History of CMTC
The inaugural Crape Myrtle Tennis Classic was held in July 2004 as North Carolina's first GLTA sanctioned tennis tournament. The name "Crape Myrtle" comes from the Crape Myrtle trees indigenous to the area, which typically bloom in the month of July.
While July provides great weather for Crape Myrtle trees, the typical 90 to 100 degree days can be oppressive for tennis matches. As a result, in 2007, we moved the tournament to the month of October, where warm Fall days are still common, but often without the excessive heat and humidity.
Over 1000 players have participated in the first twelve CMTCs, with some traveling from as far as the West Coast and Europe. Now in our 13th year, we hope to continue growing and attracting competitive players from all divisions on the GLTA circuit.
Triangle Tennis Club
Triangle Tennis Club (TTC) was founded in 2004 as the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill area's first Gay and Lesbian tennis club. Our goal is to advocate the welfare of the community by promoting Tennis within the Gay and Lesbian community in the Triangle. We are also a proud member of The Gay and Lesbian Tennis Alliance (GLTA).
Greetings from the Tournament Founder
Dear 2016 CMTC players and guests,
Welcome to Raleigh! On behalf on the Triangle Tennis Club and the Crape Myrtle Tennis Classic planning committee, we would like to thank you for supporting our tournament over the years.
For 2016, we are happy to once again be able to
offer Over-40 singles draws....and new for this year, Over-50 singles draws! Both will be held on clay courts
at the Raleigh
Racquet Club. This pristine tennis club is
one of the most established and well known clubs throughout the
Carolinas as well as the USTA Southern Section. We applaud the Management Team at the RRC for
their courage and understanding of diversity throughout all
communities and their willingness to participate.
Continuing to offer age divisions as part of
our GLTA tournament is an important personal goal of mine. With their inclusion, we can elevate the
popularity of tennis and the GLTA for all ages. I will continue
to campaign for more age division events at all GLTA events. Thank you again for joining us
for the 2016 CMTC!
Sincerely,
Scott E. Kauffman
Founder, Crape Myrtle Tennis Classic
GLTA At-Large Board Member
Greetings from the Tournament Director
On behalf of the entire planning committee, I
would like to invite you to Raleigh over the Columbus Day holiday
weekend for the 13th Crape Myrtle Tennis Classic.
Once again, we are excited about holding our
event at the Millbrook Tennis Complex with our age divisions playing
on clay at the Raleigh Racquet Club.
Both complexes are within a 5-minute drive of each other.
For this year’s planning team, the tournament
has a different level of significance.
It is our way of telling the legislature of North Carolina
that their passage of HB2 was out of ignorance and outright hate.
This law specifically targeted the members of the GLBTQ
community by limiting bathroom access to the sex on birth
certificates.
Furthermore, it prevents local governments from expanding
non-discrimination statements to include sexual orientation or
identity.
We have decided to use our tournament to
support the legal challenges that are currently underway to prove
that this vote of hate violates the constitutional rights of GLBTQ
individuals and over steps the authority of the state in local
government issues. We
also want our tournament to serve as a symbol of strength and
resilience of the GLBTQ community, and a sign of support by our
allies.
So join us October 8 through 10 and experience a bit of “southern hospitality” while helping us fight HB2.
Tim Blair
Director, Crape Myrtle Tennis Classic
