We are very grateful to current Div 1MO gun, RTC premiership star all-round sportsman Jamie Stevens for dropping by Helga’s Bar to answer the tough questions:

Hometown/area:

Born in Riverton, SA. If you don’t know where it is which is very possible, it’s about 100kms north of Adelaide.

Schools attended:

Riverton & District High School

Occupation:

Distribution Engineer (Storeman) at SA Power Networks

Family/Kids etc:

Partner, Rachel & her 15 year old son Bailey

First intro to tennis and at what age:

First started playing around the age of 10

Years playing:

That would make around 25 years & 84 months.

Tennis Clubs played at:

Riverton Lawn Tennis ClubRostrevor Tennis Club

Biggest influence on your tennis:

Mum & Dad always played & they encouraged me to play junior tennis, social tennis, night tennis & fill in for seniors when I was still at school. Dad ran the Easter tournament for many years & I haven’t missed many years. Possibly got a favourable handicap here & there, doesn’t help much when you get home about 5am from the caravan park!

Individual tennis highlights:

Can’t think of anything here really but highlights are listed below. A Div 1 MO premiership this summer would be a highlight, any premiership is.

Premierships:

3 x A Grade Premierships in the Mid North Tennis Association for Riverton2 x Div 2 Premierships in EDTA for Rostrevor (Summer)2 x Winter Premierships for Rostrevor

Favourite tennis memories:

Road trips to & from tennis in the Mid North with the great Dallas Jenkins, the less famous Shannon Noll, Richie Noll, David Schell, Jason Przibilla etc etc. Occassionally we stopped at the pub when we played at Clare, not just on the way home!

Best thing about tennis:

Being able to compete against a very diverse range of people. I’m a reasonably competitive person & like to win as we all do, so it’s great to one week play against someone very experienced & the next playing a talented youngster. Requires a change of focus & thought. I just like playing the game!

Funny Tennis Memories:

A couple of years ago on my birthday actually, I was playing singles against a young lad from Tea Tree Gully on court 3 in the winter comp & mid rally his racquet snapped clean in half at the throat & came flying over the net onto my side of the court. The initial shock & the look on his face was quite humorous. I can’t remember who won the point but we both had a laugh about it & continued on with the game once he found himself another racquet.

Best thing about RTC:

Definitely the people. I was made very welcome when I started at RTC in about 2008 by Rod & Jan Warren, Ben Berry, Simon & Sarah James, Helga & the list goes on. It’s a fantastic club to be around, either playing or enjoying a few drinks & watching the action on court 1 & 2 from the verandah.

Favourite tennis player/players:

Current- Roger Federer, Andy Murray

Past players- Marat Safin, Pete Sampras

Other sporting highlights/achievements – (footy, athletics etc) 5 footy premierships & 245 games for the RSMU Hawks in the North Eastern Football League

Favorite AFL Team:

North Melbourne

Favorite AFL Players:

Past – Wayne Carey.

Current – Dan Hannebery

Other Sports Interests (NBA, Soccer etc):

Most but have a keen interest in Moto GP, Formula 1, Rugby League & Cricket

Favorite Band/Singers:

Coldplay, Pearl Jam

Favorite Movie:

The Hangover

Favorite Actor:

Eddie Murphy

Favorite Sportsperson:

Daniel Ricciardo

Favorite Food/Restaurant:

Pizza

Favorite holiday destination:

Hawaii

We are delighted to bring you our first interview at Helga's Bar for 2017-18. Thanks to Div 1, number 1 hotshot, the uber-talented all-round sportsman and an even better young man - Kane Nurton.

First intro to tennis and at what age:

4 years old hitting on a Sunday morning down at my local courts in Darwin!

Years playing:

Technically I've been playing for 16 years since I was 4 but only started getting proper coaching at around 8 years old so I count it as 12 years!!!!!

Hometown/area:

Good old Darwin in the NT!!!

Schools attended:

Wagaman Primary School (NT)

Kormilda College (NT)

Marryatville High School (SA)

Occupation:

Tennis coach at Trinity Gardens Tennis Club (Sorry TP)

Family/Kids etc:

NO KIDS AND NO PLANS ON ANY!!!!!

Live with my annoying brother and lovely mother.

Tennis Clubs played at:

Darwin Tennis Centre (DTC)

Trinity Gardens Tennis Club

Rostrevor Tennis Club

Tranmere Lawn Tennis Club

Biggest influence on your tennis:

My dad got me into tennis at a young age, but after that it was my mum and myself who pushed me in the sport!

Individual tennis highlights:

Representing the NT on 5 occasions in Under 12's and Under 14's

Representing UniSA at the Australian Uni Games and finishing 4th!

Playing at several national tournaments unfortunately not winning much! But it was the experience that mattered!

All of my junior trophies are packed away so can't list the countless tournaments I've won! Sorry folks!

Premierships:

Unfortunately I've been stuck in a team with Ben Berry for several seasons so winning premierships was hard to come by! Joking, obviously I love Ben.

Only managed to win the 1 so far 2016/17 Division 1 Composite

Favourite tennis memories:

The countless trips away! There's too many memories from them I can't pick my favourite!!!!

Walking through Melbourne Park and hitting on all the major courts and walking down the corridors with Lleyton Hewitt and Casey Dellacqua was definitely up there!

Best thing about tennis:

I just love the battle and how everything is controlled by yourself and up to you. You have no excuses!!!

Funny Tennis Memories:

Watching Ben Berry warm up!!!!

Seeing some dude who I won't name and is now like 500 in the world get defaulted because he threw his racket across 5 courts nearly killing 4 people in the process.

Best thing about RTC:

Spud!

And the people! But mainly Spud.

Favourite tennis player/players:

Rod Warren - Rafael Nadal - David Ferrer - David Goffin - Dominic Thiem

Current-

Rod Warren - Greg Parker - Guy Murray

Past players-

Rod Warren

Other sporting highlights/achievements

Playing doubles with Guy Murray.

Playing football for the Norwood Football Club at Under 18 and Reserves Level

Winning an U16's and U18's premiership with the Broadview Football Club!

Favorite AFL Team:

Port Adelaide Power!

Favorite AFL Players:

NAT FYFE ❤ Scott Pendlebury and Patrick Dangerfield

Other Sports Interests (NBA, Soccer etc)

Don't mind a bit of AFL, NBA and NFL!!!

Favorite Band/Singers:

Seeing as the crowd at RTC is significantly older than me I might just leave this one blank so I am not ridiculed.

Favorite Movie:

Hot Rod - Step Brothers - Borat

Favorite Actor:

Will Ferrell without a doubt the greatest actor walking this earth.

Sacha Baron Cohen ain't too bad either

Favorite Sportsperson:

Brett Crabtree - But apparently this is unacceptable so....

LeBron James without a doubt but I also love Odell Beckham Jr

Favorite Food/Restaurant:

Pizza and Parmi!

Any restaurant that does a Parmi I love!

Favorite holiday destination:

FIJI!!!!!!!

We're honoured to sit down with multiple RTC reigning women's champion and division 1 (number 1) star Elvira Karaikovic. Elvira has achieved an incredible amount in her young life so far.

First intro to tennis and at what age:

My first introduction to tennis was in 2004 when I was 9 years old. I saw the sport on TV and wanted to play so my parents found me a local coach

Years playing:

13

Hometown/area:

AdelaideSchools attended:

Ingle Farm East Primary SchoolPara Vista Primary SchoolMarryatville High School

Occupation:

Uni StudentClubs:

Modbury Tennis ClubRostrevor Tennis ClubAthelstone Tennis ClubTrinity Gardens Tennis ClubTea Tree Gully Tennis ClubFinally back to Rostrevor

Individual highlights:

Team

- Winning 2007 Compass Lightning Carnival 12/U

- Winning 2009 Wodonga Victorian Junior Grasscourt Championships Team Cup

- Representing Marryatville High School in Wogga Wogga, NSW

- Winning 2009/10 District Super League EDTA

Doubles

- Winning 2005 North East Junior Open Tournament 10/U girls doubles

- Winning 2008 Head Junior Series 14/U girls doubles

- Winning 2009 Just 4 Tennis Junior Open 14/U girls doubles

- Winning 2009 Riverland Junior Tennis Renmark Grasscourt Championships 14/U girls doubles

Singles

- Winning RTC Tournament

- Competing in Nationals in Melbourne and Brisbane

- Winning 2010 WTC City of Unley Junior Classic 14/U Girls Singles

- Winning 2009 Optus Winter Nationals girls singles compass 14/U

Premierships

- 2005/06 Modbury Tennis Club Div. 3 Grand Finalist

- 2007/08 Rostrevor Div. 4 Grand Finalist

- 2008/09 Rostrevor Div. 1 Grand Finalist

- 2012/13 Rostrevor Div. 1 Grand Finalist

- 2013 Winter Pennant Grand Finalist

- 2013/14 Rostrevor Div. 1 Grand Finalist

- 2014/15 Rostrevor Div. 1 Grand Finalist

- 2015/16 Rostrevor Div. 1 Grand Finalist

Favourite tennis memories:

I am lucky to have a family that has been so supportive of me and my tennis. I have travelled a lot with them playing tennis around Australia and have a lot of great memories from that. Some highlights for me though would have to be:

- Meeting Stan Wawrinka and other players like Ivan Ljubicic, John McEnroe, Henri Leconte, Kei Nishikori, Pat Cash and Leyton Hewitt when I was a ball kid for the WTC in Adelaide.

- Competing in Nationals around Australia and meeting fantastic people

- Winning GF's with Rostrevor over the years

- Seeing my name on the board in the Rostrevor club room for the first time

Best thing about tennis:

One of the best things about tennis, for me, is the exhilaration I feel when I am in a point and the adrenaline that it sometimes brings. The challenges that the sport brings to constantly better yourself, whether it be short term when you’re in between points or long term, is very appealing to me. If I was asked this when I was younger and just started playing I would have probably said something like winning or how active it is, however, throughout the years I have learnt to appreciate the mental side of the game a lot more. Tennis is a sport that needs both high physical AND mental stability which I love. Overall, the best thing about tennis for me is the lessons I have learnt from the game that spans outside of the tennis court such as patience, the ability to handle pressure, keep concentration and maintain self-confidence.

Best thing about RTC:

There is a lot to love about Rostrevor, however, one of the best things for me is how supportive everyone is at the club. Throughout my time playing tennis I always jumped from club to club depending on what positions I was offered or how high a division I could play in but what brought me back to Rostrevor from playing in pennant to playing in Div. 1 was the great people and the great impression it left on me when I was young. Other clubs I have played for have usually been about the results and wins but stop short when it comes to providing an open and inclusive feeling at the end of each match or day of tennis played. However, this is what Rostrevor has in abundance. The club has always felt like a tight knit community to me and I have learnt a lot from Rostrevor and its many members.

Favourite tennis player/players: Growing up I have always been an avid supporter of Roger Federer, and I still am. However, I now take more of a shine to the beautiful backhand of Stan Wawrinka.

Past players:

My favourite past player would have to be Justine Henin with Kim Clijsters being a close second

Other sports highlights and achievements:

I have a passion for sports in general so I have played many other sports throughout school. My first taste of sport was when I was five competing in Little Athletics. Shortly after I played club cricket and an array of sports followed: soccer, softball, rugby, basketball and volleyball. I have been a part of many teams for school competitions and have great memories playing in team sports with friends.

Other Interests:

I am a huge bookworm and am always in the middle of a book. I also love volunteering with St Vinnies and backing my favourite sports teams: Manchester United and Collingwood (I know, don't hate me).