By Darlene Jackson

Susan Tibbetts and Kathy Cantore – two of the newest members of the Newtown Tennis Association executive committee – may be two different people, but they seem to be so much alike. Both are athletes (skiers and tennis players), both come from New Jersey, and both have children and husbands who enjoy sports.

They are also best friends.

Cathy is the new NTA secretary. She has lived in Newtown about seven years, coming here from Shelton where she worked at Reader’s Digest as a staffing manager. She grew up in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, graduating from Rider University in Lawrenceville. After college she moved to Shelton and earned her master’s degree in organizational psychology and industrial relations. Four years ago she gave up full-time work and took on a part-time position in human resources for Creative Alliance in Southport. The Alliance does event marketing and promotion.

Cathy is married to Phillip Cantore, who grew up in Milford. They have two children. Kelsey, 11, is in sixth grade at Middle School and plays piano and girls softball and takes ballet. Brian, 9, is a third grader at Hawley School and a budding tennis player, who took lessons from Sue Gardner through the Park and Recreation Department program. He is also into baseball, soccer, and snow boarding. Phillip works in sales of commercial printing in the Hartford Company of General Business Envelope.

Susan is the new NTA treasurer. She holds an accounting degree from Seton Hall University. She, too, comes originally from New Jersey. She met her husband, Bob, when they both worked for Johnson and Johnson in Chicago, where she worked for 13 years in human resources. Four and a half years ago they and their two boys moved to Newtown.

Their children are Michael, 12, who is at Middle School, and Jamey, 9, who is a Hawley School pupil. Both play tennis and have taken instruction from Mrs Gardner.

Susan played racquetball for 18 years, but only took up tennis in the last two years. Since then, she, like Cathy, took lessons from Mrs Gardner and Alex Aitchison, who not so incidentally recruited them for the NTA executive board.

Susan also credits her “quick study” to Pat Blaskower and Teresa Kennedy. She plays at Beaver Brook, Trumbull, and Middlebury, and is a USTA member.

These ladies and other Newtown women players are very likely going to join Elizabeth Lynch, who has organized a night of women’s social tennis at Middlebury Racquet Club for Friday, March 30, from 7:30 to 9:30 pm. Reservations for this event can be made by calling Liz at 270-9072. Cost is $8 and participants are asked to bring an appetizer or dessert for after tennis. Space is limited, so call now.

There’s still time to join the NTA to be included in all the coming events. Cost is a bargain at $10 for individuals and $15 for families. Make checks out to NTA and include names of all the players in the family as well as address, a.m. and p.m. phone numbers. Mail to PO Box 3432, Newtown, CT 06470.

Check the NTA web site at: www.ntaweb.com to see the new Newtown 2001 Open Tennis Tournament application (members will receive theirs in the mail) and watch this column for all the NTA news and other tennis options.