As fall recedes and winter begins to contemplate its return, the throngs of tennis/pickleball players who’ve braved the outdoors until now make a quick and welcome entrance to our facility. Suddenly, open courts are gobbled up and if you call the day of you might not find that vacant court that was so readily available up until now. Along with the rise in COVID cases, we must all do our best to plan ahead, stay vigilant about our mask wearing and distance, and be respectful of others.  Our building will become a bit more crowded, and we repeat: please do not linger in the lounge, keep distant while on the court, and when you finish play to exit from the court as quickly as possible to make room for the next group. I find entering and crossing to the other side of the net until the previous players leave gives one a wide berth and practices safe distance.

A reminder that all members have an account with us through Club Automation linked here and on our website home page which includes access to our online grid, where one can view open courts and make their own reservations. One can also view all account activity and sign up for classes. We are asking all our members to keep a credit card on file for ease of transaction and less congestion at the front desk.  

Pro Shop Reward Points

Finally, reward points have arrived at BTC Pro Shop! Both pro shop purchases and participation in club events will add to your tally.  Every dollar spent equals 1 rewards point.  For each 100 points you tally you will receive $5.00 towards your next pro shop purchase.

So make sure to take advantage of our Holiday Sale and start accumulating points now.

Linda Spear & Bob deVente

Scholarship Funds!!

We’ve decided to start a junior scholarship fund in honor of Bob, entitled: “Bob de Vente Keep the Ball Bouncing Junior Foundation”. How’s that for a lengthy title. Our mission statement is to award scholarships to local juniors who are either in financial need or whose effort, commitment, passion & sportsmanship go above and beyond.

We are really excited about launching a junior foundation and doing so while Bob is still with us. Bob has been a teaching pro at the Binghamton Tennis Center for over 20 years influencing hundreds of kids with his energy, enthusiasm, and youthful attitude. Keep the ball bouncing is a theme we are using during Bob’s illness, one that conveys his attitude, energy, and strength.  It is our intent to carry on the legacy of Bob through awarding scholarships to juniors who share his passion for the game. We have already formed a committee, set up selection criteria, and created an application form. While we have been approved to function under the Tennis Charities of Binghamton 501C3 umbrella, we are weighing legal options on how to optimally proceed and will decide shortly. A 510C3 allows one to write off the donation but has use and structure restrictions. In the meantime, for those who wish to donate, you can make out a check to the Bob de Vente scholarship fund or leave your name with us as a potential donor by e-mailing us at BTC@tennisctr.com.  Bob has given us input on this foundation and is greatly honored. SO BTC tennis community let’s do our part to KEEP THE BALL BOUNCING! 5-5-5-3

Juniors

There has been plenty of activity on the junior front. We have run a Level 6 tny Oct 23 and a 10U Youth Progression Orange Ball Round Robin L1 & 11 November 7 with both local and out of town participants.  Congrats to BTC locals Julian Holdrege & Adelie Wilson who were both finalists, Julian in our Orange Ball RR and Adelie in the Level 6 Girls 14 (pics below).  Here is a link to our junior tournament page.

Our 2nd session of JCTP has kicked into high gear with and our enrollment of fall our program is at 75! We are seeing juniors take advantage and our 2x weekly offerings and we already see students taking their games to the next level. We recently had our drill group members fill out a Questionnaire matching up their personalities to tennis styles!

We are running a 10 & under Orange Ball L11 tournament this Saturday from 3-7pm. We’ve extended the entry deadline to Friday at noon. Just click on the above link to enter online through the USTA Tennis Link site. These events have been super great with enrollment and level of tennis. We really encourage you to take advantage of having the round-robin format and having this event in your home town! We are also running a Level 5 Chmps for Boys & Girls 14 & 16 singles & doubles.

Our JTT 18 and under league kicked off last weekend.  With Covid restrictions Kris Shumway came up with an exciting new format patterning a college-style match, playing 6 singles and 3 doubles. The format is well received and we look forward to a competitive season. There are 4 teams comgining our 18 & 14 juniors. Following USTA guidelines only 1 parent is allowed on-premise at a time. Team standings and results will eventually be on the JTT Home page