together to improve courts

By STEVEN G. WATSON

Sports Editor

A wise man once said there’s nothing a little sweat and hard work can’t overcome. Well, the Troy State Tennis team found out just how true that statement is and the fruits of their labor can now be enjoyed by all of Troy.

The Troy State tennis courts were in disarray recently and with the administration promising new facilities soon, TSU head coach Chad Hebert felt something had to be done. So he turned to the only people who he knew to – his own team and they responded beautifully.

"The courts were, as a result of many years of people not working on them, in deplorable shape," Hebert said. "There were big cracks that my players were actually tripping over on just about every court."

There are plans to build a new tennis facility in the near future, but Hebert said that the improvements were needed sooner. While the men’s and women’s teams anxiously await the projects completion, their hard work in recent months has paid off with outstanding results to the old facility.

"I just wanted to do the most I could for this year," Hebert said. "That began with filling in the cracks with putty and from there we painted all the courts and lines. It was a real team effort from both the guys and the girls teams. I think it’s brought us all closer together and I think it’s a great gift to the city.

"These courts are pretty much used all the time, so it’s going to be a real necessity for this new facility that’s coming next year to have 12 courts for sure," the coach added. "It will be fully useable even with that many. In the afternoons a lot of people would like to come out and play, but they can’t because I feel tight using only six courts with both of my teams."

Troy State Tennis would like to thank all those who helped with the renovations including men’s team member: Willy Campos, Shannon Nettle, Dejan Nikolic, Aman Gill, Jody Kane, Craig Richards, Matias Mosso and Yussef Migoko. Women’s team members: Jayne Hutchinson, Misty Riley, Talia Flores, Sally Linden, Marcia-Lynn Vander Linde, Trish Greaves, Isabelle Tellkamp, Nikki White and Jenny Walls. Coach Damon Smith and coach Rob Specic and also Mary Felix, Addy Felix and Ashley Kreis. Special thanks was given to Sherman Williams and the Physical Plant for supplying the materials.