Tennis festival should be a smash

By JT McVeigh, The Enterprise-Bulletin
Wednesday, June 22, 2016 7:27:21 EDT PM

It's a bright sunny morning and two-year-old Cecily Rennehagen, dressed in a sharp tennis dress, chases after a ball at the Kinsmen tennis courts.

It doesn't hurt that her father, Mark Renneson, is a certified tennis instructor, but it speaks volumes how far the Collingwood Community Tennis Club has come in such a short time.

"We have about sixty adults and between 65 and 70 juniors right now," said Jem Scharf, treasurer of the club. "We're expecting that to grow with the lessons we offer through the July and August months and even into September."

The club is only in its infancy. Started four years ago by about a half a dozen parents who just wanted to get a program going and organize lessons for their children, the group schedules time on three municipal tennis courts: Mair Mills off Mountain Road heading towards Blue Mountain, Kinsmen Park at Lockhart and Katherine Streets and Princeton Shores off of Highway 26 heading towards Craigleith.

The club is celebrating June 25 with a Summer Festival at Kinsmen Park, with a Smash Cage being brought up by the Ontario Tennis Association.

"We get great support from the Town of Collingwood that allots us space at all three courts and the Optimist Club of Collingwood helps out with our children's programs," said Meadows.

"When I got here a couple of years ago, I wanted to help professionalize the club by offering clinics and lessons," said Renneson. "In the spring we have programs for kids from 5-14, and programs for adults that carry through to the fall."

The explosive growth of the club over the past four years shows there is definitely an interest.

"The board works really hard at trying to create a fun atmosphere," said Renneson. "What I found interesting is that a lot of our members are new to Collingwood and they see this as a way to get involved with their community."

The club's summer festival runs all day Saturday with chances to play and learn.

Kinsmen Park is behind Jean Vanier Catholic High School on Katherine St. at Lockhart. Check out the club's website at
www.collingwoodtennisclub.ca.

jmcveigh@postmedia.com