From the President – 2019 Q1
I’d like to welcome all past, present and future Reno Tennis Club members and let you know, that yes, it’s that time of the year, when we request you send in your membership dues to support the club.
Your support is what keeps our little club operational and makes it the best place to play tennis in Reno. No, we don’t have pickleball, shuffleboard, badminton, ping pong or bocce ball, but if you’re an avid tennis player and care about playing on the nicest tennis courts in town, this is where you want to play.
What do we have, you ask? First and foremost, we maintain the best court surfaces in town. Two of the six courts are resurfaced every year, in rotation, to maintain maximum playability. All six courts are cleaned at least three to four times a week. We complement our great surface with full backdrops/windscreens on both ends of the courts. We use the color blue to offer the best contrast with yellow tennis balls. The nets are maintained, kept to the right tension and height, and replaced as needed.
Additionally, we’ve used your past dues for projects to improve the facility, such as our big beautiful hitting wall. An individual who grew up learning to play tennis by hitting against the old wooden backboard generously donated $10,000 towards the construction of a new wall. The donation was contingent on our commitment to a quality project from start to finish.
Now, after completion of this two+ year project, we have the nicest hitting wall in town; a large, painted concrete wall, complete with a “net” painted on it, a concrete regulation size practice court with an actual tennis court surface, with a 4-foot fence surrounding the back perimeter to keep the balls on the practice court.
The donation gave us an opportunity to complete a project that many club members had been requesting since the old wooden backboard blew down. The project was costly but the donation gave us a good start.
Our next project, currently underway, is a new deck to replace the old wooden one that was falling apart and simply beyond repair. Once again, we received generous donations that allowed a jump start on the new deck. As with the wall, we are excited about how this project will function and look when completed.
A new deck was requested over and over again by those that enjoy hanging out and commiserating while watching tennis. It will also be a great place to view that final league match of the day and root on our home team. It will consist of a two-level concrete pad with a full pergola, covering its entirety, made from a product called Alumawood. It’s a product that is strong, attractive, long-lasting and low maintenance. I can’t wait to see the finished product.
Since so many of us only play outdoors, I want to mention one additional item; this winter’s weather conditions brought us to the realization that we need to invest in a better snow removal solution. I’ve tested different snow blowers that work for our circumstances; having a surface that needs to be cleared of snow but protected from scratches and scrapes. I found the best one for our needs – and the board approved its purchase. This means we will be able to clean the snow off the court right after the snowfall and likely be able to play the next day. No more waiting, shoveling and working for days to clean all the courts.
We have other ideas to make our club even better, such as: WiFi for a weather cam hooked into our website so that one can check the condition of the court by just logging into our site. Perhaps even one day we’ll have lights for night time play. Wouldn’t that be great for all those that have to work during the day.
As you can see, we’ve done plenty, but we still have much to do and it can only be accomplished with your dues, contributions and donations. No money for any of these projects comes from the County. We encourage you to continue your membership and hope you invite others to join. I look forward to seeing you on the courts and seeing all of our projects coming to fruition.
Ray Woolley
President – Reno Tennis Club
