The Whitewater Unified School District officially celebrated the recently renovated high school tennis facility with a “First Serve” event on Monday, prior to the Whippet boys tennis team’s first home meet against Delavan-Darien High School.
The April 13 event acknowledged the collaboration between the school district, the City of Whitewater Park and Recreation department, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater tennis team and the United States Tennis Association.
According to a press release from Whitewater Unified School District Administrator Eric Runez, the nearly 20-year-old tennis courts were in need of considerable repair and far exceeded its life expectancy of 10-15 years. The courts are heavily utilized by several entities within the Whitewater community including: the high school tennis team and physical education department; summer school programs; area residents; the city’s park and recreation department; and the university.
The district had a very narrow window of time between the conclusion of the boys’ spring tennis season and the start of summer school to complete the renovation project last summer. Renovation occurred in two phases: the first phase of replacing the fencing completed in the summer of 2013; the second involving the application of an Armor Repair System that was completed last summer. Rather than pulverizing and then reconstructing the entire court surface, the district elected the Armor Repair System that fills existing cracks then rolls and seals a new surface over the existing courts. New courts are then painted on the new surface.
In addition to the resurfacing, the district also installed three Quick Start courts that will be utilized during summer school and by the park and recreation program to introduce children to the game of tennis on a more manageable, smaller sized court. The installation of the smaller tennis courts was funded by a USTA grant awarded to the school district to help support the community’s effort to promote the game of tennis as a lifetime activity.
The district, according to the press release, hopes to address a third phase of the project involving new fencing slats or wind screens prior to the start of next fall’s girls tennis season.
Representatives from the WHS athletic department, the WUSD School Board, the City of Whitewater Park and Recreation Department and the UW-W tennis team participated in the “First Serve” event as an acknowledgement of the collaboration necessary to complete the renovation project and promote the game of tennis in the Whitewater community.
Following a short introduction ceremony about the completion of the project at Monday’s event, several people officially sent the first serve over the nets.
Participants in the First Serve event included: Frank Barnes, UW-W men’s and women’s tennis coach; Josh Nast, Whippet boys tennis team captain; Jeff Behrens, Whitewater High School Athletic Director; Forrest Spear, Whippet boys tennis team captain; Tim Nelson, Whippet girls tennis coach; Steve Ryan, WUSD School Board member; Michelle Dujardin, recreation and community events programmer; AJ Paul, Whippet boys tennis head coach; and Rich Vonlderstine, Whippet boys tennis assistant coach.
