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:

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

Winter Schedule

November 1 - March 31

Qualicum Beach Courts

Veterans Way, Qualicum Beach

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

Springwood Courts

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

Courts 2 to 6 are reserved as follows.

Monday through Sunday, 1 pm - 4 pm: Open play. There is a court change every 40 min, players can drop in at these times. If there are an extra one or two players at the 40-min points, they should be folded in at these times. If there are three extra players, they will play Australian doubles. However, in the second 40-min segment, the three extra players will move up one court while three other players will play Australian.

Sign-up. It is not necessary to sign up to reserve a place during the winter. All comers, whether signed up or not, will be able to play. However, you are encouraged to sign up for any given day to let others know who is coming on that day. Also, players who do sign up will have priority on the courts for which they are signed up. Players who did not sign up will use the remaining spaces. Note: If court cleaning is necessary, players who have done the cleaning have priority in filling court positions over others who are signed up.

To sign up (or cancel), click HERE.

If you sign up, you must be at the courts punctually at 1:00 pm to be able to claim the spot for which you have signed up. If you are signed up but decide not to come, please cancel so that others are not given misleading information. It is possible to sign up or cancel until 12:00 noon of the given day.

Singles Shootout. This is a new event which we are starting this winter. It is for players at the 3.5/4.0 level and higher. Weather permitting, it is scheduled for Fridays, 3:05 pm. Signing up is required if you want to participate. To sign up, click Singles Shootout. Use this link also to record your score after each Shootout.

Format. The format will be worked out as we go along this winter, but to start with it will be as follows. Three 'sets' are played lasting 20 min each, preceded by a warm-up period of 10 min starting at 3:05. The warm-up period includes warming up the serve for 2-3 min. Play begins with a regular serve, i.e., no first-ball-in play. There are 5-min breaks between sets. Thus, the entire Shootout lasts 80 min, ending at 16:25. If it is too dark by then, we will play only two sets.

Special Rules

A set consists of continuous play of games during a 20-min interval. The final score in a set might be 5:2 or 7:4.
The player with the higher score at the end of set moves up one court, the other player down one court.
If there is an odd number of players, there will be three players on the lowest court playing Australian.
If a serve touches the net and is good otherwise, the point is played out. There is no let call.
No-ad scoring. If a game reaches deuce, only one more deciding point is played. The receiver chooses the side from which the ball is going to be served.
A player totals his/her scores obtained in the three sets and records the total at Singles Shootout, before 2 pm the following Friday. This score determines the line-up at the next Shootout.
If fewer than four players are present, no scores are recorded. If no scores are recorded for a Shootout event, the sign-up program automatically presents a clean slate for the next Shootout.

Winter Season: Nov. 1, 2016 - March 31, 2017

The Club has made arrangements with Westwood Lake Tennis Club in Nanaimo for play in their bubble at the following dates and times. We will be playihg on three courts each time.

Sunday, January 13, 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Saturday, January 19, 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Sunday, January 27, 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Sunday, February 3, 4:00 - 6:00 pm
Saturday, February 9, 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Sunday, February 17, 4:00 - 6:00 pm

If you would like to participate, please let Ada know by Nov. 22 via email or by phoning her at 250.738.0687 in which sessions you are interested.

Juniors

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.

Tournaments

The 2018 tournaments are listed below. The 2019 tournaments will be listed in the spring of 2019.

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 Mad Hatter Mixed Doubles Tournament. You sign up individually. Participation is limited to twelve ladies and men each.

For the first round, partners and court assignments are determined by draw. For the next round, winners move up one court, losers down one court. The winning and losing teams split and partners are chosen by spinning a racket. Each round has a time limit determined so that players who start out on Court 1 can make it to Court 6 (King's Court.)

Play starts at 9:00 am and will continue until about 1:30 pm. To sign up for the tournament, click HERE or email Don Lefler. Don will transfer your name to the online sign-up list so that this list is a complete list of registrants. The deadline for signing up is 7:00 pm on Wednesday, July 25. If bad weather forces the event to be canceled on Saturday, the event will be rescheduled for Sunday, July 29.

There will be a refreshment break, and a light lunch will be served.

Mon, Aug 20 to Sat, Aug 25: ATC Club Championship Tournament With BBQ. Ladies' and Men's Singles, Ladies' and Men's Doubles, Mixed Doubles. Matches begin on Mon, Aug 20. Finals will be played on Sat, Aug. 25. Entry fee: $5 per person and event. 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 Sunday.

Trophies will be awarded on the final Saturday at the conclusion of play and food will be provided.

General Information About the Arrowsmith Tennis Club

October 2017 - October 2018 Executive

President: Ada Sarsiat

Vice President: Renee and Loren Guenette

Secretary: Erica Monderman

Treasurer: David Fraser

Membership: Sue Rehill

Social Program: Martine Blue

Tournament Director: Greg Bach

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

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 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 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, a member of our Club, will string your racquet. You can contact him at 250.487.7532 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.

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.