Tennis Day kicks off busy season at Cromarty
Tennis Day in Canada will mark the start of what will likely be a busy 2017 season at Cromarty Tennis Club.
Scheduled for Saturday, the day will include free tennis clinics running all day at the Sydney club, starting at players ages five to adults. It’s geared to both beginners and returning players alike.
“This is actually the first year they’re hosting national Tennis Day in Canada,” said Cromarty program co-ordinator Anne O’Neil. “It’s part of the Canada 150 celebration, so Tennis Canada is partnering with Particip-ACTION 150. Over 150 tennis clubs are taking part in the event on Saturday and we have over 60 participants signed up right now.
“It’s always good to see new faces at the club,” added Cromarty club professional Kevin Hall. “Normally, we do offer open houses… so this kind of works as something like that.”
The club will see some new programs and upgrades this summer. They’ll be resurfacing the four courts at the end of May, and will stand out with a purple colour this time around. They’re currently giving the clubhouse a new paint job to give things a bit of a facelift for the near 250 members.
O’Neil is back working at
2017 Tennis Schedule June 16-18: Cape Breton Masters June 23: Future Stars Tour (ages 7-11) June 28: Rogers Rookie Tour (ages 7-11) July 12: Future Stars Tour (ages 7-11) July 14-16: New Waterford Peter Durdle Open July 26: Rogers Rookie Tour (ages 7-11) Aug. 11-13: Cape Breton Jr. Regionals Aug. 18-20: Cape Breton Open/ Class ‘A’ Aug. 23: Rogers Rookie Tour (ages 7-11) Aug. 24: Future Stars Tour (ages 7-11) Sept. (TBA): Cromarty Fall Classic
Cromarty for the first time since 2013, when she and Hall were named the top coaches in the province. James Roper has returned for a second season as head pro. They’ll have six total staff on hand this year.
“The last summer we worked together, we hit over 100 juniors and that hasn’t been done for a while,” said O’Neil. “We’re hoping to exceed that mark.”
Cromarty will continue to offer lessons for both children and adults. They’ll have a summer daily tennis program for juniors, and will add an evening program this year. There will be an after school program, weeklong tennis camps, as well as new tournaments and events.
The annual Cape Breton Open returns Aug. 18-20, with a new separate Cape Breton Masters event from June 16-18. Cape Breton Junior Regionals will take place Aug. 11-13, and another Fall Classic will be contested in September. Rogers Rookie Tour events, a Tennis Canada initiative, will be held throughout the summer as well.
“They have mini tournaments for kids who want to get introduced to tennis,” said Hall. “They’ve never played before, so they don’t want to enter an actual tournament with people who’ve been playing, so this helps them learn.”
To reserve a spot at Saturday’s Tennis Day in Canada clinics, email cromartyprograms@gmail.com. Another general registration day will be held on Sunday from 12-5 p.m.