Saville Tennis News, May 2023, Vol 1/5

Welcome to volume 5 of the Saville Tennis News, and Happy Outdoor Season! 

Outdoor nets are up around the city.  Hello Mother Nature, I knew you were still there.  It’s time to feel the sun, hear the wind, and dodge the rain on the outdoor courts around town.  Get ready because in July, our very own outdoor courts are scheduled to open out back. In the meantime, check out other Edmonton tennis courts here.

Our feature article this month, written with affection and respect by Nathan Jen, is about the Saville’s very own Masters couple, Dave and Bonnie Crowther, well known to many of you, and to Canada’s tennis community.  Read full article here.

In other news below:  the Davis Cup trophy visits the Saville; the new outdoor courts are two months away; and Saville U10/U12 juniors travel to Kamloops with the Alberta team (see below).  As a reward for reaching the end of the newsletter, we have a tennis joke for you!  Read on!

This week the Western Canadian Indoors Masters Championships will be held at the Royal Glenora and Derrick Clubs.  Over two hundred players from across Canada will compete in age 30 to age 80 categories, singles and doubles, with fourteen entrants from our club. Spectators are more than welcome.  Come watch some of Canada’s best national Masters players, and check out the courts at the Derrick (over 65 age category only) and Royal Glenora courts.  See the match schedule here.

Congratulations to graduating Bears and Pandas and good luck to those beginning summer jobs.  Bear and Panda graduates are:  XXX.  Best of luck in your future endeavours and may the spirit of the Saville continue to support you in all that you do.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

The Masters:  An Interview with Dave and Bonnie Crowther

Written by:  Nathan Jen

Dave and Bonnie Crowther are not only two of the longest-standing members at the Saville Sports Centre – they’re two of the longest-standing members in the entire Edmonton tennis community. Both have been playing for over 50 years, long before the Saville Centre was even a dream.

Yet despite a half-century, give or take, of chasing a fuzzy yellow (or white) ball around a court, the Crowthers still can’t get enough. They are mainstays at Tennis Alberta tournaments, and this weekend, when some of the very best in Canadian senior tennis will make the trip to Edmonton for the 2023 Western Canadian Indoor Masters, Dave will be competing in both singles and doubles in the 65+ division. For some players, the fire never burns out.

Don’t miss the full article, it’s a great story with some great throwback photos of Bonnie and Dave as a young couple:  Read full article here

Photo left:  Dave and Bonnie Crowther, circa 2019 at the Capilano outdoor tournament, mixed doubles winners, photo by Susan Wells

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

What An Honour to Host the Davis Cup Trophy at the Saville—It is SOME Cup!

The Davis Cup trophy dropped by the Saville for a visit with the Tennis Canada tour team on April 26.  Well it didn’t really drop by, it was crated and coddled and almost craned in for viewing.  Over three hundred people marvelled, took photos, and revelled in the significance of the achievement. 

The trophy itself is as magnificent as the achievement it represents—the world tennis men’s championship, Canada’s first ever world victory in the 123-year history of the Davis Cup.  The United States has won the world title 32 times, and Australia has won 28 times, and we finally won it in 2022!

The trophy weighs 400 pounds, is 123 years old, and has been across 16 different winning countries.  Tennis Canada reports that the trip across Canada will be the furthest the cup has ever travelled in a winning country.

Did you know that the Davis Cup competition is now the world’s largest annual international team competition in sport, with 155 nations entering in 2023?  For more on the most interesting history of the Davis Cup, Click here. 

What an achievement for the Canadian men’s team, for Canadian tennis, and for you and you and you and you.  You are part of the top-of-the-world tennis pyramid, with the men’s 2022 team at the top, and all of us community tennis players at the base.  I feel the glory!  Canadian tennis is gold-starred on the world tennis map.

Photo above:  Andrea, Alana and Russ look happy, and that trophy is HUGE and beautiful!

Check out Tennis Alberta's article on the Davis Cup here. 

Photo above:  Saville young juniors celebrate Canada’s world win alongside the Davis Cup.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

Our New Courts Are Two Months Away!

The six new outdoor courts and the clubhouse (currently under construction behind our current facility; drive by and have a look) are scheduled to open in July for Saville member bookings.  Start tuning up your game now for a new outdoor experience.  The court surface will be the same as the indoor courts so it won’t take long to adjust your game. 

In September the bubble will be installed over the six new courts.  They will then be available to the greater Edmonton community as well as to Saville members for programming, tournaments, and new activities.  The six new “bubbled” courts are expected to go a long way in alleviating current pressures on bookings through fall and winter, and at the same time support new activities and programming.  Work on fee structure, booking policies, operating policies, programming, staffing, etc., is underway in coordination with Saville centre facilities staff, the University of Alberta, Edmonton tennis organizations, Tennis Alberta and Tennis Canada—a large multi-stakeholder undertaking led by Russ, Andrea and Alanna.

The official sod-turning took place on March 7 with representatives from Rogers, Tennis Canada, Tennis Alberta, the Edmonton Junior Tennis Society, the Saville, and media in attendance.  (See links to Tennis Alberta and Tennis Canada announcements below).

The rendering below shows the new facility in summer, without the bubble (to be installed each September-May).  Note the two clay courts are part of Phase 2, not scheduled for 2023.  At the top edge of the drawing is our existing facility.  Start getting ready for your maiden match in the open air on the new courts!

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

Saville’s U10/U12 Juniors Play for Alberta in Kamloops

Five Saville U10/U12 players made the trip to Kamloops in April as part of an Alberta team of 15 players and 2 coaches.  Below are Saville junior players Finn, Eliza, Vlad, Kingston and Winston on a break from working their game in Kamloops.

**************************************************************************************************************************************************

Tennis Joke of the Month

Q:  Why does the Saville have so much trouble with its website? 

A:  Because its servers are faulty and out of line.

I bet you can do better than that!  How about sending along a tennis joke?

 **************************************************************************************************************************************************

• Please provide feedback, ideas for future issues, news, or volunteer to write an article.  Email:  bwconsulting@shaw.ca. 
• If you wish to unsubscribe from this newsletter; please fill out the google form.
• If you would like to view all articles posted to date (January-May) go to THIS WEBSITE.

*********************************************************************************************************************