Schoops Play On

Tennis in the Palisades has been a way of life for the Schoop family. Especially for Chris and his dad, Ernie, who reached the finals of the National Senior Father and Son Indoors Tournament last weekend in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. The Pali duo lost a close championship match to Donald and Brian Biedinger, 2-6, 7-5, 6-2. Fathers in the event must be 60 or older. The Schoops got a first-round bye, then beat Carl Vail Sr. and Jr. of Maryland, 6-3, 6-3, in the quarterfinals and Harold and Michael Posner from Georgia in the semifinals 7-6 (7-1), 6-0. As a result of their success in numerous national tournaments, the Palisadian pair was ranked seventh in the country in 2003, four spots behind the Biedingers. ‘My dad and I used to be very active in the Father and Son tournaments,’ Chris said. ‘We attained the No. 1 ranking in the nation in the Senior Father and Son division in 1996 after winning both the National Hardcourts in Newport Beach and the National Grass Courts in Locust Valley, New York.’ Beginning in 1997, they took a six-year hiatus while Chris and his wife had two children, but late in 2002 they took the court again and have not missed a national event since, playing the National Indoors in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, the National Hardcourts in Newport Beach in June, the National Grasscourts in Locust Valley, New York in August, and the National Clay Courts in Sarasota, Florida in November. The Schoops have resided in the Palisades since 1965 and ran Schoop’s Tennis Shop at Palisades Recreation Center for 15 years. Chris began playing at the park when he was 6 and was taught by his mother, who was a teacher there. Chris went on to play at UC Berkeley from 1982-86. He still lives in the Palisades, teaching private lessons at his Marquez home. ‘I still try to play as much as I can, but that is a struggle, given the amount of hours I am on the court teaching,’ he said. Ernie moved from the Palisades to Valentine, Arizona (30 miles outside Kingman, six years ago. He played college tennis at the University of Arizona and competed at the U.S. Open when it was played in Forest Hills, New York.