Earlier this summer, I went to an event that highlighted a plan to put a bubble over the tennis courts at Shadle Park High School and turn them into a year-round venue. It’s part of the SPS bond issue and city parks department tax levy proposals on the November ballot. I was chatting casually with Superintendent Adam Swinyard.
"It's really a part of our In Real Life initiative for every kid every day to be active out of school, off of their device, out of their homes, doing things in community, whether it's a club or an activity or performing art. And we know in order to make that dream possible for all of our kids across Spokane, we need a wide continuum of programs," Swinyard said.
In this case, the district proposes to work with the city Parks Department, which operates Shadle Park, and the United States Tennis Association, which would donate money and sporting equipment.
"Through collaboration, we can provide the programming and the infrastructure that gives us the spaces that we need and gives us the programming and the accessibility to get kids active. And we're really seeing the fruits of that, where enrollment in these experiences are exploding," Swinyard said.
Swinyard made one point that caught my attention.
"We saw some record high enrollment in tennis. It was one of our highest spring sports participations," he said.
"In the Greater Spokane League, the numbers have risen significantly," said Shadle Park Men's Tennis Coach Scott Wortley. "Lewis and Clark's girls tennis program, had over 100 girls signed up for tennis. We had around 75 boys signed up."
Why do you think it's becoming so popular?
"I think how fun the sport is. Kids really enjoy it. Whether they're coming from football in the fall and then playing tennis in the spring or girls playing volleyball to tennis, it's a little bit more laid back but also keeps that competitive juice for them. And it's fun to just be outside playing with your friends and really enjoying it," Wortley said.
The U.S. Tennis Association is trying to take advantage of that newfound popularity, says Matthew Warren, who is the organization’s chief executive for the Pacific Northwest.
"Our focus is on expanding access," he said. "And in this area, there are not too many indoor courts. In fact, there are only 22 indoor courts. What's interesting is that there are currently around 44,000 active tennis players in this community. However, there are an additional 47,000 people who want to play but don't have a place to play right now."
Warren says his organization is prepared to contribute money for the indoor facility at Shadle, but also to stoke the infrastructure so more students can play.
"We're going to bring in-school P.E. classes. We're going to bring equipment and training to the P.E. teachers so they have an in-school portion, and then we're also going to provide an after-school portion for the kids as well in elementary, middle, and high schools, which will feed into the high school programs as well and then feed into the new kind of community hub tennis center here at Shadle Park," Warren said.
