麻豆社区

Members of Tennis Yukon are ready to make their leap to the great outdoors.

Volunteers with the club were busy this past weekend, clearing snow off the Mt. Mac courts and preparing for the summer season.

The nets will go up later today, with a power-wash scheduled for later in the week. Windscreens will also be installed.

"It's a very exciting time for us,鈥� said Stacy Lewis, president of Tennis Yukon.

"The gym is good and we're lucky we can at least do something but it's not the same as the real courts.鈥�

Lewis said the club was a bit worried about how the courts, which were resurfaced in August 2011, would handle their first winter.

"A lot of the vegetation is gone from the hillside beside the courts because of the work on the reservoir so we were a little worried with the spring melt but the surface looks good and I think they weathered the winter quite well,鈥� said Lewis.

Warm temperatures have things progressing faster than anticipated for the club.

"We're about two weeks ahead of last year at this point,鈥� said Lewis.

Although some players will take to the courts today, the official opening will be this weekend.

This season will mark the first time the club has officially been in charge of the courts after it obtained the lease from the city last year.

Lewis said the summer play fee structure would take effect today. The system is similar to that of the cross-country ski trails where users pay a flat rate for unlimited access for the season.

"You buy a pass, or in our case a shoe-tag, and that lets you play as much as you want,鈥� she said.

Players can also drop-in on the weekend and pay an hourly rate to play.

To play during the week, athletes must obtain a 2012 red shoe tag.

On the weekends, players without the tag can access the courts between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. for a fee of $15 per hour per court.

There will be a court monitor on site to handle the drop-in fees.

The money from the summer fees goes directly towards care and maintenance of the courts, said Lewis.

The fee structure is part of the clubs court management plan for maintaining good conditions on the courts.

Lewis said the club's membership nearly doubles in the summer season.

"Our summer activity level is close to 100 members and in the winter we're closer to 60,鈥� she said.

"We'll have the programs running and two or three courts available for play and hopefully one day we'll be so busy that we'll need to make reservations but we're a ways from that yet.鈥�

The spring league has reached the halfway point and the players are looking forward to transitioning back to the outdoor courts.

Currently Thibaut Rondel has tallied the most wins in the flight 鈥楢' division while Monica Lauer leads flight 鈥楤'.

"It's a long winter so everyone is quite ready to get out there,鈥� said Lewis.

"We're all excited to be playing outside again.鈥�

For further information on programs, upcoming events and court use athletes are encouraged to check the notice board at the Mt. Mac courts and visit Tennis Yukon's website.