Looking for a real game – one that challenges your body, sharpens your mind, and connects you with a great community? Welcome to tennis.
Tennis is a game of passion, competition, and continuous learning. It’s not easy, and it’s not for everyone. But if you want to challenge yourself, champion your health, and stay sharp, then accept no substitutes.
Whether you’re returning to the game or picking up a racquet for the first time in years, we’re here to help you get started, improve, and have fun.
Our teaching pro, Jorge Privat, and the Tennis Club have been working hard to elevate tennis in our community. We began by surveying players to understand their needs. That feedback guided us in expanding monthly clinics, adding sessions led by advanced players, and making loaner racquets, balls, and hoppers available to those rejoining the game.
Over the past year, we’ve held a successful picnic at the Veterans Park and a variety of themed clinics. Kathy Kelly and Brenda Foster ran a ball machine clinic that helped players improve their groundstrokes, backhands, and volleys. Rob Schween led serve-focused clinics, while Leslie O’Brien offered drop shot training – an underrated skill, even if it’s not the friendliest shot on the court.
We also teamed up with trainer John Gibson at the Arbor Fitness Center to learn how to stay fit and injury-free through tennis-specific workouts. And when it was time for a break, we gathered at The Club at Candler Hills to enjoy food, drinks, and the Australian Open finals with fellow fans.
One exciting development is our new inter-community tennis socials with Stone Creek and Spruce Creek. Each month, five mixed doubles teams (3.0–3.5 level) from two communities face off, followed by snacks, music, and a showcase match between each community’s 4.0-plus players. Our first event was held Thursday, June 19 at Stone Creek – check Facebook for results.
Looking ahead, we’re planning more social events, trips to the USTA National Campus and the University of Florida, watch parties, and new tennis shirts. Even better, court resurfacing is scheduled for 2026!
Much of this progress is thanks to our dedicated committee: Al Contarino, Nicole Eddy, Brenda Foster, Walter Galas, Kathy Kelly, Butch Mulligan, Rob Schween, and Bridget Trenkle. When you see them, offer a well-deserved “thank you.”
You’ve survived decades of life. You can handle a tennis ball.
For more info, contact Brenda Foster at brenda@gcfonline.com or follow us on Facebook (OTOW Tennis).
