Club Bulletin

The team at SPORTIME Amagansett are busy preparing the 2025 season - our 37th year operating this very special club in the Town of East Hampton. We are eagerly looking forward to another very busy season. For all you tennis parents and grandparents, and for our junior future stars, I wanted to share some big news about our John McEnroe Tennis Academy summer tennis training camp.

While we have had some wonderful coaches leading JMTA Summer Training Camp @ Amagansett, since 2013, we have, honestly, never been able to fully integrate our summer program with JMTA's Flagship location at Randall's Island in NYC, where so many of the best junior in the country and in the world train. But starting in 2025, things are going to be different!

Every week of the summer, one or more superstar JMTA Directors from the team at Randall's Island will be in-residence in Amagansett, leading our JMTA Summer Training camp. Starting with Patrick McEnroe, and including Mark Bowtell, Brian Helm and Dejan Vukojicic, with more special guests to be added, every week of training at Amagansett will be actively and personally led by coaching royalty. And to provide the glue for what we promise will be a consistently wonderful training camp experience all summer long, we are very pleased to welcome our new JMTA on-site Co-Directors, both of whom have been key members of the Amagansett coaching team since 2021: Stan Bedrune and Gui de Medeiros.

Please see the bios of our core JMTA Summer Training Leadership Team below:

Patrick McEnroe, Executive Director of JMTA

As a junior from Douglaston, NY, Patrick reached the semifinals of Wimbledon and the US Open boys’ singles in 1983. At Stanford University, Patrick captained NCAA championship teams in 1986 and 1988 and graduated with a degree in political science. On the ATP Tour, Patrick achieved world rankings of No.28 in singles and No.3 in doubles and won a French Open title in doubles. Patrick was the longest tenured U.S. Davis Cup captain in history, winning the cup in 2007. He was the General Manager of Player Development for the USTA until mid-2015 and joined Sportime/JMTA in 2017.

Stanislas Bedrune, Site Co-Director, JMTA Summer Tennis Training, Amagansett

Stanislas (Stan) Bedrune hails from France, was a competitive junior in his home country before moving to the US to play for Queens College. He helped The Knights win three ECC Conference Championships, while earning academic honors from both Queens College and the NCAA. Stan joined the SPORTIME Amagansett seasonal coaching team in 2018. Upon graduation, Stan was the Assistant Tennis Director for Richmond Country Club in Staten Island, while completing his Master’s in Sports Management. He re-joined the SPORTIME Amagansett team in 2021, served as Assistant General Manager in summer 2024, and joined the SPORTIME Randall’s Island coaching staff in the fall of 2024.

Guilherme de Medeiros, Site Co-Director, JMTA Summer Tennis Training, Amagansett

Hailing from Brazil, Guilherme (Gui) achieved a top-20 junior ranking in singles and a top-10 ranking in doubles in his home country. He began his collegiate career at Lewis-Clark State College (NAIA) before transferring to Hawaii Pacific University, where he helped The Sharks to reach the NCAA national semifinals, secure third place at the ITA Team National Indoors, and achieve a top-3 NCAA national ranking. Gui graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, with a concentration in Marketing, and was recognized annually as an ITA Scholar-Athlete. He then earned his MBA while competing for Long Island University’s NCAA Division I team. Gui has been a member of the coaching team at Sportime Syosset since 2021, also spending summers coaching at Sportime Amagansett. Starting in 2024, he became the Head Coach for both the men’s and women’s tennis teams at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, a top NCAA Division II program.

Mark Bowtell, Co-General Manager, SPORTIME RI and Director, JMTA NYC
JMTA Director in Residence

Mark hails from Dublin, Ireland where he trained at the National Tennis Academy from the age of 12. As a junior, Mark was nationally ranked in the top two in every age division. He won and was a finalist in several ITF junior events and earned an ATP ranking in 2010. Mark played collegiate tennis for Louisiana State University, graduating in December 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in sports administration. In the spring of 2012, while injured, Mark was a Student Volunteer Assistant Coach for the Tigers, before finishing his LSU career as a player and member of the 2012-13 squad. Mark joined the SPORTIME/JMTA team in 2013.

Brian Helm, Senior Associate Director, SPORTIME RI & JMTA
JMTA Director in Residence

Brian was born and raised in the Washington DC area, where he played competitively as a junior. After being sidelined by a serious car accident, he moved down to Florida, at age 18, to rehab, train and play Futures tournaments. At age 20, Brian decided to focus his efforts on coaching. He spent 10 years doing so in Florida and in the Boston area, and the last 10 years doing so in the NYC area, coaching players of all ages and levels, from world-class to recreational. Brian joined the SPORTIME/JMTA team in 2017.

Dejan Vukojicic, Senior Associate Director, SPORTIME RI & JMTA
JMTA Director in Residence

Dejan was born and raised in Trebinje, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and was ranked in the top 30 in Yugoslavia throughout his junior career. He attended the College of Sport, Nikola Tesla, Belgrade, in Serbia, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sport and coaching. Dejan was recognized as “The Most Promising Coach” by the Tennis Federation of Serbia in 2013, and as “The Best Junior Coach” by the Tennis Federation of Serbia in 2020. Dejan served as the Serbian Tennis Federation’s National Tennis Coach for U12, and the Director of its Tennis U10 program. He was also the coach of Miomir Kecmanovic taking him to #1 in Europe in Under 14s and twice winner of the Orange Bowl. Dejan was also a member of the Serbian Tennis Federation’s Coaching Board, with a focus on coach licensing, and a member of its Development Committee. Dejan joined the SPORTIME/JMTA team in 2022.

Meanwhile, stay tuned, as we are doing all we can to execute an early opening, so that players can get back to outdoor tennis at the club at the soonest date possible. We are currently planning to have 22 courts open on April 12.

Need personal assistance? Just email jmtahamptons@sportimeny.com, or text or call us at 631-267-1038. We are here to help!

Dear Members, Players and Parents:

Thank you!

Having wrapped-up our 36th outdoor tennis season at SPORTIME Amagansett early this month, and as we are reflecting on another amazing season, we thank you, our members, friends, players and guests, for sharing your love of tennis with us and for being a part of our SPORTIME Amagansett community.

We also want to congratulate all of our 2024 Club Tournament Champions!

Although our 33 beautiful, outdoor courts are now closed until spring, the fun continues for all ages with Adult Pickleball and Junior Sports Clinics in our Arena, or you can visit and play at any of our other Sportime locations, including our flagship club in NYC, Sportime Randall's Island, now the largest indoor tennis facility in the world.

Of course, we look forward to seeing you all on April 12th, 2025, for the start of our 37th season, if not before!

We also want to welcome Gabi Jasmim as our new Assistant General Manager. Gabi, sister of our Director of Tennis, Gui Jasmim, has been working at the club since spring 2024, so many of you know her and have benefited from her attention to detail and total commitment to customer service. Gabi holds advanced degrees in business and engineering from her home country, and has now made a long-term commitment to life in Amagansett, where she is raising her daughter, Olivia. We are lucky to welcome her as a key team member.

To all SPORTIME Amagansett Members, Players and Guests:

On Saturday, August 24, 2024, SPORTIME Amagansett will be hosting the 10th Annual Johnny Mac Tennis Project Pro-Am Charity Event. The event will include 150 pro and amateur participants, which makes ours one of the biggest tennis charity events in the world!

The Johnny Mac Tennis Project (JMTP) changes young lives by removing the racial, economic and social barriers to success through tennis. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by tennis legend John McEnroe, JMTP introduces the sport of tennis as a life-long health, fitness and social activity to thousands of under-resourced New York City area children.

For a smaller group of dedicated young athletes, JMTP provides a pathway to success through competitive tennis, leading to college scholarships, careers in the industry, and, for a few, professional tennis careers and, perhaps, Grand Slam titles.

The Pro-Am event requires the use of all of SPORTIME’s 33 tennis courts, which means that we will be closing the club for regular member and guest play from 12pm on Saturday, 8/24.

As all of our coaches, and many of our members, are participating in the event, we hope that we will not be inconveniencing too many of you. And we will do all we can to make sure that our members and guests get all the tennis they can handle on the morning of Saturday, 8/24.

If you are interested in playing in the event, there are a few player spots remaining, in addition to spectator tickets. As always, we are offering SPORTIME Amagansett members and their guests a 50% discount off the regular price of spectator tickets. Just use "FIFTYOFF" as the discount code when checking out. You can go to the JMTP website at www.jmtpny.org for additional info on the charity, and http://proam2024.givesmart.com/ to register for the event or to purchase your discounted event tickets and to access the event's silent auction.

Again, we apologize for any inconvenience and we thank you in advance for your support!

Claude Okin
President & CEO
SPORTIME Clubs

Hana Sromova
General Manager
SPORTIME Amagansett

It was great to see many of you over the beautiful holiday weekend. Summer is here!

I am writing to share that this coming Saturday night, June 3rd, Hana and I are being honored by the wonderful, local organization, the Retreat, at their annual All Against Abuse Gala Benefit. The Retreat is a volunteer-founded, not-for-profit, social service agency, in its fourth decade providing critically needed, 24-hour, emergency help and shelter, along with counseling and legal services, to victims of domestic and relationship violence. SPORTIME is proud to have been a friend and supporter of the Retreat since its inception.

Hana and I both feel a bit embarrassed about receiving this honor, as well as totally undeserving. Our support of the Retreat has been heartfelt, not at all about personal recognition, and really the least we can do. Not to mention that longtime SPORTIME members like Steve Bergerson, and others, have inspired us with their dedication as Retreat Board Members. The work that the Retreat does is really so important and essential.

Last year, SPORTIME member, Markie Hancock, also a Retreat Board Member, made a wonderful documentary film about the founding of the Retreat, and the work that it does, titled "The Power of Community: How One Town Stood Against Domestic Violence", which was featured at the Hamptons International Film Festival. The above is all to say, although we have had flyers and invitations to the event prominently displayed at the club, we have maybe been a little too quiet about it. The Gala is taking place next Saturday evening, from 6pm-8pm, at The Church, in Sag Harbor. You can read more about it by clicking here. and you can also access a terrific silent auction, with lots of great local items, and more, by clicking here.

For those of you who are going to be around next weekend, and who may not have been aware of the event, or for those who have not yet committed, please consider joining us in Sag Harbor next Saturday at 6pm for cocktails, delicious food, great conversation, and more, to support The Retreat. If you are unable to be a last-minute guest or sponsor, then please bid or give.

Thank you so much for anything you can do, and hope to see you there.

Sincerely,
Claude & Hana