Fort Bliss Monitor

Bliss hosts El Paso Grand Prix tennis

Master Sgt. Steve Miller
Public Affairs Chief

Joe Esparza serves the ball Sunday during the men’s 4.0 finals of the El Paso Grand Prix tennis tournament series at the Officers’ Club tennis courts. Esparza and partner Terry Cheney defeated Kevin Joyce and Ed Phinney for the title.

It may not have been the Australian Open, which recently concluded Down Under, but Fort Bliss hosted some of the best tennis players in the area last week when the El Paso Grand Prix made a stop here on its tour.
The El Paso Grand Prix rotates to different tennis clubs in town and made its inaugural stop at the recently-renovated Officers’ Club tennis courts for the Team Bliss Tennis Tournament. The event ran from Jan. 26 through Sunday, when championship matches were contested in 16 divisions.

Players took part in men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles, ranging in ability from 3.0, to 3.5, to 4.0 and 4.5 – the higher the number, the greater the player’s tennis ability.
“We should have some good players out here,” Fort Bliss Sports Director Eric Hildreth said before the tournament. “The best players in the area rotate around the area, playing in the El Paso Grand Prix.”

Four of those good players took to the court Sunday afternoon for the men’s 4.0 final match. Terry Cheney and Joe Esparza, the local doubles grand masters champions from 2004, split the first two sets in the best-of-three match with Kevin Joyce and Fort Bliss’ Ed Phinney, forcing a third set. Both teams subsequently battled to a 6-6 tie in that final set, setting up a tiebreaker in which the first team to seven points would win, as long as they won by at least two points.

Esparza scored with a backhand smash to give his team a 2-0 lead in the tiebreak, but he first hit long and then wide on the next to points to even the tiebreak at 2-2. Joyce and Phinney then committed unforced errors on the next three points before Cheney’s backhand smash made it 6-2. Phinney then hit long to give Cheney and Esparza the tiebreak and the title 7-6 (7-2).

“I thought it could go either way,” Esparza said of the tiebreaker. “I knew we had to hold our serve.” Added Cheney, “We stepped it up when we needed to in the tiebreaker, just like we did in the first set,” which they won 7-6.

Please see the accompanying chart for the results of the championship matches for each category.

Echo wins ‘Battle of 5-52’ ADA hoops

Master Sgt. Steve Miller
Public Affairs Chief

Asontray Black of A Battery, 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery, looks to pass the ball to teammate Nick Bunch, right, while being pressured by Echo’s Colt Johnson, left, and Chris Adell, background, Monday night at Milam Gym. Echo won the game 57-34.

Both teams entered the game with unbeaten records, but those clean slates may have been a bit deceiving since they’d only played three teams between them.

Two weeks in the field will do that. E Battery, 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery, came in 2-0, and Alpha entered the contest at 1-0, but when it was over Echo had notched a convincing 57-34 triumph in the Echelons Above Corps league contest.

“We played hard – not particularly well. If we cut down on our turnovers, it’s a 40-point game,” said winning player-coach Charles Woodruff, who also is Echo’s center. “We can play a lot better if we cut our turnovers and play together.”

Echo assumed a 14-point lead at 22-8 when Jose Balay hit a driving layup with six minutes to go in the first half, but Alpha would whittle that to 8 at 23-15 just before halftime when Nick Bunch hit a driving shot in the lane, was fouled and made the subsequent free throw. Woodruff, however, nailed a 3-pointer from the right wing just before the halftime buzzer sounded to put his team up 26-15 at intermission.

The second half consisted mostly of Echo building their lead, which reached the final margin of 23 points on several occasions.

“I think we got a little big-headed (when they got a big lead),” Woodruff said. “You gotta play everyone like they’re the best team in the league.”

Woodruff had a game-high 20 to lead Echo, while teammate Chris Adell chipped in 19. Bunch and Justin McAllister each had 10 to lead Alpha.

Sports briefs

Post volleyball tryouts

Tryouts for the men’s and women’s post volleyball teams conclude Saturday at Stout Gym. Men’s tryouts are from 2 to 4 p.m., and the women’s tryouts are from 4 to 6 p.m. A coach is still needed for the women’s team.
Teams will compete in local leagues and represent Fort Bliss in tournaments throughout the region. For information, call 568-5995.

Post softball tryouts

Tryouts for the men’s post softball team are taking place Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 9 a.m. through Feb. 12 at the Omar Bradley Softball Complex. Tryouts for the women’s team – which also needs a coach – are set for Feb. 22 through March 5, also on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 9 a.m. For information, call 568-5995.

Intranural bowling

The Sports Office is seeking to form an intramural bowling league that will compete on Monday nights starting later this month and ending with a post championship in June. There will be no charge to bowl or for shoes.
Teams will have four members, and all league teams will be eligible for the post playoffs. For information, call 568-5995.

Mountain wilderness runs set

The third annual Franklin Mountains Wilderness Runs take place Feb. 12 beginning at 8:30 a.m. The runs include a 7-mile race, 30K marathon (18.6 miles), a 26-mile marathon and a 50K ultra-marathon (31 miles). Entry fees are $20 for the 7-mile race and $40 for either of the other three.

All runners receive a race T-shirt. Prizes will go to the top three men and women finishers in all four race categories and to runners 45 or older. For information, contact Mark Dorion at 581-9541 or at markd@utep.edu or http://utminers.utep.edu/markd.

Black history hoop tourney

The annual Black History Basketball Tournament is set for Feb. 18-20 at Stout Gym. The double-elimination event is open to military and civilian teams, and the entry fee is $200 per team. Deadline is Feb. 15. Rosters are limited to 12 players with one non-playing coach. The top three teams will earn team trophies, with T-shirts going to each player on the top two teams.

The event will also include a 3-point shootout and a free-throw contest. Three players per team may either contest, and awards will go to the top two in each event. For information, contact Nate LaCour at 568-5198 or 6722 or via e-mail at nate.lacour@bliss.army.mil. You may also contact Scott Carr, intramural sports coordinator, at 568-5995.

Post racquetball championships

The single-elimination post racquetball championships are scheduled for Feb. 22 through 25 at Stout Gym. Competition is open to active-duty military personnel and activated Reserve Component members assigned or attached to Fort Bliss.

Age categories for men and women are 29 and under, 30-39 and 40 or older. Awards will go to the top two players in each category. Players must submit their names through their unit sports coordinator no later than Feb. 15. Tournament brackets will be posted Feb. 17.

Players must wear protective eyewear at all times. For information, call 568-5995.



www.bliss.army.mil	Published for the Fort Bliss/El Paso, Texas Community	February 3, 2005

<map name="boxmap-b4"> <area shape="rect" coords="0, 589, 120, 600" href="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" > <area coords="0,0,10000,10000" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect?tag=&creative=92501&camp=8117&link_code=dl1&path=subst/misc/amazon-cobrand-cc/v3/marketing-from-associates-step1.html/ref%3Db1_assoc_29" > </map>	Bliss hosts El Paso Grand Prix tennis Master Sgt. Steve Miller Public Affairs Chief Joe Esparza serves the ball Sunday during the men’s 4.0 finals of the El Paso Grand Prix tennis tournament series at the Officers’ Club tennis courts. Esparza and partner Terry Cheney defeated Kevin Joyce and Ed Phinney for the title. It may not have been the Australian Open, which recently concluded Down Under, but Fort Bliss hosted some of the best tennis players in the area last week when the El Paso Grand Prix made a stop here on its tour. The El Paso Grand Prix rotates to different tennis clubs in town and made its inaugural stop at the recently-renovated Officers’ Club tennis courts for the Team Bliss Tennis Tournament. The event ran from Jan. 26 through Sunday, when championship matches were contested in 16 divisions. Players took part in men’s and women’s singles, men’s and women’s doubles and mixed doubles, ranging in ability from 3.0, to 3.5, to 4.0 and 4.5 – the higher the number, the greater the player’s tennis ability. “We should have some good players out here,” Fort Bliss Sports Director Eric Hildreth said before the tournament. “The best players in the area rotate around the area, playing in the El Paso Grand Prix.” Four of those good players took to the court Sunday afternoon for the men’s 4.0 final match. Terry Cheney and Joe Esparza, the local doubles grand masters champions from 2004, split the first two sets in the best-of-three match with Kevin Joyce and Fort Bliss’ Ed Phinney, forcing a third set. Both teams subsequently battled to a 6-6 tie in that final set, setting up a tiebreaker in which the first team to seven points would win, as long as they won by at least two points. Esparza scored with a backhand smash to give his team a 2-0 lead in the tiebreak, but he first hit long and then wide on the next to points to even the tiebreak at 2-2. Joyce and Phinney then committed unforced errors on the next three points before Cheney’s backhand smash made it 6-2. Phinney then hit long to give Cheney and Esparza the tiebreak and the title 7-6 (7-2). “I thought it could go either way,” Esparza said of the tiebreaker. “I knew we had to hold our serve.” Added Cheney, “We stepped it up when we needed to in the tiebreaker, just like we did in the first set,” which they won 7-6. Please see the accompanying chart for the results of the championship matches for each category. Echo wins ‘Battle of 5-52’ ADA hoops Master Sgt. Steve Miller Public Affairs Chief Asontray Black of A Battery, 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery, looks to pass the ball to teammate Nick Bunch, right, while being pressured by Echo’s Colt Johnson, left, and Chris Adell, background, Monday night at Milam Gym. Echo won the game 57-34. Both teams entered the game with unbeaten records, but those clean slates may have been a bit deceiving since they’d only played three teams between them. Two weeks in the field will do that. E Battery, 5th Battalion, 52nd Air Defense Artillery, came in 2-0, and Alpha entered the contest at 1-0, but when it was over Echo had notched a convincing 57-34 triumph in the Echelons Above Corps league contest. “We played hard – not particularly well. If we cut down on our turnovers, it’s a 40-point game,” said winning player-coach Charles Woodruff, who also is Echo’s center. “We can play a lot better if we cut our turnovers and play together.” Echo assumed a 14-point lead at 22-8 when Jose Balay hit a driving layup with six minutes to go in the first half, but Alpha would whittle that to 8 at 23-15 just before halftime when Nick Bunch hit a driving shot in the lane, was fouled and made the subsequent free throw. Woodruff, however, nailed a 3-pointer from the right wing just before the halftime buzzer sounded to put his team up 26-15 at intermission. The second half consisted mostly of Echo building their lead, which reached the final margin of 23 points on several occasions. “I think we got a little big-headed (when they got a big lead),” Woodruff said. “You gotta play everyone like they’re the best team in the league.” Woodruff had a game-high 20 to lead Echo, while teammate Chris Adell chipped in 19. Bunch and Justin McAllister each had 10 to lead Alpha. Sports briefs Post volleyball tryouts Tryouts for the men’s and women’s post volleyball teams conclude Saturday at Stout Gym. Men’s tryouts are from 2 to 4 p.m., and the women’s tryouts are from 4 to 6 p.m. A coach is still needed for the women’s team. Teams will compete in local leagues and represent Fort Bliss in tournaments throughout the region. For information, call 568-5995. Post softball tryouts Tryouts for the men’s post softball team are taking place Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 9 a.m. through Feb. 12 at the Omar Bradley Softball Complex. Tryouts for the women’s team – which also needs a coach – are set for Feb. 22 through March 5, also on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Saturdays at 9 a.m. For information, call 568-5995. Intranural bowling The Sports Office is seeking to form an intramural bowling league that will compete on Monday nights starting later this month and ending with a post championship in June. There will be no charge to bowl or for shoes. Teams will have four members, and all league teams will be eligible for the post playoffs. For information, call 568-5995. Mountain wilderness runs set The third annual Franklin Mountains Wilderness Runs take place Feb. 12 beginning at 8:30 a.m. The runs include a 7-mile race, 30K marathon (18.6 miles), a 26-mile marathon and a 50K ultra-marathon (31 miles). Entry fees are $20 for the 7-mile race and $40 for either of the other three. All runners receive a race T-shirt. Prizes will go to the top three men and women finishers in all four race categories and to runners 45 or older. For information, contact Mark Dorion at 581-9541 or at markd@utep.edu or http://utminers.utep.edu/markd. Black history hoop tourney The annual Black History Basketball Tournament is set for Feb. 18-20 at Stout Gym. The double-elimination event is open to military and civilian teams, and the entry fee is $200 per team. Deadline is Feb. 15. Rosters are limited to 12 players with one non-playing coach. The top three teams will earn team trophies, with T-shirts going to each player on the top two teams. The event will also include a 3-point shootout and a free-throw contest. Three players per team may either contest, and awards will go to the top two in each event. For information, contact Nate LaCour at 568-5198 or 6722 or via e-mail at nate.lacour@bliss.army.mil. You may also contact Scott Carr, intramural sports coordinator, at 568-5995. Post racquetball championships The single-elimination post racquetball championships are scheduled for Feb. 22 through 25 at Stout Gym. Competition is open to active-duty military personnel and activated Reserve Component members assigned or attached to Fort Bliss. Age categories for men and women are 29 and under, 30-39 and 40 or older. Awards will go to the top two players in each category. Players must submit their names through their unit sports coordinator no later than Feb. 15. Tournament brackets will be posted Feb. 17. Players must wear protective eyewear at all times. For information, call 568-5995.