Rancho Valencia to Host 10th Annual SES Pro-Am Sept. 12-13
San Diego, CA, August 10, 2014 (Newswire.com) - The 10th Annual Sean Eduardo Sanchez (SES) fundraising Pro-Am will be held on Saturday, September 13, 2014 beginning at 1:00 p.m., at Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa, located at 5921 Valencia Circle, Rancho Santa Fe, California. Tennis-playing Amateurs who will pay a $400 entry fee donation in three separate divisions (men’s doubles, men’s open doubles and mixed doubles) will be partnered with tennis Professionals to compete for the championship. All tennis Professionals who participate in the pro-am tennis tournament donate their time and athletic talent to the tournament. Proceeds from the two-day event will provide the children of Tecate, Mexico, with access to free tennis lessons, tennis equipment and cross border tournament transportation while also supporting the efforts of the Empty Cradle, a San Diego non-profit organization that helps parents cope with the loss of an infant before, during or after birth. Rancho Valencia has underwritten and hosted the event at the resort for the past ten consecutive years.
Rancho Valencia was recently hand selected by Forbes Travel Guide as one of the finest Five-Star hotels in the world and was awarded the prestigious 2014 North America Grand Award by Andrew Harper's Hideaway Report. The resort has also been ranked as the #9 resort in the country and #2 resort in California by U.S. News & World Report (2014) and was listed among Condé Nast Traveler's Top 25 Spas in the World (2014). Tennis Magazine continues to name the resort as its #1 U.S. Tennis Resort each year. Primary sponsors of the Pro-Am as of this printing include: Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa; Two Ton Media; Patrick Dugan and Family; Jamie Carr; Dixie Dugan-Siegel; David B. Moore; Coffee Ambassador; West Coast Tennis Academy; Horrow Sports Ventures; Hanson Surfboards; Abbey Party Rents; Wilson Sporting Goods and Andy Volkert.
There are currently 400 children enrolled in free tennis lessons at the SES Tennis Center, which has grown since inception in 2004 to include four regulation-size tennis courts. Through free tennis instruction and under the direction of SES Tennis Center coach Jorge Benitez, 11-year old Eugenio Gonzales (who has been receiving tennis instruction from the SES Tennis Center since age 7) and his doubles partner, 12-year old Hernan Olivas, most recently won a gold medal in the doubles division at the 2014 Mexico National Mini-Olympics in Veracruz, Mexico (Olimpiada Nacional 2014) this year in May. Only the two top tennis players were selected to represent each state in Mexico from 32 states, and Eugenio represented Baja California on behalf of the SES Tennis Center in Tecate.
A highlight of the two-day event is a Sponsor Party on the evening of Friday, September 12, 2014, that will be hosted by Jamie Carr at her private residence in Rancho Santa Fe. The Sponsor Party includes a buffet dinner, silent auction, and entertainments. Reservations may be purchased for $85 per person to attend the Sponsor Party on September 12th from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The tennis tournament at Rancho Valencia on September 13th from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. includes a barbeque and trophy presentation for a price of $85 per person (children under 10 are welcomed at $40 per child for this family-friendly event). A combined price of $150.00 is available to attend both events.
Eduardo Sanchez, Head Tennis Pro at Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa who is organizing the fundraising event, was born and raised in the city of Tecate, Mexico and accomplished a life-long dream to construct public tennis courts for use by all the citizens of Tecate, regardless of their ability to pay. He and his wife Amelia dedicated the project on June 4, 2004, in honor of their deceased son, Sean Eduardo. For further information regarding the non-profit SES Tennis Center, or to purchase reservations to attend the events, please call (858) 864-8536, visit sestenniscenter.org or email sesproam@gmail.com. Details on the additional beneficiary, Empty Cradle, may be located at www.emptycradle.org.