2006 Event Hits New Record

Over 1757 tennis players from across South Carolina are traveling to Charleston at the end of October (27-30th) to play in the South Carolina BMW Combo Doubles State Championships. This year’s record attendance makes the 2006 event here in Charleston the largest tournament in all of the State League tournaments. Last year’s attendance was just over 1,600 participants. During the course of four days (October 27th - 30th), 182 teams competed with other top state teams for a chance to travel to the Sectional Championships in January 26th – 29th, 2007 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  This is the third consecutive year that the Family Circle Tennis Center has hosted this m ajor event.

There are 11 different Divisions this year, which translates into 1,000 matches played during the four-day event. The combo league is made up of men and women's doubles that are invited to the state tournament by winning their individual local leagues. The Family Circle Tennis Center serves as tournament headquarters and three other local tennis facilities (Snee Farm Country Club, Daniel Island Club and Mount Pleasant Recreation –Whipple Road facility) once again joined forces to accommodate the event.

Patsy Harrelson, State League Combo Coordinator, was charged with making sure everything ran smoothly. “We started planning for this event in March and with over 1700 players participating in this tournament, you can imagine the work involved.  We could not put on a tournament of this magnitude without the help of some terrific tennis facilities here in Charleston.”

The winners of each division along with photos will be posted on the South Carolina Tennis Association website ( www.sctennis.com ) following the championships.

Rob Eppelsheimer, Family Circle Tennis Center Director, played a key role in working with the South Carolina Tennis Association to make sure everyone’s experience in Charleston will be a memorable one. “This is a fun event for all the players, but rest assured it is one they fight hard to get to. The Family Circle Tennis Center could not serve as host site for an event like this without the support of our friends at Snee Farm Country Club, Daniel Island Club and the Mount Pleasant Recreation Whipple Road facility. We are excited to be a part of this event.”