BUTLER TWP — A 14-year-old boy playing in a mixed doubles tennis tournament with a 7-year-old girl?

That's something unheard of, unless you grow up in Whitney Snyder's tennis program at Butler Country Club.

Gibsonia resident Jay Barkley and Butler resident Annie Succop teamed up in the 1990 Snyde's Scramble.

"Whit was always creative when it came to stuff like that,"Barkley said. "He wanted everybody to play together and he was always trying to mix things up so that could happen."

Snyde's Scramble, an annual event, takes the top 32 junior tennis players in the BCC program and matches them together to form a mixed doubles tournament.

Snyder teams an older boy with a young girl or an older girl with a young boy. The top-ranked player in the field plays with the 32nd-ranked player, the No. 2 player with the No. 31 player, etc.

"Jay was always the top player in his age group and Annie was a tremendous player for her age,"Snyder recalled. "The youngest player I would allow in this tournament was 8, but Annie was so much better than everyone in her age group that I invited her to play.

"She made history that day, becoming the first 7-year-old to play in that tournament."

Barkley and Succop wound up winning Snyde's Scramble in 1990. Last month, 16 years later, they made history again.

Snyder paired them in the fourth annual Butler Country Club Pro-Am — and they won the mixed doubles championship again.

Barkley and Succop had never played mixed doubles together during the 16 years in between those tournaments.

"It was purely coincidence that they were teamed again,"Snyder said. "I put together a pro, male and female based on rankings that I don't show to anybody. That's just how it worked out."

Succop graduated from Shady Side Academy in 2001 and played lacrosse at Lehigh University. She came back to provide tennis instruction with Snyder at the country club this year, helps head coach Alisa Green with the Butler High School girls tennis team and is a substitute teacher in the Butler School District.

Barkley played high school tennis and college tennis at Westminster. Now 30, he joined the Lakevue Athletic Club's tennis team in the Allegheny Mountain League this year.

Both learned their tennis through Snyder's program.

"Tennis has always been my sport in the summer,"Succop said. "Whit always made it fun. I still like spending time there."

Barkley said he was part of Snyder's program for nearly 20 years.

"As long as I can remember,"he said. "It's been a big part of my life."

Barkley was one of the pros in the BCCPro-Am. His sister, Jenny Ivory, Snyder's first assistant at the country club, was one of the eight women in the tournament, as was their mother, Judy Barkley.

Jack Barkley, their father, was one of the eight men in the field. Succop's brother, Nate, was also one of the men in the tournament.

"The family end of it made it more fun — and more fun to win,"Annie Succop said.

"I remember that tournament in 1990. I was so little and so intimidated. I just let him (Jay Barkley) hit everything."

Barkley remembered things differently.

"She was a good player," he said. "Other teams would see this little girl out there and figured they could hit the ball past her, but they couldn't."

Succop was a little more active when they played together this year.

"A little,"she said, laughing. "Not very much. But whatever we did, it worked.

"Hopefully, we'll get to play together again soon, before another 16 years goes by."

"It was fun, taking the court with her again,"Barkley said. "It was like old times, only we could cover the court better."

Snyder enjoyed the reunion as well.

"I remember Annie when she was little," he said. "She was such a happy child, but so overwhelmed being on the court as a 7-year-old with so many teen-agers. I can still see her giggling when Jay would cover her end of the court.

"I see her working with our 7-year-old players now and I can't help but smile. The Barkley and Succop families have been so supportive of this program through the years. They've been such a pleasure to teach and work with.

"Jay and Annie winning mixed doubles together 16 years apart is an accomplishment that shows their dedication to tennis and the staying power of the sport," Snyder added.