During the eighties, Club President Ron Richards organized many activities and was a driving force for the club. He was a smart and congenial individual who spread good will wherever he went.

In 1986, Ron Richards approached a local young tennis pro, Howie Jackson, and offered him the vacant club pro position. Howie became the Capilano Tennis Club’s tennis professional and has served the club in that capacity for the last 24 years, bringing a broad knowledge of the sport of tennis and a healthy attitude, which has fostered camaraderie and a spirit of inclusion among the members. Howie’s grass roots, game-based junior program has provided excellent, reasonably priced coaching to countless local juniors and has been a cornerstone in the club’s community profile.

“A core group of members playing during the eighties were dubbed Ray’s Rockets”.

A core group of members playing during the eighties were dubbed “Ray’s Rockets”. Ray and Asta Lawry, May Birrell, Jim Cox, Eunice Girdler, Frank Gartner, John Fowle, Brendan Rowell, Hamish Jackson, Rudy Derton, Joan Kroll and others played during this social time. The club had many tournament participants and champions as well during this era. George Smith, Pat Dowling, George Lea, Lance Stiles, Glenn Richards, and for one summer, a very young and aspiring future talent, Grant Connell.

Midway through the summer of 1986, the club hosted a 60th anniversary party in honor of Capilano Tennis Club’s history. Many former members attended, as well as local political figures. Over a hundred people gathered on the sun deck as tea was served during an exibition tennis match featuring club pro Howie Jackson, Glenn Richards, his brother Trevor, and Ray Lawry’s son, Alan. With no warning, the deck suddenly collapsed, sending spectators and tea cups flying. Order was restored and the party continued on a somewhat tilted, but temporarily stable deck.

The clubhouse of that era was a double wide Britco trailer with a low wooden sun deck built out at the front. The trailer was installed in the early seventies, and by the nineties it was already showing its age. Despite many coats of paint, and numerous repairs and rebuilds, “the portable” as it was called, gradually became a refuge for wildlife of the surrounding forest. Ants, termites, wasps, racoons, birds – all lived happily in and under the old clubhouse at some point. There was also “Dave”, the neighbouring vet’s cat, who adopted us and visited daily for many summers.

The Club presidency rotated during this era among Glen Acton, Bill Nordmark, and Rudy Derton. It was also during this era that a skilled competitive member, Doug Cairns, passed away suddenly. He is remembered in our Doug Cairns Memorial Doubles tournament organized each year by Quentin Brown, a successful annual tournament which includes teams from other clubs as well.

“The bulldozers began to level the old clubhouse, and excavated for the new foundation.”

A decade of summers passed and in 2003, club president Liz Maclaren began inquiring about costs for installing a new Britco portable on site to replace our crumbling home. This led to a building committee being formed which included Dave Scott, Sharon Moxon, and Rudy Derton. The original plan was to repair or replace the existing trailer with another similar structure, but in the fall of 2005, Rudy Derton approached the Club executive with detailed plans for a new two storey permanent clubhouse.

The club had only a small fund available, so in addition to designing and planning this visionary concept, Rudy also donated a significant amount of personal funds – enough to make the dream a reality. The Executive applied for a building permit from the district in 2006. After a difficult year of extensive political negotiation, a permit was granted in April 2007. The bulldozers began to level the old clubhouse, and excavated for the new foundation. As the summer of 2007 progressed, the framing of the new clubhouse quickly took shape as keen members lounged on the “grassy knoll” at the far northeast corner of the property. Throughout this summer of “camping out”, the quality tennis continued and thrived, despite the lack of washrooms and running water.

During the winter of 2007-8, the interior of the clubhouse was completed. During this time, Frank Gartner, who had served the club faithfully as treasurer for 20 years, passed away. Frank was an active member who was key in developing tennis growth for seniors and played an important role in developing North Vancouver’s first public indoor tennis facility, the Grant Connell Tennis Centre.

April 2008 marked the grand opening of the new clubhouse, with a large celebration attended by the mayor. The creation of the beautiful Capilano Gardens began at this time, with Rudy and Trudy Derton, through many plant purchases and garden donations, creating our showpiece. The Jim Cox Memorial Garden was also established at this time to honor a founding member and great player of a former era. Horticultural designer and member Christine Rainer has recently added her deft touch, donating many hours of planning and planting. A gardening committee was formed to maintain the gardens in their beauty.

“The Capilano Tennis Club has a rich history of competitive interclub league teams.”

During the several years required to recreate the Capilano Tennis Club, Sharon Moxon provided clear and determined stewardship of the process. Her dedication to the club and its future deserves a special mention. David Scott provided the level voice of reason and committed, efficient action during the many wrangles in the political jungle.

The Capilano Tennis Club has a rich history of competitive interclub league teams, many times emerging as various league champions, but always being remembered by opponents as fair and competitive in our efforts. The Club has an excellent playing reputation city wide, and with 7 current interclub teams, is well represented as a summer club.

The history of the current era of the Capilano Tennis Club would not be complete without recognition of the continuing contributions of Rudy Derton. From countless maintenance projects large and small on the old clubhouse over the years, to filling and painting the tennis courts, to planting and pruning bushes and trees old and new, to auditing club financial statements and taking many turns as either Club President or Groundskeeper, Rudy has provided all of us with a solid template for voluntary action. His personal financial contribution, which effectively funded our new clubhouse and led to Capilano’s new era is a true landmark in our club’s history.

“The Capilano Tennis Club is a rare phenomenon that transcends the passing of time.”

Recently, other members have stepped up and contributed. Brian Becher donated a ping pong table; Kenji Tomagame has donated a BBQ and pool table . Garrett Sandwell has worked hard on many maintenance projects including signage and rebuilding a large part of the signature club fence. Wolfgang Sollors painted our aluminum court fence bright and shiny. Ray Sotto took the lead in organizing a club website which enhances our community profile going forward and Duane O’Kane created the Club Logo. Previous president Heather Fleming brought her wealth of experience in group process and non profit organizations, providing improved structure to the club executive. The legacy of volunteer effort continues.

The Capilano Tennis Club is a rare phenomenon that transcends the passing of time. The Club has always been entirely about the sport of tennis and the members who play it. Throughout the club’s history, and to this day, the club has remained inclusive, friendly and informal. We remain a model to the community, an oasis of good will and camaraderie that players genuinely feel and gravitate to. Though the passing of the years has brought many external changes to playing styles and equipment, the essential positive spirit of our membership drives the future of this club. The Capilano Tennis Club has always been, and continues to be, a very special place to play tennis.

Coach Howie Jackson

In Memory of Coach Howie Jackson

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of our beloved longtime coach, HowieJackson, on May 14th, 2025 after a private battle with a heart condition.

Howie was not only the Capilano Tennis Club's Head Pro from 1986 to 2025, but also the heart and soul of our tennis community. Over nearly four decades, he brought knowledge, generosity, and joy to thousands of players. Whether you were a beginner, a junior with dreams, or a seasoned player, Howie had a way of making you feel seen, supported, and inspired to grow. His grassroots coaching programs laid the foundation for a generation of players and built lasting connections across our community.

Howie's contributions were woven into the very fabric of Capilano. His commitment to inclusive, fun, and competitive tennis shaped the club's spirit, and his warm presence will be profoundly missed on and off the court. He was a mentor, a coach, and a true friend to many. His legacy will live on in the players he coached, the friendships he nurtured, and the enduring spirit he brought to Capilano.

He will be deeply missed.

You can still view and learn from Howie’s instructional videos on his YouTube channel:

Howie’s tennis tips and instructions on YouTube.

Not-So Frequently Asked Questions of Coach Howie Jackson

An interview with Howie Jackson and Belinda Miller-Foey, April 2020

When did you first pick up a tennis racquet?
At the age of 10, my Mom introduced me to tennis on public courts in Montreal. I learned it casually, like any kid.

Was there a 'turning point' that you can reflect on about how playing tennis ultimately led to your calling as a coach?
I was playing tournaments and in 1980 I played against a local tennis pro, originally from Australia, named Ian Brady.  He beat me and after the match he remarked, "You have a nice game; you should get into coaching.  Get certified and I will hire you on to coach.” It was an unexpected offer and he opened the door.  It was a pivotal moment where life showed up for me.  I’ve never had a life or career plan but I always intuitively knew, even when I was young, that life ‘shows up’.
 

Knowing what you know now about teaching tennis, what advice would you have given yourself when you first started your career over 40 years ago? 
 Coach the client, not the system.

What's the best advice you've ever been given?
 Live one day at a time.

As a coach, you wear many hats like a teacher, mentor, psychologist, guru, confidant to name a few.  How do you adapt your coaching style to the particular idiosyncrasies of each player considering their different personalities and different needs?
You have to have the ability to understand the individual and what they’re looking for.  What they say and what they think they need can differ, and you must be adept at recognizing the actual needs of people. This is impossible to know without experience. As a tournament player turned coach, I didn’t yet understand the importance of coaching the client and not playing by the book or systemic model. The key is the ability to stay open and curious as to what people are actually needing. 

Describe a guiding principle or philosophy you have that influences your strategies of coaching to inspire people to play better and to take their game to the next level? 
‘Do no harm' is my guiding principle and is centered on the idea of being part of the solution, and not part of the problem. From simple to complex strategies, you need to first assess whether something is valuable. Coaches make mistakes, everyone makes mistakes but the philosophy of 'do no harm' is fundamental to what I do. When I work with juniors, I move this principle a step forward by recognizing the responsibility and privilege I have to shape their life and to empower them, early on and out of the gate.  I’ve personally experienced this as a 14 year old basketball player competing on a team with older and bigger boys, and having a coach who went out of his way to make me feel empowered.  Coaching juniors, I will always be an advocate for the kid, especially when I encounter a situation where the parent is motivated in a different direction. 
 

What do you consider to be the most important aspect to focus on in a player's training – is it developing the right form and technique or is it the mental aspect and instilling a winning mindset? 

 It's personal, and you can’t generalize. Some players may be technically strong and mentally weak, or vice versa—rarely in life or in tennis are all traits equally balanced; it’s on a spectrum. What’s made me a good coach is knowing that you can't prioritize until you know who that person is. If a client asks me to change his grip, I’ll assess whether it fits with my paradigm as to what will be helpful.  I’ll always give them a back-story if I don’t believe it’s what they need.  My overriding criteria in assessing what is best for them is to ‘do no harm’, whether I’m focusing on technique or deciding to halt a lesson because of extreme weather conditions or excessive construction noise.

How much do you feel that fitness and diet in building one’s stamina is the key to winning?             These are two different things, and are often age-related.  There is some correlation however someone could have an innate ability or genetic advantage that’s not related to either their fitness level or diet.  I believe strongly in making sound dietary choices and I personally stay curious about emerging info and will tweak my diet.  I intentionally don’t bring this into my coaching sessions and will only discuss if a client leads me there. Stamina in competitive tennis is about drawing on one’s cumulative experience such that they keep adding to their knowledge database.  

What do you attribute your incredible longevity to as a coach of 40 years (dedicating 34 of these years to our club, and counting)?

It’s the reciprocity of energy that comes with teaching.  If players are prepared to learn, I expect to help them, and there’s an energy exchange.  When they show you verbally, physically or emotionally that they’re learning, it’s a great feeling.  That’s why, after coaching for 7 to 9 hours a day, I don’t feel tired.

There are good books, and there are great books, and then there may be a book that's something more. Of all the books you've read, is there one that you feel was life-changing and you consider indispensable?

‘The Inner Game of Tennis’, by Tim Gallwey written in 1974.  It was given to me as a tournament player and this book has shaped my coaching, and was a jumping off point for a different world view. Another one that’s been indispensable is ‘A New Earth: Awakening to your Life’s Purpose’, by Eckhart Tolle.

Describe a perfect day in the life of Howie 

Same answer as before—‘live one day at a time’.  The concept of perfection is imposed on something that is already perfect.