History of VDO Tennis

Imagine, if you will,Valle del Oro without its tennis courts. Such was the case when the resort first opened its gates in 1983.  We did, however, have one tennis player, Lyle Harper, who was joined the following year by Ray Bannon.  Over the next two years, other resorts began opening in the area.  Carriage Manor and Silver Ridge, which did have courts, opened in 1984-85; Monte Vista, Greenfield, Viewpoint, and The Resort, a year later.

 

So Bannon got to work,  informing VDO management that if they did not install tennis courts, a number of folks would take their snowbird business elsewhere the following year.  Oh, the power of the mighty dollar.  By the 1985-86 season, VDO had two courts, and park management asked the group to apply for admittance into the East Valley Tennis League (note the absence of the word “Senior”).  We formed an official VDO Tennis Club with Bannon as President and Jack Holland as Vice-President and entered a single B Team (the equivalent of a 3.0 team) into the League.  Club dues were $5.00.  As snowbirds flocked to the Valley and resorts continued to open, the League grew quickly.  In fact, according to Club minutes, we got bleachers in 1988-89 and spent all of $10 to have a bulletin board installed.  

 

The Club purchased its first ball machine in 1988, charging players a dollar an hour to use it.  A year later, we got a third court, giving us our present Courts 4, 5, and 6.  By 1990, we had lights on that third court and began badgering VDO management for two additional courts, fundraising by working the Polka Fest.   According to Ray Ellis, a past president of the club, the Fest was a three-day event during which a national polka organization rented the ballroom and facilities from VDO and danced their hearts out to the tunes of “Roll Out the Barrel” and “The Hop-Scotch Polka.”  Of real interest in the minutes of this year is that a petition that was circulated among members and presented to management –  too many golf balls coming into Court 3.  Hmmmmm.....  We also know that during that season there was much discussion, perhaps disagreement, regarding ratings.  Evidently, we had gone to the 1.5-4.0 rating system but many wanted to go back to the A, B, C system.  

 

It was not until the 1991-92 season that the League required that players be over 45.  (In January of 2010, that age restriction was raised to 50.)  Court #4 was dedicated on October 15, 1993.  (Evidently, this court is our current Court #6.)  There was a small unisex restroom at the entrance to the courts, which “had a terrible time with odors coming from it.”  Hmmmmmm....  In the fall of 1994, park ownership changed.  The Arizona Department of Transportation had promised to release some land for the improvement of the Ball Field and hinted that they may do the same for the Tennis Courts.  Management was made aware of the cracking courts caused by shifting subsoils.

 

The year 1995 found the VDO Tennis Club with 153 members and the League with 13 member parks. We installed new bulletin boards and a sink. (The minutes here include an exclamation point.  Must have been a major milestone.) We also entered two 3.0 teams, one 2.5 team, and one 2.0 team into League play.

 

Until the 1996 season, EVSTL competition had occurred during the months of January, February, and March.  Now, however, the League proposed a dual season: October-December and January-March.  They also proposed that all member clubs have six courts available for League play.  So in March of 1997, Irv Conklin and Bob Judd again visited VDO management, requesting additional tennis courts.  By this time, club members were hosting spaghetti dinners and providing manpower for the resort snack bar as a means of fundraising.

 

Those fundraising efforts came to fruition in March of 1999 when two additional courts, fencing, and a snackbar building were dedicated.  The ASU girls' tennis team played an exhibition match for that dedication, which was attended by over 200 people.  

 

But much of that winter season was evidently spent discussing the need for a shade cover for the courts, a topic first proposed in 1994.  Votes had been taken then.  A committee formed.  Discussions held.  Votes were again taken.  A committee formed.  Discussions held.  (You get the idea.) Later that year, we began hosting invitationals and organizing club socials.  The idea of grass courts was discussed at some point.  And of great interest, the shirts worn by club members were …... fuchsia pink.  I think Jim Gard still has that pink shirt!

 

The club had participated in the Farnsworth Tournament at Sunland Springs Resort as early as 1994, but by 2000, this tournament had become the East Valley Championship Tournament with winners automatically advancing to the next level if desired.   Bob Cordes began the Saturday morning round robin play in January of 2002, with the reward for winning increasing as the years progressed.  And one year later, those pink shirts were replaced with white shirts with blue embroidery (only to be replaced with yellow ones in 2011).

 

By 2005, some issues had been resolved; some continued.  Shades were set “to be installed from the kitchen to the gate area between the two sets of courts”; water fountains were scheduled to be replaced; pet restrictions were enacted, and we continued to beg for additional courts.  In fact, at some point, tennis players marched with protest signs, rebels that we were.  

 

Tracking player performance has also progressed over the years.  Initially, each EVSTL park used its own spreadsheet program to maintain records.  AT VDO, in 2003, a player had to win 75% of his/her matches at Seed 1 in order to move up to the next level.  Bob Judd managed these procedures for many years and retired from that committee in 2006.

 

Also in 2006, a new ball machine was purchased at a cost of $3250, much more than that first machine purchased eighteen years prior.  Two years later, tired of picking up balls I guess, we bought two ball sweepers and several ball baskets.  We also purchased, installed, and had certified an AED machine.  Three years after its installation, it proved its value on the court, saving the life of a player who suffered a heart attack while playing.  

 

Finally, in 2007, Ted Lagerway began working with management, asking them to provide either two new courts, at a cost of approximately $60,000, or to re-furbish the present courts. Three years later, the club was still seeking to get those courts with Steve Komar working with Cal-Am. Another year later, we replaced the shade with a full length pergola-type shade; the west half rain proof and the east half merely shaded.  

 

By March of 2008, the club boasted 255 members.  Steve Komar assumed the job of court management and eventually had all six courts converted from asphalt/concrete to carpet, saving Cal-Am extensive annual maintenance fees and providing a new surface that was much easier on everyone's joints and muscles.  Club members took take over the daily dragging and watering of courts, a task that was eased in 2012 with the purchase of a four-wheel ATV. Pudge Allen also renovated the plywood backboard on Court 6 during the 2009-2010 season. 

 

The first mention of a new rating system occurred in February 2013 when a new data-based program, TenCap, was proposed by EVSTL.  Its goal was to make rating, scoring, and moving more consistent throughout the member parks and was implemented across the League in November of 2015.  In spite of some some expected initial hiccups, it was generally well received.  

 

In February of 2014, attention turned once more to the condition of the courts,  Skip Abell developed a plan to irrigate the courts, making watering more consistent and hopefully extending court life.  VDO managers rejected that plan though the Tennis Club proposed that it would do the installation and maintenance.  Finally, in 2017, management approved Abell's plan for court irrigation.  All work was completed by club members, who looked forward to the reduction in the labor of daily watering as the courts continued to be well-used following the implementation of Opportunity Matches, allowing more players to participate in League matches.  

 

In 2016, Ed Jolley and several volunteers removed the plywood backboard and replaced it with a concave composite backboard, a significant improvement.  In an effort to maintain our courts, the  Tennis Club added court resurfacing to the annual  budget.  We also initiated an on-line system to reserve courts.  Hold My Court provided a labor-saving automated database system.  

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In 2018, the club name was changed to Tennis Club of VDO to comply with Federal Internal Revenue Requirements and Guidelines.  By-laws and SOP's were also updated.  The Executive Committee began to honor VDO members who had made exceptional contributions to the club for a sustained period by naming a court for that person.  

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In March of 2019, Courts 1 and 2 were taken offline, and resurfacing work began.  By that fall, the resurfaced, re-carpeted courts were ready for play.    EVSTL initiated new move-up and move-down criteria.   The concept of Affiliated Players was adopted, in which players from other parks, which did not have a tennis club, were allowed to play on teams associated with EVSTL.  

 

That year also brought an end to a long tradition, that of the spaghetti dinner, which no longer proved profitable.  But we also began a new tradition, that of Recreational League play, in which members could participate in League play without their scores counting towards their TenCap.

 

Unfortunately, the 2020-2021 season did not allow us to initiate that Recreational Play concept.  In fact, League play was completely suspended in this year defined by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Play was permitted within the resort only on a social basis, with the wearing of masks required on the patio and social distancing encouraged on the courts.  Quite a few players enjoyed a temporary recreational  tennis league at Mesa Regal where no Ten Cap stats were recorded.  This was a great trial run for our upcoming EVSTL Rec League and was a big success. 

 

In March with Cal-Am support and a lot of volunteer effort, VDO organized its first in-park tournament, with over 50 people playing.  Personally, I hope that was the first of many such tournaments.  

 

Though we made the most of the year, we watched the world in sadness as many people contracted the virus, and over half a million Americans succumbed to the disease.  Thankfully, by February, we were frantically on our computers, lining up vaccinations and rejoicing when we got those shots in our arms.