It was a moment of personal satisfaction for Sweet Home School District Supt. Larry Horton and a lot of other people Thursday, Oct. 22, when the red ribbon was cut to open the district’s four new tennis courts to the public.
Horton, who noted how he took some grousing from tennis enthusiasts in the community when the district decided to remove the old courts two years ago, was clearly enjoying himself at the grand opening.
The four new courts are located between the varsity baseball field and the bus barn, along 18th Avenue.
A crowd of about 50 people turned out for the dedicaton, including physical education teacher Kate Buehler and about a dozen youngsters whom Buehler has been teaching to play a beginner’s variety of the game, called Quickstart Tennis.
Buehler and the children put on a demonstration of the game, and it didn’t take long for the adults to get on the courts and try them out.
The tennis courts were removed in 2008 after the School Board accepted an offer from the Sweet Home Economic Development Group to pay $25,000 for the removal of the old courts along the back driveway from 18th Avenue into Sweet Home High School. The existing courts were cracked and in such poor condition that the district’s insurance company had forced the district to padlock some of them, Horton said.
SHEDG also offered $75,000 in a matching grant if the district could come up with the match from funds outside of state and federal sources.
The district received a $20,000 grant from the Charlotte Martin Foundation and $38,200 in two grants from the U.S. Tennis Association. Mike Naumes of Medford, a member of the USTA Board of Directors for the Pacific Northwest Section, told the crowd that the money from the USTA represented the only grant made by the Pacific Northwest Division this year and nearly 15 percent of the total grants made by the nationwide organization.
“Obviously, you had a project that caught everyone’s eye,” Naumes said.
He and Bill Leong, executive director of the Pacific Northwest Section, said they were impressed by the completed project.
Leong acknowledged the effort that went into the courts, especially the paperwork necessary to get the grants from USTA.
“A project like this take a lot of work to make it happen,” he said. “You should be proud of this. Larry’s been a true champion in getting these funds for the community.”
In addition to the grants, Horton and School Board Chairman Mike Reynolds thanked the contributors to the courts project:
Diane and Gus Gerson; Lisa and Scott Weld; John and Melanie Fassler; Jim Cota and Timber Harvest Inc., who donated all of the labor to create a base for the courts; and Eric Sheeks of Atwater Homes, who donated a “tremendous smount of dirt to fill in the holes for old tennis courts,” Horton said. “They were able to provide enough dirt that we were able to plant grass. They helped with the reconditioning of the soccer and football fields.”
SHEDG President Ron Moore, who first proposed the tennis court removal and grant, said the opening marked “another one of the exciting things we can be proud of in Sweet Home.”
He said the deal provided more space for the Jamboree on the high school athletic fields, and better facilities for soccer, softball and baseball.
“The partnership between the school district and SHEDG is phenomenal,” Moore said. “SHEDG is committed to making a better community in Sweet Home. This is what Sweet Home does. We rally around and make things happen.”
Horton told the crowd that tennis is being introduced to children throughout the district. He said that in February 2008 14 district staff members showed up on a Saturday, on their own time, to learn how to teach the game. Also, Horton said, each of the schools will get $800 worth of tennis equipment. He said he is working to get Quickstart courts painted on the playground at each school.
“When I learned how to play tennis, it was technical,” he said. “Quickstart is fun.”
Nodding toward the girls soccer team, which was practicing on the baseball field nearby, Leong said, “We’ve gotta get those soccer players out to play tennis because when they get to be my age, they’re not going to be kicking that ball around.”