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09/01/2021 08:21 AMAnyone interested doing their best Serena Williams or Roger Federer impression while raising money for a good cause should mark Sunday, Sept. 19 on their calendars. A doubles tennis tournament will be held to raise money to fight ovarian cancer at the Westbrook Tennis Courts at 9 a.m.
The tournament, named Team Up for Treatment or TUFT, will be open to all ages and abilities who want to play. All teams have until Sunday, Sept. 12 to register and teams will be placed in appropriate age brackets for the tournament. The courts open at 8:30 a.m. for warmups and the games begin at 9 a.m. For the $35 entry fee, each player will receive a complimentary T-shirt and water bottle. Besides the tournament, there will also be a silent auction and refreshments. All proceeds will be donated to The Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance.
To register for the tournament, email juliafarnoli@gmail.com for details.
The tournament is the brainchild of Julia Farnoli, a senior at Westbrook High School who was looking for a way to honor her grandmother, who sadly passed away from ovarian cancer. Farnoli is an avid tennis player who was also a captain on the team during her junior year. Additionally, September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. “As part of my senior project, I wanted to do something that combined my two loves,” Farnoli said.
Naturally, Farnoli turned to tennis. Once Farnoli came up with the idea for the charity tournament, she said people were quick to respond to the idea.
“People just really connected with it,” said Farnoli.
Farnoli was able to find eight different corporate sponsors for the event as well as general donations. At press time, TUFT has raised more than $6,800.
In addition, Farnoli said that items secured for the silent auction include gift cards to tennis stores, lessons from local clubs, a tennis racquet, and gift cards to local restaurants.
Registrations are open until Sept. 12, but Farnoli said she’s already seen how ready people from are to come play. So far teams from as young as 15 to as old as 50 have registered, though the tournament is open to everyone.
“People are really excited to come out and be competitive,” said Farnoli. “I want it to be fun and a motivating thing for people to enjoys from those learning how to play who are younger and for the older players who are playing, too.”
While the tournament will no doubt be fun, the reason for the tournament is also important. Ovarian cancer is one of the leading caner deaths for women and can have no symptoms. For Farnoli and her family, the cause is deeply personal.
“I want to raise as much money for a cause that in my experience at least doesn’t get talked about as much but had a big impact on me,” said Farnoli.
Donations can be made to the WHS Activity Fund, Memo: Team Up for Treatment. The mailing address is: P.O. Box 796, Westbrook, CT 06498.