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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:
Sue Rehill, Membership Director
250-947-9743
44Limes@gmail.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). Members receive a club shoe tag, which allows them to play at the times reserved for our Club. (See Schedule.) The membership year runs from January 1 to December 31. New members have to pay the Club fee for the year at the time they join. Continuing Club members have until the end of April to pay the annual fee.
To join the Arrowsmith Tennis Club, see Sue Rehill or Garry Kaita at the courts or contact Sue 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. 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!
For other Club information, please contact
Ada Sarsiat
phone: 250.738.0687
or write to the Club's email address: arrowsmithtennis@hotmail.com
Court Times Table (See explanations below)
Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
8-10 | Open | Open | Open | Open | |||
10-12 | Open | Reg'd Mixed, Open | Open | ||||
12-2 | Intermediate | Intermediate | Intermediate | ||||
2-4 | Shootout, Open | ||||||
4-6 | Juniors | ||||||
6-8 | 4.0+ Ladder | Open |
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. The fields
with a white background in the table above indicate the times at which the Club has reservations at Springwood.
Names in these fields indicate scheduled tennis activities during those times.
In a few cases the white fields only approximate the exact reservation times which are as follows.
Courts 2-6 on MW 12-2, F 12-4, Sat 8-12, Sun 8-12.
Courts 4-6 on M 6-8, Tue 8-12 and 4-5:30,Thur 8-10 and 3:30-8.
While all scheduled activities take place during these times, some Club members
make private arrangements and play at other times.
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 entry Sign-up. 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.
There will be a Social Tennis Group in May and June on Tuesdays 10 - noon. This is not a drop-in activity. The group will be organized by Ada Sarsiat and Renee Guenette. To join the group, members should send an email to Ada Sarsiat, and she will add their names to the weekly player schedule. The play is non-competitive mixed doubles. Each session comprises a warm-up period followed by three 35-minute matches. Eeach match is played with a different partner assigned in advance by the organizer. You do not need a partner to join the group. This is an excellent group activity for new members to meet and play with other Club members in a series of friendly social matches.
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 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
Court Changes
Drop-in Play. Play is on a drop-in basis for all categories, except the Registered Mixed Doubles, the Shootout, and the Sign-up sessions on Courts 4-6 on MWF 12-12:40.
Reduced Court Availabilty
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.
In addition to the regular tennis activity, listed under the Schedule tab, the Club organizes a number of special events: round robins, tournaments, social events. Some of these are free for Club members, others require a small fee. Except for the tournaments, these events are listed below. Listed here are also the date and time of the End of Season/Awards Dinner and of the General Annual Meeting. The tournaments are listed under a separate Tournament tab.
For a Facebook page listing Club events and some Club pictures, click HERE
Saturday, May 5: Round Robin.
In the case of rain for a Round Robin, the event will be canceled and not rescheduled.
Light refreshments (juice, cookies, chips) will be served at all Round Robins.
Saturday, June 2: Round Robin.
Saturday, July 7: Round Robin.
Saturday, July 21: Round Robin.
Saturday, August 4: Round Robin.
Saturday, August 18: Round Robin.
Saturday, September 8. Final Round Robin.
End of Season/Awards Dinner. TBA
Annual General Meeting. TBA
Starting in the last week of April 2018 and continuing through much of September, the Club has tennis for juniors (age below 18) every Thursday 3:30 - 5:00 at the Springwood courts. This year the Club is offering a set of four lessons on Tuesdays, beginning April 24, 2018, 4:00 - 5:30. These lessons will be taught by Alan Oslie, a certified tennis instructor. Please click HERE for more details about Alan and what he offers. The total fee for all four lessons will be $50. This will include the ATC annual junior membership fee of $20. For more information or to register for these lessons, please call Jill Trelawny at 250.954.3474.
Club play for juniors will begin on Thursday, April 26, 2018. Juniors who are not participating in the Tuesday lessons must pay the annual junior Club fee of $20 on their first day of participation. Players can join at any time, and we welcome the parents' participation. One or more adult Club members will be present to assist, organize games and give hints. For more information, please call Jill Trelawny at 250.954.3474.
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.
The Club runs a number of tournaments during the summer season. Details for Summer 2018 still need to be arranged.
Saturday, June 16: ATC Oceanside Open Tournament. Men's and Ladies' doubles. This event is open to all comers, members and non-members. Fee: $10/participant. The fee includes prizes, refreshments and lunch. The tournament format will depend on the number of participants. The registration deadline is Wednesday, June 21. To register, email Don Lefler.
Saturday, July 28: ATC Mixed Doubles Tournament in Compass Format. The tournament will start at 9:00 am and will last until about 1:30 pm. You play with the same partner in all rounds, no one is 'knocked out'. Everyone plays three rounds, but as rounds progress teams are matched with other teams of similar skill level. A final fourth round will determine the winner among the two top teams. There is no entry fee for this tournament.
To sign up for the tournament, click HERE. You can sign up as a team or individually. The sign-up system will determine a partner for you, but note that people who sign up as a team have priority if not everybody can be accommodated. Instead of signing up here on the website, you can email Don Lefler and he will transfer your name(s) to the online sign-up list. This way, the online sign-up list is a complete list of registrants. The deadline for signing up is 7:00 pm on Wednesday, July 26. If bad weather means the event has to be canceled on Saturday, it will be rescheduled for Sunday, July 30.
Wed, Aug 22 to Sat, Aug 25: ATC Club Championship Tournament with bbq. Ladies' and Men's Singles, Ladies' and Men's Doubles, Mixed Doubles. All preliminary matches begin on Wed, Aug 23. Entry fee: $5 per person and eveent. To register, please contact Don Lefler or Greg Bach by Aug 16, 19:00 h. The tournament format will be determined by the number of entries. Entrants will be contacted by Monday evening.
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!
October 2017 - October 2018 Executive
President: Ada Sarsiat
Vice President: Renee and Loren Guenette
Secretary: Erica Monderman
Treasurer: Sue Wilson
Membership: Sue Rehill
Social Program: Pat Hansen
Tournament Director: Don Lefler
Junior Program: Jill Trelawny
Communication: Jim Cameron (email)
Past President: Paul Arnell
October 2017 - October 2018 Officers (not on the Executive)
Court Maintenance: Paul Arnell, assisted by Garry Kaita and Marlin Snyder
Assistant to Treasurer (fee collection): Garry Kaita
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 Sue Rehill (250-947-9743).
Newsletters and Phone List
Click HERE to see or download the most recent Newsletter and earlier ones and also the Club Phone List. Note, however, that the the most up-to-date information about membership and phone numbers is in the Membership List above.
Email Notices to Club Members
Most of our members are now being contacted by email. Please contact Jim Cameron 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 Jim 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 Lady
April Whitman is our Sunshine Lady. Phone No. 250-752-7008. Please let April know if someone is ill or if there is a bereavement in the family, so she can send a card.
Racquet Stringing
Mike Bellis (250-713-2229) lives in Nanoose Bay, is available for stringing all year, and can provide same-day service.
Murray Hough (250-753-0048) - Available for stringing all year. He also offers next-day turn-around at the courts during July and August (Monday to Friday).
Tennis Lessons
Evie Seeton (250-228-1509) is a member of our Club who is a certified instructor. She will give individual or group lessons to interested Club members. Give her a call.
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.
Murray Hough (250-753-0048) offers private singles or group lessons at noon through July and August.
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.
Have a look at photos taken at recent Club events by clicking on the links below.
Meeting on July 12, 2017 at Springwood between the Arrowsmith Tennis and Comox Valley Clubs
Awards Dinner at the French Creek Harbour Grill on August 28, 2016
Wind-up Dinner on August 16, 2015 at the Bayside Inn
Miele Ladies Team Championship, Whistler, BC, August 2014
Compass Mixed Tournament, July 19, 2014.
Ladies Interclub Champs, Spring 2014.
Miele Ladies Team Championship, Richmond, BC, August 10-13, 2013.
Click on any of the following links for more tennis information.