For the love of the game

Tennis in B.C. is on the move—both figuratively and literally.

Don Fennell, Sports Editor

The event has been part of the fabric of summer tennis in the Lower Mainland for decades, but the 44th edition reflected the tremendous growth spurt the game is currently experiencing. Participation records are being set all over and the Richmond Open is no exception, having attracted 470 players this year—an increase of 60 from last year.

“It’s the quintessential tennis event in Richmond,” says Luke O’ Loughlin of Tennis B.C., the governing body of the sport in the province.

But increasing popularity also brings its own set of challenges. For tennis, that includes ensuring there are enough facilities to meet the demand.

“We’re the second largest growth sport next to soccer,” O’Loughlin says with a hint of pride. “There are over 30,000 kids playing in our schools program.”

Tennis B.C. is working feverishly to push for facilities growth around the province, because as O’Loughlin points out, “with the interest generated we’re going to run into troubles continuing to host a lot of these events.”

“For next year’s Richmond Open we may have to add an additional day to get in all the matches. But it’s a good problem to have.”

In the past, tennis has been perceived by many as an elitist sport. But not any more. And Tennis B.C., in being proactive, is capitalizing on the growing interest. It is also being creative in delivering opportunities to participate.

Traditionally, tennis has been viewed as a summer sport. But O’Loughlin says that besides working with parks boards to refurbish existing park facilities, Tennis B.C. is also promoting the game as a winter sport and taking it inside.

But having enough indoor facilities is another dilemma. Richmond is a classic example because the city has only three indoor courts at present and all of them are operating at close to 100 per cent capacity.

“It’s hard for a high-level player, for example at top junior, to get the required training hours to meet what I’d constitute as a normal training week,” says O’Loughlin, a former teaching pro. “We think Richmond would be a great location to showcase tennis in the Lower Mainland and would love to see a small stadium court and larger facilities to fill a niche. We think the Richmond Tennis Club, if relocated and with some outside capital money, could be turned into one of the best (centres) in B.C.”

O’Loughlin believes such a facility would also allow it to bid for national, international and even pro events.

B.C. is currently home to three of the top under-16 female singles players in the country. And last weekend, North Vancouver’s Philip Bester became the first Canadian to reach the final of a Grand Slam event before losing the boys’ singles title to Slovakia’s Martin Klizan. But B.C.’s junior program could be even further advanced if not for limited training opportunities.

B.C. currently has the biggest school program per capita in North America, with more than 17,000 participants last year. That has grown from around 2,000 just five years ago.

Even Tennis Canada has picked up on some of the moves made by Tennis B.C., including adopting its popular rookie tour which provides youth the chance to compete at a grass-roots level. There are 20 rookie tour events around the province, and O’Loughlin would like to see that grow to 25 next year. He would also welcome a larger city-wide league system in the future.

“We want to promote the idea that tennis is all-encompassing,” he says.

“It’s one of those rare sports that can be played by all ages and it’s both an aerobic and anaerobic sport. Tennis today is both fun and offers a great workout. With players at the high level now, every single ball that is played takes more physical strength and endurance.”