Arrowsmith Tennis Club

Club Description

The Arrowsmith Tennis Club is a Vancouver Island community club whose members come from the Oceanside area - Nanoose Bay, Parksville, Qualicum Beach, Bowser - and beyond. The membership consists of all age groups including juniors (see under Juniors), but is weighted towards the retirement age. Court conditions permitting, play takes place all twelve months of the year. Of course, the weather often puts a damper (quite literally) on things in the winter, but depending on the year there are often quite a few days when the weather is good enough for outdoor tennis even in January. (The picture above on the right was taken in early January 2017 at 2 deg, the one on the left in early April 2017.)

The Club is fortunate in being able to use five of the six excellent community courts behind the Springwood School in Parksville and two of the three scenically situated courts on Veterans Way in Qualicum Beach. The times at which the Club has courts reserved in both Parksville and Qualicum Beach are listed under the Schedule tab. Play at these times is on a drop-in basis and tends to be doubles. In the evening, play is either singles or doubles.

During the summer season, in addition to the daily drop-in tennis, the Club organizes a number of social events and tournaments for singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.

Membership Info

The Arrowsmith Tennis Club welcomes players of all ages and abilities. If you want to try out the Club, you can play twice for free. After that, you are expected to pay the annual membership fee. We are happy to arrange for introductory games with current members. For more information please phone or email:

Debra Jensen, Membership Director
778-968-0523
debragjensen@hotmail.com

Benefits of joining the Club include drop-in play, Round Robin mixers and other tournaments, social events, online reservations for some courts, a program for juniors, and use of Club equipment like a ball machine.

The annual club membership fees are $35 for adults and $20 for juniors (under 18 years of age) and $70 for families (parents and any number of children). Members receive a Club shoe tag, which allows them to play at the times reserved for our Club. (See Schedule.) Of course, they can play at any other times as well when courts are available.

The membership year runs from January 1 to December 31. Continuing Club members have until the end of April to pay the annual fee. New members have to pay the Club fee at the time they join. If they join before November 1, they have to pay the entire fee for the current year. If they join on November 1 or later, they have to pay the fee for the current year, but this fee will be valid for the coming year as well.

To join the Arrowsmith Tennis Club, see Debra Jensen or Garry Kaita at the courts or contact Debra as above. You can download the membership application form by clicking HERE. (The form will be displayed in a separate window. The controls needed to download the form will pop up when you move the mouse to the bottom of the window.)

If you are already a member and all your information is current, there is no need to complete another form. Debra Jensen and David Fraser will accept cash or cheques (made out to Arrowsmith Tennis Club) at the courts and distribute shoe tags. Alternately, please mail the completed form along with a cheque made out to Arrowsmith Tennis Club to this address:

Box 166
Parksville BC
V9P 2G4

You can also pay the Club fee via e-transfer. For instructions on how to do this, click HERE.

We look forward to seeing you on the courts!

For other Club information, please contact

Greg Bach
phone: 250.954.3474

or write to the Club's email address: arrowsmithtennis@hotmail.com

Summer Schedule

April 1 - October 31

Resumption of scheduled tennis activities on July 1

To see the protocol to be followed when playing tennis, click

HERE

Qualicum Beach

Veterans Way, Qualicum Beach

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Courts 1 and 2, 9:00 am - noon, pre-aranged games.

Parksville Springwood Courts

behind (to the west of) Springwood School, 450 Despard Ave., Parksville

Court Times Table (See explanations below) Blue: Courts 4 - 6 Green: Courts 2 - 6

	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun
8-10		Open		Open		Open	Open
10-12		Social Tennis		Open		Reg'd Mixed, Open	Open
12:20-2:30	Intermediate		Intermediate		Intermediate
2:30-4:00					Open
4-6		Open		Open
6-8		3.5/4.0 Doubles		3.5/4.0 Doubles

Qualicum Beach Courts

Veterans Way, Qualicum Beach

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Courts 1 and 2, 9:00 am - noon, pre-arranged games.

* * * * *

Court Etiquette. All members should show courtesy and consideration while on and off the courts.
Click HERE for details.

* * * * *

Explanations Related to the Table of Court Times at Springwood

Reserved Court Times and Club Tennis
Sign-up
Scheduled Activities

Open
Social Tennis
Intermediate Tennis
Registered Mixed Doubles
3.5/4.0+ Doubles
Court Changes
Drop-in Play
Reduced Court Availability
Ball Machine

Reserved Court Times and Club Tennis. In the Court Times table above, the fields with a blue background indicate the times at which the Club has Courts 4 - 6 reserved at Springwood and the fields with a green background indicate the times at which the Club has Courts 2 - 6 reserved. The tennis activities during the reserved court times are described below. Club members who want to play at other times need to make private arrangements.

The Club's main scheduled tennis activities are the Open and Intermediate sessions at Springwood shown in the table above. For details on these activities, see Scheduled Activities below. You will notice that some of the activity names in the table are underlined. This means they are links. Clicking on a link will allow you to sign up for the event, but signing up is required only for the Reg'd Mixed and the Shootout activities. For details about signing up, see the following Sign-up entry. If you are not sure which activity to attend, please see Scheduled Activities.

Play during reserved times is drop-in most of the time as explained under Scheduled Activities below.

Sign-up. The underlined entries in the Court Times table are links to pages on which you can sign up for these events, or cancel if you have already signed up. You must be a Club member to be able to sign up. If you sign up, you are expected to be on the court promptly at the beginning of the sign-up period. Otherwise, you will forfeit your reservation.

Players may sign up for an event or cancel up to 2 hours before the start of the event. Depending on the event, one can sign up a week or more in advance.

Signing up is required for the Registered Mixed Doubles on Saturday and the Singles Shootout on Friday. However, signing up can be useful for all events in several ways, e.g., when only few players are expected as for some Open times or when the weather is uncertain.

Scheduled Activities

Open, 8 - 10 on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and 10 - 12 on Thursday, Saturday, Sunday. Courts 4 - 6 are available for Open Tennis at all of these times, but for the 8 - 10 sessions on Saturday and Sunday Courts 2 - 3 are available in addition.

Open Tennis is for all players, from beginners to advanced. It allows for all formats: ladies', men's, mixed doubles, 3 and 1, singles or practise hitting. However, if courts are needed for doubles, doubles have priority over singles or just hitting balls. If there are players present who want to play doubles and do not have enough partners to form a four-some, singles players are expected to either join them to form a doubles four-some or use the public courts (either Courts 1 - 3 or only Court 1, depending on the day and time as described above.)

Players playing doubles change courts after completing a set. For more about court changes, see below.

Social Tennis, T 10:00-12:00, Courts 4 - 6. A Social Tennis Group meets on Tuesdays from 10 - noon. The play is non-competitive mixed doubles. Each session comprises a warm-up period followed by three 30-minute matches. You do not need a partner to join the group. This is an excellent group activity for new members to meet other Club members in a series of friendly social matches. Players will sign up on the website (select the link in the Court Times Table) and will arrange themselves on court when they arrive. The first players to arrive will be responsible for starting and timing the 30-min sessions.

Intermediate, MWF 12:20-2:30, Courts 2 - 6. Play during this period is for players at the intermediate level or above (3.0 or higher on the USTA Ranking Ladder), women, men, and juniors.

Play is doubles if possible. If there are two or three players on the last court, they might want to play singles or Australian doubles, respectively. If only a single player is extra at 12:30 or at the 40-min change points (see below), s/he is to be folded in on one of the other courts. Players who show up during a 40-min session have to wait until the start of the next session to be folded in.

The 12:20-2:30 period is divided into a 10-min warm-up session from 12:20-12:30 and three 40-min play sessions. The signup system will put players onto Courts 6, 5, etc., in the order in which they sign up. The players will arrange themselves at 12:30 on each court by racket spinning. Players change courts after each 40-min session as explained in more detail below under 'Court Changes'.

It is expected that players who sign up for the Intermediate Tennis will stay for all three 40-min play sessions even though they can sign up for only the first session. Otherwise, the court changes will not work well.

Players who have not signed up will play on any courts that are not full.

Registered Mixed Doubles, Saturday 10 - 12. Courts 2 and 3 are reserved for registered mixed doubles. The remaining courts, 4-6, are for Open play. During the Registered Mixed Doubles session, teams stay together during the entire 2-hour session, but change courts after completing a set, similar to what is done in the Open sessions but without breaking up the teams.

Players must sign up for this event.

3.5/4.0+ Doubles Ladder, Tuesday and Thursday 6-8 pm, Courts 4 - 6, from July 14 to mid-September.

Courts 4-6 at Springwood are reserved for this activity which is for members at the 3.5/4.0+ level. Adam Kivell is the coordinator. You can contact him at a.kivell@hotmail.com or 250-607-1505. Players must be members of the Arrowsmith Tennis Club (annual fee: $35). All play is doubles. Ladder play is spread out over two days, with Court 4 on Thursday being the lowest rung of the ladder and Court 6 on Tuesday being the highest rung. It is expected that play on Tuesday will be predominantly at the 4.0+ level and play on Thursday predominantly at the 3.5+ level. Players move up and down the ladder as described below. Note: Should you wish to try this doubles ladder, please contact Adam who will place you on the list or sub list.

Play is not drop-in. Instead, players will be informed each week b email of who is playing on which court based on last week's performance. Although play is doubles only, scores are kept for individual players. If a participant cannot play on a given day, a player from the sub list will take his/her place.

On each court, the four players pre-selected by the Organizer for that court will play three four-game 'sets' using no-ad scoring. Each player serves once in a set. Each set is played with a different grouping of players so that every player plays once with every other player in the three sets.

A player gets one point for each game won so that s/he can earn a maximum of 12 points in the three sets. The three sets will require not more than an hour. After the first hour, the two players with the most points move up one court, the other two players move down one court. The two players with the most points on the top court and the two players with the fewest points on the lowest court stay on those courts. In the second hour, three more sets are played with the same rules as during the first hour except that the two players who finish with the lower score on the bottom court (Court 4) on Tuesday will start on the top court (Court 6) the following Thursday. Likewise, the two players who finish on the top court on Thursday night will start on the bottom court the next Tuesday.

Should there be a three-way tie for either the highest or the lowest score after three sets, a racket spin will determine who is the top or bottom player, respectively, while the other two players play a first to 5 points singles to see who will go down with the lowest or up with the higest scoring player, respectively. Should there be a two-way tie in points between the second and third player, they will play a 5-point singles to see who goes down with the lowest scoring player. If the score reaches 4 to 4 in a 5-point singles, a one-point tie breaker is played. The player serving the 5th and final point serves to the ad or deuce court as selected by the receiving player.

The two players with the lowest score on the bottom court at the end of the two hours on Wednesday may be placed on the sub list, depending on the number of players available the following week. If a player is unable to participate in a given week and replaced by a player from the sub list, s/he on their return will take up the position reached by the sub list player.

The objective of the ladder is to get to and stay on the top court.

Court Changes

Open. Courts are changed at the end of a set, by calling 'Court' after completing a set. If the other courts are still in the middle of a set, the players on the court on which a set has been completed will start a new set, but stop and change courts as soon as a set is completed on another court and 'Court' is called.
Intermediate. Although play does not begin until 12:30, players who have signed up are expected to be on the court at 12:20 for the 10-min warm-up period. At 13:10 and 13:50, players change courts. During each 40-min session, play is continuous regardless of the score so that the score at the end of a session might be 8:5. At the end of a session, the team with the higher score moves to the next higher court and the team with the lower score to the next lower court, except that the team with the higher score on Court 6 will remain on that court and, similarly, the team with the lower score on the lowest court will remain on that court.

The end of a 40-min session is announced by somebody with an accurate watch by calling out 'time'. At this point, play on all courts stops where one team has more games won than the other. If the score is even on one court, say, 4:4, play on that court continues until one team wins one more game. If the game goes to deuce, only one more point is played (sudden death). If the score is even on one court and play has not yet begun for the deciding game, only one more point is played to decide the match.

As at the beginning of play at 12:30 and at the 40-min change points, players will arrange themselves by racket spinning with the proviso that at the 40-min change points players who were a team in the previous session will split up and be on opposite sides of the net in the new session.

If there are two or three players on the lowest court at the end of a session, they will all move up to the next higher court. If only two players move up from the lowest court, the two players with the lower score on the next court will move down. If three players move up from the lowest court, the two players with the lower score on the next court will move down along with one of the two players who has moved down to the next court from the adjoining higher court. Racquet spinning will determine which of these two will move down to the lowest court. If there are five players on the lowest court, racquet spinning will determine which two will move up to the next court and which three will remain on the lowest court. If any gaps arise because one or more players are leaving at the end of a session, these will be closed by moving up players from a lower court, by racquet spinning if necessary.

Drop-in Play. Play is on a drop-in basis for all categories, except the Registered Mixed Doubles and the Sign-up sessions on MWF 12:20-13:10.

Reduced Court Availabilty

From May through June, Monday - Friday, the Springwood School may occasionally require Courts 1 - 3 for tennis lessons. The School has priority on the courts during those times.
From July 13 to 24 and August 10 to 14, Mondays to Fridays, Courts 1 - 3 are reserved for the RDN Summer Tennis Camp from 9:00 until 12:15.

Ball Machine. The Club has a Silent-Partner ball machine which is being kept in the Club's storage room. All Club members (juniors only under supervision of an adult Club member) are free to use the machine if they are familiar with its operation AND the Club's rules for using it. Let somebody who has used the machine before explain it to you and/or consult the operation manual for the machine. The machine, if used improperly, can cause severe injuries. When the machine is ON, ALWAYS watch the balls coming out of the machine and NEVER stand directly in front of the machine. The machine can fire balls at 95 mph or 152 km/h!

The ball machine is to be used on a first-come first-served basis. You are requested to sign the log book that is with the machine when you use the machine.

At all times, ball machine use has lower priority on a court than regular tennis play by either members of the public or the Club.

The ball machine should not be used when the courts are wet. Wet balls clog up the mechanism.

Summer Season: Apr. 1 - Oct. 31, 2020

Annual General Meeting. Saturday, October 3, 10:00 - noon. Meeting held via Zoom.

Junior Program

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Junior Program is canceled for 2020, but will resume in 2021.

Juniors may also participate in the Club's other regularly scheduled tennis activities as listed on the website under Schedule and in special events like Round Robins and Club tournaments as listed under Events and Tournaments.

2020 Tournaments

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Tournament Program is cancelled for all of 2020, but will resume in 2021.

Club Membership and Fees

Arrowsmith Tennis Club welcomes players of all ages and abilities. We are happy to arrange for introductory games with current members. There is no obligation for the first two sessions. For more information please phone or email:

Sue Rehill, Membership Director
250-947-9743
44Limes@gmail.com

Benefits of joining the Club include Round Robin mixers and other tournaments, social events, online reservations for some courts, a program for juniors, and use of club equipment like a ball machine.

The annual club membership fees are $35 for adults and $20 for juniors (under 18 years of age). Members receive a club shoe tag, which allows them to play at the times reserved for our Club. (See Schedule.) Fees are due in April. Anyone joining at a later date pays the full amount for the year.

To join the Arrowsmith Tennis Club, see Sue Rehill or Garry Kaita at the courts. You may download the membership application form by clicking HERE. (The form will be displayed in a separate window. The controls needed to download the form will pop up when you move the mouse to the bottom of the window.)

If you are already a member and all your information is current, there is no need to complete another form. Sue Rehill and Garry Kaita will accept cash or cheques (made out to Arrowsmith Tennis Club) at the courts and distribute shoe tags. Alternately, please mail the completed form along with a cheque made out to Arrowsmith Tennis Club to this address:

Box 166
Parksville BC
V9P 2G4

We look forward to seeing you on the courts!

General Information About the Arrowsmith Tennis Club

October 2020 - October 2021 Executive

President: Greg Bach

Vice President: John Laverge

Secretary: Pat Hansen

Treasurer: David Fraser

Membership: Debra Jensen

Social Program: Martine Blue

Tournament Directors: Rick Johnson, Art McMillan

Junior Program: Vacant

Communication: Hans Laue (email)

Past President: Ada Sarsiat

October 2020 - October 2021 Officers (not on the Executive)

Court Maintenance: Paul Arnell, assisted by volunteers

Assistant to Treasurer (fee collection): David Fraser is available to collect fees at the courts

Website: Hans Laue

Membership List

Click HERE to see the up-to-date membership list with phone numbers and some email addresses. If you wish to have your email address added or deleted from the list, please call Hans Laue (250-594-1786) or Debra Jensen (778-968-0523).

Newsletters

Click HERE to see or download the most recent Newsletter and earlier ones.

Email Notices to Club Members

Most of our members are now being contacted by email. Please contact Hans Laue at arrowsmithtennis@hotmail.com if you have email and are not being contacted in this way or if you are changing your email.

You can also contact Hans about any other Club matters by using the email address above.

Court Maintenance by Club Members

Throughout the year, but especially in the fall, leaves and needles need to be cleaned off the courts. The Club is assisting the City in this task and is asking for volunteers who together with others will help maintain the courts in good condition. Paul Arnell (email) will coordinate the activity. To sign up for a two-week period, click HERE.

A leaf blower, brooms, garbage can, and squeegees are available in the Storage Room at courtside. Ask a member of the Executive for the key combination.

Sunshine Person

Sue Wilson is our Sunshine Person. Ph: 250-248-7280. Please let Sue know if someone is ill or if there is a bereavement in the family, so she can send a card.

Racquet Stringing

John Suttie, an experienced racquet stringer and member of our Club, will string your racquet. You can contact him at 250.951.5696 or jdsuttie@gmail.com.

Murray Hough (250.753.0048) is an experienced racquet stringer who lives in Nananimo.

Tennis Lessons

Alan Oslie (250-954-0471) is a member of our Club with experience in coaching juniors and adults, including our juniors and beginning adults who may become Club members. He is available for private and small group lessons at times to be mutually agreed. Give him a call.

Adam Kivell is a member of the Club who competed at the Open level in Canada and has experience in coaching able-bodied and wheel chair tennis athletes. He is available for private, semi-private, and group lessons as well as singles and doubles clinics. You can contact Adam at a.kivell@hotmail.com or 250-738-6087.

Gordon Verge is a qualified instructor. Call Gordon at 250-594-2000 for single or group rates.

Ball Machine. The Club has a Silent Partner - Edge Star ball machine which is available to all members (juniors only with supervision of an adult member). Members must have received instruction on how to use the machine before using it for the first time. Contact Paul Arnell at 250-729-1271 for instruction. For information about the machine, click User's Manual.

Parking

The Springwood School parking lot must NOT be used by tennis players during school hours.

Club History

1975 - The Qualicum Beach Tennis Courts were built. Louise Dwyer was on the Recreation Commission and instrumental in pulling together the funding by means of a of 1/3 Town, 1/3 Rotary, and 1/3 Provincial grant.

1978 - The Qualicum Beach Open Tournament was started.

1983 - The Arrowsmith Tennis Club was formed with Fran Jones as the first president and Meep Verbrugge as a major organizational force. 66 members. The Club was based in Qualicum Beach with some play at Ballenas High School. There were a morning of ladies only, a fun day of mixed play, and a singles ladder. Some current members, Christine Aubin, Louise Dwyer, Jim Henderson, George Klimek, Stan Saunders, Rita Stevenson and Dorothy Watson, were among the original members of the Club.

1984 - Presidents Betty Gerbracht and Louise Dwyer. 43 members.

1985 - 1989 - President Jim Martin (35, 68, 34, 56 members).

1990 - President Noel Edwards, 65 adults, 5 juniors.

1991 - President Judy Wood, 128 adults, 38 juniors. This was the first year in which there were tournaments for Club members only - juniors, adults, and seniors (over 55). These tournaments attracted many new members. The junior boys tournaments had under-14 and under-18 events and attracted 24 in singles and 14 pairs in doubles. There were singles and doubles ladders, regular round robins (at Beach Acres). New also was an "Open" junior tournament, with other clubs attending. The Club was incorporated.

1992 - President Judy Wood. 114 adults, 57 juniors. There was an opening junior tournament at the beginning of the season in May and a final junior tournament which attracted 36 entries including 9 girls.

1993 - President Kathy Sturrock, 125 adults, 41 juniors. Judy Wood organized a Ladies B Interclub league.

1994 - President Kathy Sturrock, 114 adults, 40 juniors. Casino night raised $11,000 for new courts. The Ladies B Team won the island championship.

1995 - President Frank Scott, 114 adults, 6 juniors. The first "I Can't Believe I Won This Trophy" mixed tourney was held. Judy organized a fall mixed Interclub league and Arrowsmith won. The "Open" Junior ceased.

1996 - President Robert Stovall, 117 adults, 10 juniors.

1997 - President Robert Stovall, 94 adults, 2 juniors. Club casino raised $14,000. The Club offered $30,000 to Qualicum Beach toward building new courts - declined. The Mixed Team won Mid-Island league.

1998 - President Glenn Simpson, 100 adults, 8 juniors. The Club contributed $34,550 toward the addition of three courts at Springwood in Parksville, with the proviso that the Club get preferential use of court time. The final round robin was played on the six Springwood courts October 18.

1999 - President Glenn Simpson, 93 adults, 8 juniors. The Club times of Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and men's Sunday mornings were moved from Qualicum to Springwood and the fees raised from $20 to $25. (A few members preferred not to move and formed a Qualicum Club). The Qualicum Open became the Arrowsmith Open and moved to Springwood. The Mixed Team won the Mid-Island league. A second ladies team was entered in the Interclub league.

2000 - President Bruce Pepper, 108 adults, 1 junior.

2001 - President Louise Dwyer, 107 adults, 7 juniors. Gordon Verge started junior strategy sessions. The Mixed Team won the Mid-Island league.

2002 - President Louise Dwyer, 126 adults, 7 juniors. A club e-mail account was set up to provide improved communication with members. The Ladies B Red Team wins the Mid-Island league.

2003 - President Bob Urquhart, 120 adults, 21 juniors. A storage shed was built at Springwood at a cost of $4450. The website was developed to better publicize Club activities. The Ladies B Red Team won the Vancouver Island championship.

2004 - President Bob Urquhart, 128 adults, 18 juniors. Due to organizational difficulties, the Arrowsmith Open tournament was canceled, effective starting 2005. The Interclub mixed and ladies leagues too ceased due to the lack of an organizer. Future emphasis is being placed on tournaments for members only.

2005 - President Liz Court, 123 adults, 25 juniors.

2006 - President Liz Court, 118 adults, 23 juniors.

2007 - President Ron Morrisroe, 113 adults, 19 juniors.

2008 - President Ron Morrisroe, 112 adults, 19 juniors.

2009 - President Bob Sage, 117 adults, 19 juniors.

2010 - President Bob Sage, 108 adults, 8 juniors.

2011 - President Dave Chappell, 121 adult members. In Winter 2011, four indoor tennis sessions at the Westwood Club were arranged for 12 participants. A rebound net for practice hitting was installed against the fence on the north side of Court 2.

2012 - President Hans Laue, 123 adults, 1 junior. Westwood indoor play was again arranged in the winter months. Wind screens were added to the south fence. A new court allocation system for the Round Robins was introduced.

2013 - President Hans Laue, 122 adults, 19 juniors (the Club's Junior Program was restarted under Jill Trelawny), Westwood indoor winter tennis continuing, MWF 12-2 sessions restructured (for somewhat more challenging play with both men and ladies participating, starting punctually at noon with court changes every 40 min), online sign-up system introduced for the MWF 12-2 and the evening sessions, our ladies team won the 3.5 mid-Island Interclub League and placed second in the Miele Provincial Tournament, a squeegee that really works was acquired and a keypad lock installed on the locker room to give all members access to court cleaning equipment. In September 2013, the City installed new nets on Courts 4 and 6.

2014 - President Frank Johnston, 116 adults, 24 juniors (the Club's Junior Program continued under Jill Trelawny), Westwood indoor winter tennis continuing, the ladies' team again won the 3.5 mid-Island Interclub League and got to compete at the Miele Provincial Tournament held at Whistler, and a second of the good squeegees was acquired. Fees were raised from $25 to $35 for adults and from $5 to $10 for juniors.

2015 - President Frank Johnston. As a result of Frank Johnston's efforts, the City resurfaced all six courts in 2016.

2016 - President Paul Arnell. A battery operated ball machine was acquired, along with Babolat pressure-less balls for the machine. Visits with the Comox Valley Tennis Club at Springwood and in Comox were arranged.

2017 - President Paul Arnell.

2018 - President Ada Sarsiat.

2019 - President Ada Sarsiat.