|
|
Cheryl Lamont and Sharon Cooper, the co-captains of the SoCal women's team, which is based at the Costa Mesa Tennis Center.
© Jeff Bottari/USTA
|
– While there are teams based at ritzy, private country clubs here this weekend competing in the 2008 USTA League presented by Chrysler 3.5 Senior National Championships at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, there are also teams who are based at public facilities.
One of those teams is the Southern California 3.5 senior women’s team which is based at the Costa Mesa Tennis Center, a public facility which is owned by the City of Costa Mesa and operated by Hank Lloyd’s Tennis, a tennis specialty retailer.
“It’s a players’ park,” said team member Julie Mulligan. “It’s good, honest tennis. There are a lot of activities that keep us involved.”
Some of the activities offered at the center include a Ladies’ Night, a Mixed Doubles Night, clinics and opportunities to demo new racquets with different partners.
Mulligan says the center is also a good place to meet new people. “You never know where the gals are coming from. They’re coming from all over. Every time you go, you meet someone you’ve never met before.”
According to team member Valerie Pascoe, the center is a hub for many players with a diverse range of playing styles. “There are lobbers, junk ballers and hard-hitters. There are different players to draw from for our team,” she said. “It just gives us a lot more variety playing at the park.”
She added, “Hank Lloyd keeps that tennis center constantly moving forward. There are always activities, whether you are working on your game, whether you and your partner want to work on strategy or if you just want to go out there and hit some balls and have fun.”
Mulligan and Pascoe both raved about the condition of the tennis center which receives regular upkeep and maintenance.
When players show up to play at the Costa Mesa Tennis Center, which consists of 12 tennis courts, they never know who they will see hitting on the courts. Professional players such as ATP pros Taylor Dent and Jan Michael Gambill have practiced on the courts as well as Alexa Glatch, who is ranked 194 on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour.