Grand Opening Of Magnuson's Tennis Center Sand Point With Lots Of Free Tennis Activities

 

 

 

The Tennis Center Sand Point (7135 Sportsfield Drive NE) opens tomorrow with a benefit dinner and free activities, clinics, free open play court time and free instruction for all ages.

Jake Moe, who lives in Laurelhurst, and one of the long-time project developers told us:  "It's Finally Official ! 15 years of effort!  After 30 years of effort by local citizens, many of whom that have been Laurelhurst residents, a state-of-the-art PUBLIC tennis facility is opening in Magnuson Park. The Gala Celebration, benefitting the low cost housing in Magnuson Park, is being held tomorrow. Come celebrate with us with Music, Fine Food, Tennis demonstrations and Dancing!" 

The information says: 

The weekend will kick off with a free junior jamboree tournament for players between the ages of 6 and 16 on Friday.  This tournament is a great way for young players to compete in a fun, no-pressure environment with pizza and prizes.

Also on Friday, TCSP will host the Tennis Gala benefiting Brettler Family Place housing in Magnuson Park and its summer youth programs for the nearly 130 children living in the park. Tickets to this semi-formal event are $75 per person and attendees will be treated to a fun night of food, music and special guest speakers. There will be an auction to raise money for the summer youth programs with an opportunity to bid on the court sponsor naming rights to one of the tennis courts at TCSP.

From Saturday to Monday,  the fun continues with free clinics and workouts for players of all ages and skill levels. Come meet and experience TCSP instructors. There will be opportunities to test new equipment, have your serve speed tested, challenge the pros, hit during open court time, and test out the new courts.

Everyone is invited to watch the US Open on Sunday.  Come join TCSP staff, fellow players and neighbors as we put on the Sunday evening night matches at the US Open on a big screen. Cheer on the players with everyone and get into the action of the US Open with great food and drinks.

 

Seattle Parks and Recreation’s partnership with TCSP expands recreation opportunities at Magnuson Park, and represents a major investment of private dollars to improve the park. TCSP invested $6.5 million creating the new tennis center, which will be only the second public indoor tennis facility in the City, and the only one north of the Ship Canal. Working closely with the Sand Point Tennis Committee, TCSP developed the new center with significant input from the community. The new facility has 10 indoor courts, a clubhouse, snack bar and ample parking. It serves tennis enthusiasts of all ages, skill levels and backgrounds, and places a special emphasis on developing youth players.
 

In Seattle there are more than 150 outdoor tennis courts, and 10 indoor courts at Amy Yee Tennis Center. The Tennis Center at Sand Point will double the number of public indoor courts available in Seattle.

For more information about Tennis Fest event, go here.

Here is the week-end schedule:

Friday:

  

Junior Jamboree Tournament 
This FREE tournament for players between the ages of 6 to 16 is a great way for the summer camp participants and any other players to compete in a fun, no-pressure environment with pizza and prizes.  To register,  email Monica Blum at monica@tenniscentersandpoint.com, providing participant's name, age and flight/skill preference.

 

10 am - 12 pm = 10 and Under tournament on 36 and 60 courts

12 pm - 3 pm = 11-16 year old tournament in 2 flights:

Fun Flight (beginners-lower intermediates)

Competitive Flight (intermediate-advanced)


Saturday

  

Tennis Fest Adult Doubles/Mixed Tournament 8-4pm
High school doubles teams are strongly encouraged to participate as the fall season gets set to kick off.   Even if you do not have a partner, you can enter as a single and get paired up with a partner or a TCSP staffer to ensure everyone can participate in this competitive, but fun social tourney.

Official 1st tournament at TCSP

Doubles tournament for all adults and high school players
Combined NTRP ratings to form teams for players from 2.5 to 5.0
Partners must be within one full NTRP rating of each other
Tournament T-shirts and prizes included with entry fee
Participants ARE NOT required to be a USTA member to register for the doubles tournament.

 

Free Clinics and Other Activities on Tennis Fest Weekend

 

Saturday 8/31

•7:30 am to 9:00 am: Open court time to test the new courts and play a quick pick-up game or rally.
•9:00 am to 4:00 pm: Tennis Fest Doubles Tournament
•4:00 pm to 6:30 pm: Open House Free Clinics - Get all your tennis needs met by going court to court to win prizes, measure your serve speed, improved your game, and demo the hottest racquets.
•6:30 pm to 8:00 pm: Dinner, $10 per adult, $5 per child.  Check out our new café - Cloud City Coffee's newest venture!
•8:00 pm to 9:00 pm:  Pro Challenge - your shot at TCSP's instructional staff for the serious contenders - guaranteed to be lots of fun!

Sunday 9/1
 •7:30 am to 9:00 am: Free Open Play
•9:00 am to 10:00 pm: Tennis Fest Doubles Tournament
•5:30 pm to 7:00 pm: US Open Night, watch the the U.S. Open night matches with great food and drinks!

Monday 9/2
 •7:30 am to 9:30 am:  Free Open Play
•9:30 am to 3:00 pm:  Tennis Fest Doubles Tournament Finals
•3:30 pm to 5:00 pm:  Open play and Q&A with the TCSP staff
 

 

Tonight Sand Point Tennis Center Ground Breaking Celebration

Jake Moe, long-time Laurelhurst resident and tennis teacher, invites all Laurelhurst tennis players to tonight's big Ground Breaking event at 6pm.  Special musical guests will be the Roosevelt Jazz Ensemble.

Deputy Mayor Darryl Smith, Seattle Parks and Recreation, will welcome the community to the Tennis Center, scheduled to open next August between Building 18 (the old fire station) and Building 41.

The tennis center is part of the overall development plan for the Sand Point Historic District in Magnuson Park.

Tonight officials will talk about how the center came about starting in 1973. Following that in 2000 voters approved the Pro Parks Levy which provided funding for initial planning and design, which was completed in 2002 and would have cost $11 million, but there was no funding for construction.

The City website says:

Parks and Recreation issued a Request for Proposals in 2004 in hope of attracting a private developer to build and operate the center. Parks received no proposals, and the supporters presented a scaled-down design to Parks in 2006.  

In a unique public-private partnership, the Tennis Center at Sand Point (TCSP) development team was granted approval to use the designated Magnuson Park, to raise private funding, to manage the development process, and to operate the new center. This public-private partnership will provide tennis services in the north end of the city. The Amy Yee Tennis Center at 2000 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way S has been in operation since 1977. 

While working on the lease, raising money and applying for permits, TCSP opened the Racquet Training Center at Sand Point (RTC) in Hangar 30 to test demand in the area, learn more about tennis programs people are interested in, and build a customer base.  

TCSP named the new facility Tennis Center Sand Point to honor the airfield that saw planes take off and land at various times for the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Reserves and Pan American Airways from 1920 to 1970. 

The tennis center, funded by $5.1 million in private donations to TCSP, will consist of 10 indoor courts placed inside of two tennis pavilions.

Some of the features will be:

·         Fully insulated and energy efficient construction
·         Award-winning indirect reflective lighting system
·         Superb court surfacing and playing conditions
·         An on-site pro shop and stringing services
·         A cafe providing food and beverage service for players and visitors
·         Modern locker room and restroom facilities
·         A multi-purpose meeting/media room
·         A 120-seat viewing deck for tournaments, accessible to people with disabilities
·         On-court bleachers for close viewing