by NICK ALVARADO/Editorial Assistant
Tennis is an expensive sport to maintain across the world.
The court is as tough to maintain as the players maintaining their equipment, buying new apparel for tournaments, travel, hotels and much more.
The tennis courts here at South Plains College are in rough condition, and they are hardly being maintained. The only thing that has been taken into consideration and keeping maintenance workers busy is the trash on the courts and leaves blowing from time to time.
Cracks are showing on the courts, and the middle courts show a slope, signifying how uneven the ground is below.
Numerous courts across the area have been resurfaced, and their appearance is astonishing, attracting numerous fans, teams and players.
Maintaining the tennis courts on campus can help the students who play tennis enjoy playing more and, potentially, spark an interest to start a tennis team, representing SPC in matches competetively.
SPC currently hosts the UIL Region I Tennis Tournament, along with regular-season tournaments to build up to district meets.
Coaches have voiced their displeasure about the court problems, which has forced a switch to courts at Levelland High School and Levelland Junior High School.
On average, the cost of resurfacing a tennis court ranges from $4,000 to $8,000. It is clear that money can be an issue to repair the court.
The players who are involved in the intramural tennis tournaments still play tennis after their high school days. Some love the game and enjoy playing it every day and, potentially, be involved in the fundraiser to help aid resurfacing the tennis courts.
In order to keep tournaments here, the court maintenance should be top priority as these tournaments bring in money, like the UIL Class 2A and 1A Region I basketball tournament that is played at the Texan Dome.
Regional and other tournaments that are played here are important financially. The tennis courts should be kept up in order to keep hosting big events and tournaments. Just like basketball, a regional tournament for tennis has a home, and it’s at SPC.
Without the repairs, the location where the regional tournament is held could be moved somewhere else. Many regional tournaments in high school sports are held at college facilities. Regional tournaments are a big deal, as high school athletes could be featured on the biggest stage in high school athletics at the state competition.
Without regional tournaments, no money will be brought in. In order to keep the regional tennis tournament at SPC, the tennis courts should be resurfaced or repaired to keep bringing in the money and to show the people who come watch the events that SPC is a place where the sporting venues are always taken care of.
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