West Ashley Nets a Champ

Some might think that it’s time Brian Burke to slow down, and stop winning national championships.
Nope.
Burke, 40, and his wife not only just welcomed home his second child, but he also finished up a tough year as the general manager trying to makeover St. Andrews Family Fitness PLUS! on Sam Rittenberg Boulevard.
On top of that, Burke, a former satellite touring tennis player who starred on St. Andrew’s High’s tennis team, just brought home his second national championship trophy.
Earlier this month, Burke and his partner Tammy Zawacki of Hilton Head, traveled out to Tucson, Ari. and won the United States Tennis Association’s 10.0 combined mixed doubles championship.
Amateur tennis uses a rankings system, where players are rated from a lowly 2.5 up to just below professional. Burke and Zawacki’s collective ranking added together totaled 10.
It was Burke’s second national championship this year, as he had traveled out to Las Vegas this spring with a team comprised partly of players who call St. Andrew’s Parks and Recreation courts home, to win the national 40-and-over doubles “open” men’s championship.
Open, in this case, means any level of competitors combined, as long as they are amateurs, can compete together in the same doubles pairing.
Burke, who first picked up the game from his dad, a former boxer who learned the sport on downtown public courts in the shadow of the Citadel football stadium, said the Tucson tournament was the tougher of the two.
“On the first day, it just rained and rained; and it was cold,” said Burke, who didn’t’ relish the officials’ decision to shift to an abbreviated scoring system, whereby competitors had only one set in which to defeat their foes.
“Their was no ‘one set to get into the flow,’ like there was in Vegas,” said Burke. Despite the challenges, Burke brought home a second trophy — there’s no cash prizes for USTA events.
These days, Burke leaves the Las Vegas trophy at the courts, but keeps the Tucson memento at Family Fitness PLUS!
For those interested in learning to play tennis, or sign their kids up for lessons and clinics, contact Burke’s older brother, Phil, who succeeded him as the head tennis pro at Parks and Paygrounds, at 763-4360. Or visit its website at www.standrewsparks.com.
If you’re thinking about getting in better shape, or losing a few pounds, contact Brian’s office at Fitness PLUS! At (843) 763-3850, or check out its website at www.standrewsfitness.com.