Bode Miller, Grand Slam Tennis Player, Gossip Girl Heartthrob Sebastian Stan and Fencing Silver Medalist Tim Morehouse Face Off in the Hublot “Tennis Fusion” Celebrity Challenge

Is the tennis racquet mightier than the sword?

Tomorrow we will find out as I’m squaring off in a celebrity tennis match to support Bode Miller’s Turtle Ridge Foundation which will be donating $10,000 dollars to Harlem Youth Tennis.

Apparently, Bode Miller would have been a professional tennis player if he wasn’t a skier and this explains why an Alpine skier is doing a tennis clinic.  Also, would be hard to demonstrate Alpine Skiing at an event in NYC!

Justin Gimelstob, the tennis champion and Gossip Girl’s Sebastian Stan round out the doubles players.  Not sure who I’ll be playing with, but it should be interesting.  Its been awhile since I picked up a racquet!  

It’s for a good cause and hopefully the children attending won’t laugh at my skills! -Tim

Follow it on twitter! www.twitter.com/timmorehouse

Press Release:
The Hublot “Tennis Fusion” Celebrity Challenge will feature Bode Miller, Sebastian Stan, Justin Gimelstob and Tim Morehouse in a doubles tennis match. The players will gather to support Bode’s relationship with the Harlem Youth Tennis and Educational Program. Following the Celebrity Challenge, Bode will lead a basic tennis clinic with kids from the program.

Bode Miller and his family started The Turtle Ridge Foundation in 2005. It is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting health, diversity, and sustainable living through sports. In February 2009 Bode joined forces with Hublot to collaborate on design and development of the new Hublot Bode Bang Limited Edition watch. A portion of sales from the watch will go to the Turtle Ridge Foundation. At the Hublot “Tennis Fusion” Celebrity Challenge, Hublot and The Turtle Ridge Foundation will donate 10,000 to Harlem Youth Tennis and Education Program.

Best Shot Ever?

And now, a true moment of greatness and something that we know was not staged, but yet is completly unreal!

This shot from Federer in his match with Djokovic was unbelievable!  Between the legs winner and it happened at a critical moment at a Grand Slam!

Bravo Federer! (Or as the German annoncer says: “Das ist ein weiner!”)

This is why I love sports!   On a playing field, hard work creates real moments of greatness that can’t be staged!

Roger Federer Retires from Tennis to Fence?

Sadly no, but can’t a guy dream?  (Michael Jordan retired from basketball to play baseball didn’t he?)

But on a real note, is there any doubt fencing is going to take over the planet? (And, that it’s a sexy sport?!?! lol)

Here is an ad featuring Roger Federer wearing a fencing outfit…

There has also been a commercial running for this years US Open featuring fencing and Gymnastics along with various tennis stars. 

Free fencing t-shirt if anyone can track this commercial down and get it to me on youtube!

US Open Events and Happenings Report (An Olympian’s “Insider” View)

U.S. Open Player Party Presented by Heineken - Arrivals Tim Morehouse Photo by Stephen Lovekin

This week has really been a grand inside look at what goes on the week before a major tennis competition.   While I’ve never been to Wimbledon or the French Open, I imagine that most of these tournaments have a similar build-up in the days before.

This week, events have been happening all over the city.   There were tennis demonstrations in the streets, children’s events and numerous sponsor/corporate events and parties involving the players.  Jewelry maker Tiffany’shad an event with Maria Sharpova, K-Swiss had a fashion show featuring former player Anna Kournikova and of course the two players party events on August 22nd and 29th  sponsored by Heineken and attended by tons of the players and celebs including Maria Sharprova, Bradley Cooper, Venus Williams, James Blake, Penn Badgley, and also theShamWow guy? (ok, that one is weird)

(Click here for photographs)

Not to mention there were probably numerous dinners similar to the one I had with Nadal where players came to thank their sponsors.  What a week!

I hope the players have energy left for the tournament! (I’m sure they do since this is just part of the life of being a Tennis star!)

Dinner with Rafael Nadal (A Night I’ll Remember Forever)

Its not often I get super excited to meet someone, but tonight I was a guest at private dinner with tennis champion Rafael Nadal and this was truly a fun night!

My friends Emma Snowdon-Jones and Courtney Dawson brought me to the little soiree.(Thanks guys!) 

Nadal was a true gentlemen and amazingly nice guy.  We got to chat a bit.  He is a pretty shy guy, but clearly very intelligent. 

Per a reader request, Nadal (and all of us) eat an appetizer of lobster and then an entree of filet steak following by some fancy cake type desert and chocolates. (He did not eat dessert…I did.)

I made some great new friends as well.  I’m truly blessed/fortunate to continue to have such great experiences and meet so many interesting people!

Good luck to Rafael Nadal! The US Open should be that much more fun to watch now!