Fiend at Court Unplugged
The July Challenge of the USTA Tennis Champions initiative was to put up yard signs to promote tennis participation. I am concentrating my efforts in my childhood hometown of Wichita Falls, Texas. It isn’t my permanent residence, but recently I have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time here. Once upon a time, Wichita Falls was a tennis hotbed with an abundance of courts. Unfortunately, one of the tennis centers is currently shuttered due to lack of public interest. It’s a modern tennis tragedy.
Some of my signs were placed at the only operating public facility in the area, Hamilton Park tennis center. The very act of seeking permission to place the signage prompted a great conversation with the current Tennis Director at the facility, Taylor Gray. My remaining signs were placed at the residences of other tennis enthusiasts in the area.
While the rest of the country enjoyed a COVID fueled boom in participation, in Wichita Falls the level largely stayed flat. For adults, that pretty much means flat-lined at a critically low level. I was told that participation at the youth summer camps was better this year than the last. It was also reported that there are recent positive signs in the junior development program.
Outside of private lessons, there isn’t any ongoing adult programming. It is a real chicken and egg situation. According to the Hamilton Park Tennis Director, they do not offer adult group lessons and drills because there is not enough interest to support it. Unfortunately, without ongoing adult opportunities to play, there is little chance to attract new players or bring back those that have drifted away from the sport.
The signage provided by the Tennis Champions initiative is a great first step for raising public awareness. Additionally, I am actively considering the best approach to maximize the reach and impact of some of the forthcoming marketing materials.
I don’t know if the signs I placed will draw people to the public facility or nor. In the end, it may not matter. I have written a lot about the decline in tennis in Wichita Falls. The most important impact of the Tennis Champions initiative may be the fact that it has pushed me past the inflection point between concern and activism.
Previous Posts that feature Wichita Falls
- Life on the Border: Tennis Wastelands
- Waking Up in a Tennis Wasteland
- Tragically Beautiful: Locked Tennis Courts
- An Ode to Slab Courts
- When Andy was Roddick’s Little Brother
- Who Wore It Better?
