged draw that included 22 players from La Terraza and La Romana Country Club, is a favorite for players and spectators and provides more opportunities to catch exciting games on the courts.
The final was played on Sunday, February 27th in La Romana Country Club with sports fans sitting on the sidelines with a perfect view on the sideline of the main court cheering on their favorite player. This year ended being a match between both tennis clubs, with Jeffrie Gondres and Angelo Hamilton from La Terraza playing against Winter Jones and Alan Sheppard from LRCC. The match was a close one with both teams giving their all, but in the end, the LRCC team stood out and earned this year’s championship tournament!
The awards ceremony followed the tournament, bringing the sponsors, players, ball boys, and their families together at the La Romana Country Club garden area. Mr. Rick McDaniel thanked everyone once again for their continued support throughout the years and shared with everybody that the foundation will be able to continue providing Player’s Health Insurance, all the Ball Boy’s Scholarships, the Player’s Prize Money, and College Scholarships. Every single participant of the tournament (winners or not) was awarded prize money, and the winners and runner-ups also received trophies handed to them by Mr. Juan Veláquez, Costasur’s Vicepresident & Administrator.
During the ceremony, Mr. McDaniel presented Mrs. Karen Adams, a community member and an avid supporter of the foundation, with this year’s honorary chairman plaque thanking her for all her help throughout the years. This year we also met two players who addressed the guests in English whilst sharing their testimony about how the foundation has helped them.
As an additional treat, the ball boys and players surprised Mr. Rick McDaniel with a much-deserved plaque in thanks for his commitment to the tournament and the welfare of the tennis boys and players. This year was bittersweet since it is the last tournament organized by Mr. McDaniel, as he has decided to continue supporting this cause taking a back seat on the organization and “pass on the torch” to Xiomara Menédez Dajer and the Patronato Benéfico Oriental who will now be in charge of organizing the annual tournament which benefits the ball boys and players of Casa de Campo.
Congratulations to the winners and all the players, sponsors, and supporters for another successful and wonderful McDaniel Tennis Tournament 2022! A big thank you to everyone for your generous support! Remember, it’s never too late to donate!
The following collection of images by Laura Perdomo was taken during the finals of the 17th annual McDaniel Tennis Tournament in Casa de Campo:
