Tennis finally comes home to Westfield
WESTFIELD, Ind. — “To whom much is given, much is required,” said Westfield High School (WHS) boys’ tennis coach Tony Peters during the ribbon cutting event for the new tennis complex this past August.
These courts clearly mean a lot of things to a lot of people. The anticipation of their construction weighed heavily on the coaches. In fact, both Peters and the girls’ tennis coach Trudy Coler found themselves constantly driving past the construction site to check on the progress. These courts were more than new sports facilities. They were new beginnings for Westfield High School, Westfield Middle School, community sports programs and the local community.
Coler said that she and the girls team would go out of their way to get a look at the latest updates on the complex.
“We would shout thank you to the construction workers,” she said. “They would be out there late at night, on the weekends, in the heat, and we appreciated the hard work they were doing for us.”
This opening of the new tennis complex increased the number of courts from 10 to 15, and the courts themselves were given a makeover. The previous courts were made of asphalt that accumulated cracks, dead spots and water damage. The cracks gave the balls inconsistent bounces, and dead spots caused the balls to slow down with each bounce. These new courts are made of post-tensioned concrete, meant to last up to fifty years. They have built-in irrigation, with a large series of pipes installed underneath the courts to eliminate standing water and prevent cracking.
“They feel nice compared to the old ones,” senior Jack Buchanan said. “The concrete makes the balls faster. Makes the game more fun to play.”
With the unveiling of these courts, many people within the Westfield tennis program are very excited for both teams to grow and the community’s love for tennis to increase. Peters said that this new complex will help the WHS teams and community for years to come.
“My goal has always been to grow the program,” he said. “These courts will attract a lot of attention, from younger kids especially. I think it’s great that we can expand our teams like this.”
After the ribbon was cut, the Westfield High School boys tennis team competed in the first match on the new courts, taking on North Central High School. Westfield kicked off their season with a 4-1 victory.
All three of the singles matches were constantly active, as both sides fought through set after set. Fueled by cheers from fans, the Rocks swept the Panthers.
Next were doubles matches. They were chock full of ups and downs, tight scores and extended rallies that put pressure on both sides to perform. Buchanan and his partner Jake Jutgen, playing their first home game, started out with a few missed plays and slow defensive rallies, giving the Panthers an early lead, but the Rocks duo battled back. They returned rally after rally in display of defense, offense, and, most importantly, teamwork. They even managed to give their opponent a run for their money, causing one to trip over himself when desperately trying to return Jack’s relentless volleys.
Tired and sweaty from his first-ever match in front of a home crowd, Buchanan already had bigger things in mind.
“I’m really looking forward to the tournaments,” Buchanan said “Not having home matches is as bad as it gets.”
Both coaches echoed the senior’s sentiment.
“We’ve not been able to have a [Hamilton County Community Conference] tourney at the old tennis facility, which is super important,” said Coler. “It usually rotates around, and we just get skipped.”
If anything is to be taken away from these courts, it’s that a lot of hard work, time and effort went into their creation not only for the schools, but for Westfield.
“These courts are for you, the community.” Kaiser said during his opening words. They will be used for years to come, by new players and old, experienced players and first timers, families and community members.
“To me, these courts are going to mean a lot to families in our community,” said junior tennis player Juliet Gurado.
The players and the coaches have long awaited their chance to truly step into the community spotlight and show what they are capable of. These new courts are the key for them to receive the attention they deserve.
As summed up by senior player Parker Gibbs, regarding the expectations for this year’s teams and future Rocks tennis teams, “I hope we bring a lot of success to the program and play some good tennis.”
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