More Reasons, More Seasons, Expanding Play in New Brunswick
The Capital Region Tennis Association (CRTA) is on a mission to get Fredericton some indoor tennis courts! Tennis enthusiasts feel well-served by their city during the summer months with 34 courts for their approximately 125,000 people, but want more in the winter. David Clark, President of the CRTA has devoted his time and many hours of effort to gather the community together to raise funds and lobby the government for an indoor facility. That mission means the world to people like Jean Denning and Carla Rasmussen. Both ladies love their weekly team tennis and miss the exercise and camaraderie of the sport during the long winter months. Carla organizes the twice weekly league, which features a format whereby each player plays one set of ladies’/men’s doubles, mixed doubles and singles. Their league may be small but just like tennis leagues all over the world, the Fredericton season ended with a fantastic social organized by Jean. The challenges faced by Fredericton and Edmonton are the same as most communities across Canada; funding for courts, especially year-round facilities, and ensuring that the people who try and then love the sport have quality programs to participate in.
BACK TO ARCHIVE
Samoilova, a league member of the InterCounty Tennis Association, brought along friends Tracy Keenan and Sergei Razaev to the Eglinton Flats indoor courts to meet Nestor for the exciting gathering. Nestor spoke to the group for 30 minutes answering all of their questions about tennis, technique and the ATP World Tour. He also signed t-shirts for them and then impressed them with his abundant talent as they played a doubles match.
“What an incredible experience,” said Samoilova. “The memories of that match will last a lifetime.”
Samoilova entered the contest with many others as all Canadian league players were eligible to put their name in the running. She was paired with Nestor and they faced off against her friends on the other side of the net. It was a memorable and entertaining evening for all involved and it was all thanks to Miele!
MLC Contest winner plays with Nestor
Daniel Nestor continued his role as Miele League Challenge ambassador on Tuesday night when he gave three lucky fans the opportunity of a lifetime. After winning the Miele League Challenge contest, Margarita Samoilova cashed in her grand prize, a 90 minute doubles session with Golden Slam winner Daniel Nestor and two of her friends.Samoilova, a league member of the InterCounty Tennis Association, brought along friends Tracy Keenan and Sergei Razaev to the Eglinton Flats indoor courts to meet Nestor for the exciting gathering. Nestor spoke to the group for 30 minutes answering all of their questions about tennis, technique and the ATP World Tour. He also signed t-shirts for them and then impressed them with his abundant talent as they played a doubles match.
“What an incredible experience,” said Samoilova. “The memories of that match will last a lifetime.”
Samoilova entered the contest with many others as all Canadian league players were eligible to put their name in the running. She was paired with Nestor and they faced off against her friends on the other side of the net. It was a memorable and entertaining evening for all involved and it was all thanks to Miele!
Edmonton Embraces the Challenge
Just like the province itself, tennis in Alberta is booming! For Tennis Edmonton the challenges of growth are many and are being met by a fantastic group of volunteers. According to Doug Rault, President of Tennis Edmonton and board member for Tennis Alberta, there are 140 usable tennis courts at 33 different locations. One of Doug’s goals is for Edmonton’s citizens to get connected so they know where those courts are located and what programs are running at each site. This way they can get more players of all ages and ability happily playing. A few more indoor courts would be great too! Having the Saville Sports Centre honored as the tennis facility of the year by Tennis Canada at last February’s Tennis Professionals Association conference helped raise the profile of tennis in Edmonton and was the first such award for a club in Alberta. Doug is very interested in the expansion of the Miele League Challenge and hopes to tie the program to a new adult team tennis initiative. That, plus a junior league would be added to an already stable interclub league that offers competitive doubles play to more than 400 adults at a variety of skill levels.
