The Wheeling Oglebay Tennis Club will present the 2023 Jack Dorsey Memorial Senior Tennis Tournament from June 22-25 at Oglebay’s Horne Family Racquet Center and Wheeling Park’s Hilltop Courts.

This tournament is a men’s national level 3 event, which draws players from across the country.

Divisions include ages 35 to 90 in singles and doubles, with age groups in five-year increments.

Play will begin on Thursday at 8 a.m. and will conclude with most finals being played on Sunday. The schedule of play and match results will be available at the USTA website (https://playtennis.usta.com/tournaments) using the keyword of Dorsey.

Kelly Molyneaux Rose is returning as tournament director. Having served in this capacity since 2017, she has earned the respect of the gentlemen who travel here to compete for national ranking points.

Rose commented, “This event brings about 140 players to Wheeling each year. The majority are returning because they love both the venue and the level of competition.”

This year’s organizers of the event are Diego Gattesco and JT Thomas. Debbie Pickens, president of the WOTC, commented, “It is nice to have some new volunteers assisting with the responsibilities of running this national event.”

The largest number of participants are in the 65s and 70s singles, with 20 and 19 respectively.

The oldest entrant in this year’s tournament is George McCabe from Oxford, Ohio. Although McCabe was born in 1931, he did not begin playing tennis until 1974 when he was 43 years old and serving in the US Navy.

Since that time, he has continued to play and compete around the country as well as at international events. McCabe has returned to the Dorsey over the years because he enjoys the beautiful setting and the opportunity to enjoy the park’s activities.

He reflected, “I even played Jack Dorsey in a finals event at Oglebay many years ago, and I was able to win that match and be champion.”

McCabe is most proud of his recent achievement of earning the men’s 90s number 1 ranking in the US and in the world. He hopes to go to Spain in October to defend his title at the World Super Senior Tournament.

Another noteworthy participant will be King Van Norstrand, who has 45 world championships. This summer he will be defending his men’s 85s world title in Spain.

Members of the WOTC who are slated to compete include the following: Christian Turak (35 singles and doubles), Tyler McCullough (35 singles and doubles), Jeremy McClelland (35 singles and doubles), Bill Mercer (70 singles and doubles), Jodi White (65 and 70 doubles), Harold Pickens (65 doubles), and JT Thomas (45 doubles). Ken Dearth (50 doubles).

This tournament is named for John T. “Jack” Dorsey, Jr., who passed away in 2010. Dorsey had a great love for the sport of tennis. He enjoyed competing as well as serving as an ambassador for the sport. Dorsey brought this men’s national senior event to Wheeling and served as its director for 15-plus years.