Cook County tennis alive and well

Above left: U.S. Tennis Association Northern Division Executive Director Mike Goldhammer was the keynote speaker at the Cook County Tennis Association’s annual meeting and banquet August 30 at The Landing. He said community tennis is a vital part of making America a leader on the world tennis scene. Above: Youth coach John Muus (R), gives his brother Paul Muus a certificate of appreciation for all his help with the youth tennis program. Left: David Bergstrom was recognized for making it to state in the new Cook County Middle and High School team’s first season.

“This association does more with less than anywhere else!” That’s what U.S. Tennis Association Northern Division Executive Director Mike Goldhammer had to say to the Cook County Tennis Association (CCTA) at its annual banquet in August at The Landing. Of the 73 community tennis associations in the Northern Division, Goldhammer said, CCTA has more passion and commitment than anywhere else.

“Tennis is the only traditional sport that’s grown over the last decade,” Goldhammer said, with 28 million people playing right now. While soccer grew by 1 percent in that time, tennis grew by 50 percent.

Until the 1980s, Goldhammer said, America dominated the world tennis scene. At this point, in order to regain that domination, the sport needs to be promoted, top players need to be groomed, and a fan base needs to be cultivated.

Community tennis plays a vital part in keeping the sport alive. New initiatives include a smaller court for children, 60-foot courts for people over 60, and a new age category for 40-55-year-old players who want to play against people closer to their own age.

 

Community tennis associations can be grateful to the U.S. Open in New York City, the U.S. Tennis Association’s biggest fundraiser. It has been grossing $180 million, and that money filters down into grants for community and school programs throughout the country.

Success with high school team

Youth participation in the Cook County Tennis Association program is strong for a community this size, according to youth coach John Muus. “I think we can be happy with what we’re providing our community,” he said, “and people are taking advantage of our programs.”

The girls’ varsity team was quite competitive for being in its first year, Muus said. Last year, six girls came out for the team; this year, that number was 13. Convincing the school that a high school tennis team was valuable took a group effort, he said, even though the Cook County Tennis Association covers all of the costs. He believes having a high school team establishes a “missing link” in the community. “It just kind of gets everyone excited,” he said. “We did this to take tennis to a new level in our community.”

 

Neither the girls nor the boys have had as much match-play experience as their competitors. Muus congratulated David Bergstrom on making it to state in the team’s first season. Lars Scannell did well despite playing most of the season with a broken pinkie finger in a cast, thanks to a mishap catching a football just before the first match. Two of the top four kids in the section were Cook County High School kids, Muus said.

Muus would like to see more home meets. “I can tell the excitement in our community,” he said. “Hopefully, the community continues to get more and more excited about it.”

Muus expressed appreciation for those who have helped coach and promote the sport. “I want to thank them from the bottom of my heart,” he said, adding that the U.S. Tennis Association has been very helpful as well and gave $3,000 in start-up money. Travel expenses are the biggest cost for the team.

Adult program

Kathy Bolstad reported on the adult program, expressing appreciation to Jeremy Ridlbauer, Carl Johnson, Frankie Jarchow, and Greg Chalmers for taking the lead on Monday team tennis, Monday morning and Wednesday evening clinics, and Friday fun doubles. “I think our adult programs have been quite successful,” she said.

For being so small, President Gene Glader said, they have an excellent program.

Membership

As of the end of August, the association had approximately 60 households and 107 individual members, surpassing its goal of 100 members.

Facilities Committee Chairperson David Smith reported that the drinking fountain is in a warehouse somewhere in Cook County. “No one has seen it,” he said, but it will be installed somewhere sometime! Numerous projects have been put on hold pending decisions regarding the location of the new community center being planned. These include an overhead structure above the south court seating area, repair of large cracks, new windscreens, and a rain garden.

In a written report, Smith thanked the Grand Marais Park Board for donating two teak benches that now sit in the north courts.

“Dave Smith has done a lot more work than it appears,” Glader said, “and we really appreciate that!”

Finances

On the financial front, donations and user fees were up considerably this year, according to Treasurer Mike Carlson. Fundraising Chair Bill Hennessy thanked Marcia Zaftt for organizing “spud night,” and Zaftt thanked Scott Bergstrom for his culinary expertise and assistance. The event brought in over $700.

Gene Glader said he believes the organization does a great job handling money responsibly.

Marketing

Vice-President of Marketing and Administration Rod Wannebo said everyone benefits when the tourist business recognizes what a draw tennis is to communities. Strides have been made in linking the Cook County Tennis Association website to those of local lodging establishments, tourist bureaus, and government, and the Cook County Tennis Association is now on Facebook.

“People need to recognize that people are looking for places to play tennis,” Wannebo said. A lot of people take their tennis rackets with them whenever they go on vacation, he said.

“We need all of you to market,” Wannebo said. Agencies and businesses in the tourist industry need to know that there are a lot of tennis players around, he said, “and they need to be trying to get them up here.”

Challenge from the president

Gene Glader outlined several goals and challenges for the association:

. Maintain the courts.

. See that the new community center has indoor courts.

. Raise continued support for the varsity team, which currently costs about $10,000 a year.

. Continue to advocate for tennis and keep up a supply of volunteers to keep the program running.

Development of tennis in Cook County: