Enthusiasts get ball bouncing at dome
SYDNEY — Tennis enthusiasts will no longer have to shovel snow off their local courts in order to play their favourite sport.
On Sunday, there will be an open house to promote indoor tennis at the Cape Breton Health Recreation Complex dome starting at 2:30 p.m. and running until 6 p.m.
Mike Pace, president of the Cromarty Tennis Club in Sydney, said moving indoors will encourage people to keep playing during the cold winter months.
Pace and Cromarty club vicepresident Bill Buckland thought up the idea of using the soccer dome at Cape Breton University for tennis after hearing the facility was being underutilized.
“We went out and the ball bounced perfectly,” said Pace. “We wanted to play for health and recreation, for kids, for older people, for just general health in sport.”
To transform the dome into temporary tennis courts, four nets were ordered from the United States, said Pace.
“It's a way for tennis players to play year-round and for the dome to receive more revenue,” he added.
Pace said the growth of tennis in Nova Scotia is on the rise and can be attributed to the success of Canadian tennis players, Milos Raonic and Vasek Pospisil.
“This past season Cromarty had one of its biggest memberships ever and we just wanted to keep it going,” said Pace. “Cape Breton is the only place across Nova Scotia without indoor tennis courts and this would be a first for us.”
For tennis players like Eric Krause, the move to an indoor court means he won't have to shovel snow in order to play tennis this winter.
Krause said while he's excited to play at the dome, he's still pushing for an indoor tennis facility in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
“We've practiced out (at the dome) a few times and it's going to be a little bit challenging for some players, but it's going to be interesting,” said Krause.
“This will be the first time in about six years that we won't be playing outdoor tennis in the snow.”
Anyone with an interest in tennis is encouraged to attend the open house. In addition to food and refreshments, there will also be tennis rackets provided.