Saturday, July 10, 2010

D.C. Sports - Washington Kastles


Hot Time in the City.

As part of my quest to see every pro DC sports team (except the WNBA, obviously), Kathryn and I spent a very hot summer night supporting the Washington Kastles. The Kastles are the reigning champs of World Team Tennis league. I'll assume you've never heard of it. The league is played in a weird format. Each match has five sets of different types of tennis (men's singles, women's doubles, men's doubles, women's singles, mixed doubles). It was a nice introduction to pro tennis, getting to see all the different formats in a relatively relaxed yet competitive environment.
  • This was our first live tennis experience. We're recent fans of the sport, so it was fun to have the chance to see it live. It much faster than I expected!
  • The match against the New York Buzz was sold out because of the two marquee players: Venus Williams (DC) and Martina Hingis (NY).
  • Washington Kastles won the match (and every set!). Venus vs. Hingis was a real battle and the highlight of the night. Most of the crowd didn't stick around for the last set of mixed doubles. (We took advantage and moved down to about the fifth row.)
  • All of the fans got free t-shirts. Size large. The only size that fits neither of the Kuethes.
  • DC mayor Adrian Fenty and tennis legend Billie Jean King (founder of WTT) were on hand to present 2009 championship rings to the team (except Venus, she's new).
  • It was 100 degrees at the start of the match! But cold beers were the same price as most bars!

They construct a stadium for the summer in a downtown parking lot.

The big star of the night - Venus Williams.

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