Reeds Spring School District, community team up for 6 new tennis courts

This coming school year will be the first full one with the courts available. The facility recently played host to a youth sports camp and a camp for third through sixth graders.

“There’s just so much more interest in tennis with the new courts,” said Katie Wilson, the girls’ tennis coach at the high school. “ … Just being able to introduce them to the game of tennis and get them hooked earlier is very beneficial.

“We had a couple students already this summer who came out and fell in love with it. They bought racquets already and they’re sold on the game. Just catching them earlier and being able to develop that program and have that longevity will help the high school programs for years to come.”

Marshall and Wilson founded a middle school tennis and pickleball club in the spring, which continued through the summer. The placement of courts right on campus made that possible.

It’s a great partnership between the school district and the community. The district owns the land, but because the community helped with the funding, the courts are open to members of the community when they’re not being used by the school.

Long-Awaited Milestone

Reeds Spring, located near Branson, has had a high school tennis program for more than 25 years. But they never had their own courts. Marshall believes the inclusion of the career center helped the bond measure pass in 2022 and helped the momentum build.

“A big part of it was the career center,” he said. “This was post-COVID, and there was quite a significant increase in prices of materials. They were really over budget on the career center. Thankfully, the state came in and saw the regional career center as a need, and so they helped fund half of it. That freed up a lot of money for the park.”

There are still opportunities to sponsor the two tennis programs, according to Marshall. Any support will be rewarded because of the placement of the courts.

“The district really did a great job,” he said. “We were able to go top of the line with the quality of materials and construction. They were really gracious in including me in the architectural design.

“The location they chose provides high visibility. Sometimes tennis courts are put back in the back corner of a park. These are up front and very accessible. Kids can come and play and be visible. People will know we have a tennis team, and that’s super beneficial for growing a program.”

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