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Tennis Club Gets Prime Time Slot

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By LAURA CONE The Sun

Published: March 18, 2009

Nine o'clock in the morning is the start of the workday for most professionals in America. For avid tennis players living in Sun City Center, 9 a.m. is a prized time for competing in their favorite sport.

Members of the Sun City Center Community Association's board of directors voted March 11 to give the Competitive Tennis Club priority use of the CA tennis courts for its league play that involves non-CA members.

Ann Marie Leblanc, a member of the board of directors, said the vote should settle a controversy that has been brewing for a few months. Two members of the board, Anne Cross and John "Woody" Nelson, opposed the motion while the rest of the nine-member board approved.

"The final vote was that the competitive tennis club would be allowed to use the three courts at 9 a.m. on Wednesday mornings and three courts on Saturday at 9 also," Leblanc said. They were also granted priority use of two courts at 10:30 a.m. on both days.

"Up until a month ago, they used them at 10:30, but the league they were playing with stated they must have 9 a.m. court time available to participate in the league."

Leblanc said more than 40 women participate in the competitive league, competing against women in the 40 to 50 age range.

"That's the only competitive league there is for them to play against," she said. "The people who were opposing it feel nine is priority time and it is. What they weren't talking about though, was that it's the luck of the draw anyway. If you did not draw nine, you could not play."

She said other popular times available to the Tennis Association members include 7:30 and 10:30 a.m. In the afternoon, the tennis courts are open to all SCC residents. All together there are 10 courts owned by the Community Association and controlled by the SCC Tennis Association.

"I think the Tennis Association has a couple hundred members," Leblanc said. "A lot of people move here because our tennis courts are so good. They are great courts. Both the Tennis Association and the competitive tennis club are to be applauded. They have slightly different goals, but other than that they both love playing tennis. Tennis is a passion. That's what brought them into this situation."

She pointed out all of the women who are in the competitive tennis club are also numbers of the Tennis Association.

Larry Messick of Sun City, a member of the Tennis Association, said he was disappointed by the board vote.

"I think it was a crime what went on," said Messick, who attended the March 11 board meeting. "It was more like a kangaroo court. They already had their minds made up except for two of them that were for us."

Messick said the board decision overrules a 2007 Tennis Association vote to bar priority play time.

Messick said he plays tennis Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays. When placing his first and second choice playing times in the lottery, he typically chooses 9 a.m. as his first choice. Players put their cards, which are shuffled, in the lottery on Fridays.

"Yesterday, there was not an open court, none, zero," he said, adding the lottery system is the fair way to decide who gets to play at what times.

"The board members obviously do not believe in abiding by their bylaws, rules and regulations or those of the Tennis Association," Messick said. "Number one, they are allowing non-CA members who don't live in our area to use our facilities without any monetary compensation. They are displacing dues-paying members of our community."

Although he is frustrated, Messick said he has given up his battle against the Competitive Tennis Club.

"They consider themselves a competitive club," he said. "I consider them a competing club. You can't have two tennis clubs vying for the same 10 courts. They opened the door for all these clubs to have sub clubs. That's absolutely crazy."

Editor Laura Cone may be reached at lcone@mediageneral.com.

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