Daglis optimistic after first 11 months of new Rome Tennis Center at Berry College

It has been nearly 11 months since the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College opened its doors. And after a successful ACC tournament and good feedback in between, Executive Director Tom Daglis is not ready to stop building.

Daglis has l earned plenty from his first year on the job, whether it be about the facility or the town that built it. But one thing he is sure of is that the center is growing with every event.

“Any time you do an event, you are going to get a chance to learn

from that event,” Daglis said. “With every event, we’ll go back and see what we did wrong and need t o i mprove on. That’s what is going to help us keep growing.”

The 60-court facility got its start last July, and was quickly hosting events such as the USTA Southern Junior Team Championships only a month later. Almost immediately, the staff began to look at what they could improve.

Whether i t was t he tracking patterns within the facility or just mixing up normal operations for a tournament, Daglis and others wanted to see what worked the best and what did not. The thing management needed to figure out was how to make adjustments as large tournaments came in.

Events like the 2017 USTA Georgia Bowl National Champi- onships and the inaugural Rome Open trickled in, but the largest event was the ACC Tennis Tournament, another suc-cess according to Daglis.

I t was an event he thinks not only paid off for the facility, but for the surrounding community as well.

“Our goal is to market the facility to national tennis events,” Daglis said. “Any event we bring in helps all the hotels and all the restaurants in town, plus it helps our budget here.”

But the Tennis Center is not just used for the big t ourna- ments every weekend, something Daglis worried about when he took the job. While big events would be sure to use the fa-cility, he did not know if the town would.

To his surprise, he got his answer pretty quickly with the courts often filled during weeknights with players. It is a blend of the town’s commitment to the sport and to the facili-ty.

“That was just the effect of the community. And that sur-prised me,” Daglis said. “That means the community is using the facility, we’re providing a service we feel is (valuable) to them, and that’s what it should be.”

The tennis center is hosting USTA Georgia Junior Closed Challenger next week, the first eight USTA events in the next three months. In October, the facility will host another large college tennis event with the ITA Oracle Cup.

All in all, Daglis can hardly believe it has been 11 months. But as long as the big events keep coming, management will continue to try and make them better.

“We have certainly hit some big numbers early, and like I said we are not going to rest on our laurels. We are going to keep marketing, and every event we do, we want to make it bigger and better the next season.”

Local youth and their parents will be gathering around a Rockmart-area fishing hole next weekend for an annual day giving children a chance to pull in a catch.

The annual Kids Fishing Rodeo is coming up on Saturday morning, June 10 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. for ages 15 and younger at Kenview Farms.

Hourly drawings for door prizes will be held and free refreshments are available for participants who want to take part in the event from around the area, according to Ranger First Class Chad Cox.

The Fishing Rodeo, located at Kenview Farms, is the only time of the year that the private pond on the farm is opened up to local residents for fishing. Fish are fed year-round and stocked for the event.

The first 500 people to show up receives a free tshirt that was designed by a local student. On the back of the shirt is all of the businesses that sponsored the prizes for the drawings and also supplies for the rodeo.

The Fishing Rodeo has been going on for over 15 years now, started by retired Sgt. Ricky Dempsey is now organized by Cox.

Cox said the annual event is a great way for DNR to connect with the community and gives back.

"It's just something the kids really enjoy," said Cox. "It's the opportunity to fish, eat a hot dog, get a t-shirt so that when they leave that day, I know they had a good time."

After years of this event going on the same families come back so Cox gets a chance to see these kids grow up.

"I'm fortunate to have one myself," said Cox. "So to see him and his buddies get older and older and see them still come back fishing. I am glad to see them carry on the traditions on hunting and fishing."

Bait is allowed for the event, but no minnows can be used.

If you aren't able to make it to the Rodeo, or older than 15 then be glad to know that Georgia also provides three free fishing days anywhere in Georgia without a license on June 3, June 10, and Sept. 23.

To get more information or to see pictures of the Rodeo, visit the Polk County Kids Fishing Rodeo Facebook page.