Ashland Tennis Center
Celebrates 50 Years of ‘Serve’-ice
Charles Romans
The Ashland Beacon
The Ashland Tennis Center has been a fixture in the Ashland area and beyond for decades. On Sept. 5,2024 the Ashland Tennis Center celebrated 50 years of youth and adult sports and community involvement that has spanned generations with a “Night at the Courts’. The event was free to the public and offered appetizers, desserts, and a cash bar. There was also live music, a silent auction, photo ops, and the chance to play tennis and pickleball. And patrons could learn some of the history of Ashland Tennis Center along the way.
Ashland Tennis Center General Manager, Jerry Groce, has been hands on at the center since 1986 and said that it has made an impact on the community in a very positive way. “Over the years we have had numerous state tournaments, sanctioned tournaments, and professional tournaments,” Groce said. Those tournaments, which often last an entire week or more, help support not only the sport itself but the surrounding community as well. Those competing at all levels typically eat, stay in hotels, and shop local when not actively on the courts.
Groce shared that he has always loved the sport, and that youth tennis is still vibrant and healthy. The sport is also popular with adults of all ages and skill levels. Ashland Tennis Center offers a variety of clinics and lessons, and throughout the summer the tennis center offers free lessons to juniors, and adult camps for older players. Residents and visitors can enjoy the public tennis facility that offers year-round play on four hard indoor courts and 11 hard outdoor courts. There is also a club house complete with pro shop and locker room facilities.
With nearly 40- years dedicated to the sport and being involved in ATC, Groce admitted that he still loves the game. “It isn’t that hard to learn to play,” Groce said. “It just takes a while to develop the skills. Of course, some people are better at it than others,” he said. “But everyone can learn how and enjoy playing. You just have to learn how to move and work on your timing. It’s a fun game to learn. You just have to decide how you want to play it. Do you want to learn to play socially, or are you interested in competing professionally?”
He (Groce) noted that there are people at ATC that can help you move toward your tennis goals, whatever those might be. But the game, whether played in a more relaxed (though possibly still competitive) way with friends and family or in a faster paced and competitive manner with your eyes on winning competitions, Ashland Tennis Center is the place to start. It is a place to learn tennis and other sports and broaden the potential for fun and exercise.
“I had some people recently change from pickleball to tennis,” Groce shared. “Which was probably a good thing for them because pickleball is slower, and they built skills and went to tennis which is faster paced.”
Whether you are a beginner or more advanced, Ashland Tennis Center has a lot to offer – and has been supporting the Ashland Community for fifty years. As they look toward the next fifty years, Groce said that Ashland Tennis Center will continue to support the wonderful community that has supported them and move forward together.
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