Davida Dinerman

The Friendship Cup has a rich history and successful story of establishing international camaraderie and sisterhood both on and off the court. The tradition started in 1967 when Walter Foeger of Vermont was looking to establish competitive senior tennis play in alliance with the New England Lawn Tennis Association (NELTA), now USTA New England. He contacted George Barta of the Canadian senior division, and together, they created the Friendship Cup. In that year, players competed on three courts at the Jay Peak Resort in Vermont. 

The Friendship Cup has prospered well over the decades. The addition of the women’s category came in 1980 and has advanced to six age divisions: 40’s, 45’s, 50’s, 55’s, 65’s and 70’s. The tournament host alternates each year, and while traveling between the two countries, the Friendship Cup has left footprints in Quechee, VT, the U.S. Jay Peak Resort, Sugar Bush Resort in Vermont, Waterville Valley Resort in New Hampshire, and Burlington, VT, as well as Mount Royal Club of Montreal and Mont Tremblant Ski Resort in Quebec. 

On June 23, a team of 14 New England women, captained by Allyson Bolduc, traveled to Burlington, VT for the weekend to host the 40th anniversary of the Women’s Friendship Cup. Two team members competed in each division from 40’s up to 70 and played both singles and doubles for a total of 21 matches. Having lost to Canada in 2022, the New England team arrived ready for battle.

On Friday night, the team enjoyed a wonderful homemade buffet dinner at Allyson’s gorgeous home in South Burlington. This was a great way to get to know one another and even meet family members who came along to cheer, including husbands, daughters, a granddaughter, and a dog.

The main site of the tournament was the lovely Burlington Tennis Club, with well-tended clay courts thanks to Errol Nattrass, director of tennis (and men’s Friendship Cup player). But the rainy weather on Saturday morning forced a few of the singles matches indoors to The Edge at Twin Oaks. Between the two clubs, by Saturday afternoon, New England had won 9 of the 14 singles matches, three of which were decided by a 3rd set tiebreak. This positioned us well for doubles the next day. And three of our teammates’ children made terrific bracelets for all the players. On Saturday night, we held the banquet at Duke’s Public House complete with a folksy guitarist who led the group in singing and dancing. 

We were pleased the rain had cleared by Sunday morning, and we convened at the Burlington Tennis Club to play the seven doubles matches. The 70’s and 65’s teams paved the way with two wins, and New England went on to take three more matches for a decisive 14-7 Cup victory. Everyone played their hearts out in hot, humid weather both days.

Hosting this event is no small feat. In addition to the players, we have many people to thank for making the weekend run smoothly, starting with Heidi Willoughby and Allyson Bolduc. These women spent months tuning and fine-tuning the logistics – from housing and meals to shirts and court time. They set the bar for how to run an event. Unfortunately, Heidi was unable to compete this year due to a prior commitment, but we kept her apprised all weekend. 

Huge thanks to USTA New England which offered a grant for the host site and Saturday night banquet, and the NESTF for helping to fund the player gifts, the banquet, tennis balls and other food expenses. The USTA Vermont and Joanna Beall, board president of USTA Vermont, sponsored the team shirts and on site lunch refreshments on Saturday. A shout out to Mike Feitelberg and Tammy Azur at The Edge. 

In addition, several individuals truly put the cherry on top with amenities that made the weekend even more special. Linda VanKleek and Sherry Daniels were all-around, indispensable helpers before and during the event in a variety of areas. Martha Small coordinated the Saturday lunch with help from Beth Cook, the Vermont league coordinator, and Fresh Flowers by Aimée Babbott who offered lovely floral arrangements on the luncheon tables. Tom Twitchell from Drop the Racquet sponsored the Cup signage and gave donations for gift bags and a discount on tennis balls.