Collaboration for treatment through the Westbrook Tennis Tournament

Anyone interested in doing their best to impress Serena Williams or Roger Federer when raising money for a good cause should mark their calendar on Sunday, September 19th. A two-person tennis tournament raises money to fight ovarian cancer at Westbrook tennis courts at 9 p.m.

The tournament, called Team Up for Treatment or TUFT, is open to people of all ages and abilities who want to play. All teams have registration until Sunday, September 12, and teams will be placed in age groups appropriate for the tournament. The fields will open at 8:30 for pre-warm-ups and games will begin at 9:00. For a $ 35 entry fee, each player will receive a free T-shirt and a bottle of water. In addition to the tournament, there will also be a silent auction and refreshments. All proceeds will be donated to The Ovarian Cancer Research Association.

To register for the tournament, send an email to [email protected].

The tournament is the brainchild of Julia Farnol, a senior at Westbrook High School, looking for a way to honor her grandmother, who unfortunately died of ovarian cancer. Farnoli is an avid tennis player who was also the team captain in his junior year. In addition, September is National Ovarian Cancer Month. “As part of my older project, I wanted to do something that connected my two loves,” Farnoli said.

Naturally, Farnoli turned to tennis. When Farnoli came up with the idea for a charity tournament, he said people reacted quickly to the idea.

“People just really joined it,” Farnoli said.

Farnoli found eight different corporate sponsors as well as general donations for the event. During the press period, TUFT has raised more than $ 6,800.

In addition, Farnoli said the items secured for the silent auction are Gift Certificates for tennis stores, lessons for local clubs, a tennis racket and Gift Certificates for local restaurants.

Enrollments are open until Sept. 12, but Farnoli said he has already seen how ready people will come to play. So far, teams between the ages of 15 and 50 have registered, although the tournament is open to everyone.

“People are really excited to come out and be competitive,” Farnoli said. “I want it to be fun and motivating for people to enjoy learning to play younger and also older players who play.”

While the tournament is undoubtedly fun, the reason for the tournament is also important. Ovarian cancer is one of the leading causes of death in women and cannot have symptoms. For Farnol and his family, the reason is deeply personal.

“I want to raise so much money for a purpose that, in my experience, at least not so much talked about, but that had a big impact on me,” Farnoli said.

Donations can be made to the WHS Action Fund, Memo: Team Up for Treatment. The mailing address is: PO Box 796, Westbrook, CT 06498.