MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD

October 2003

SUBJECT: OCONEE COUNTY TENNIS VISION

Purpose. The purpose of this document is to establish the tennis vision for Oconee County, Georgia for the next twenty years from present through 2023. It will specifically address the growth need over the next five years (through 2008) and the benefits of rapid facility development in generating long-term financial gain for the community.

Bottom Line. Tennis demands in the county are currently not being met. The spring of each calendar year is the critical play period for tennis in the county; school tennis programs are "in-season," public tennis leagues are at near-peak capacity, and public tennis instruction is ongoing. Last spring, the county required 7 additional lighted courts for night tennis; to date, no provisions (only discussions) have been made. In order to meet current and growing tennis demands, the county needs an increase of 10 public courts for night play by February 2004, 12 new courts (two of those twelve must be lighted) by February 2005 and 9 more new courts by February 2006. These 9 courts plus the 10 "unlighted" courts from the previous year must all have lights. To maximize efficiency of public facilities, it is recommended that the county immediately light the Oconee County High School (OCHS) courts (completing work by 31 January 2004), build and light 10 new courts at the North Oconee High School (NOHS) by 31 January 2005 and plan for and build 14 new outdoor, lighted courts at the new park facility by 31 January 2006. Because medium to large-scale tournaments potentially generate desirable revenues to the local community, all public tennis facilities (Herman C. Michael Park, OCHS, NOHS, and the new park complex) should be able to accommodate tennis tournament venues.

Background. This vision is one of many athletic team/recreational sport visions currently being developed in support of our community needs. It is important that this be done at this time due to numerous ongoing and planned large to medium-scale public land development initiatives. These include: (1) the construction of the North Oconee High School, (2) the planning and construction of the new Oconee County park complex located immediately north of Herman C. Michael Park (HCM) and (3) planned modest improvements to Oconee County High School and possibly HCM. The majority of the necessary funds have been/will be made available through approved votes on multiple Special Purpose Local Option Sales Taxes (SPLOSTs) and/or provisions in current/future annual budgets. Local tennis demands and desires in the county, termed "needs" and "wants" in the remainder of this memorandum, are driven primarily by two organizations - the public school system and the parks and recreation department. Our schools (high schools and middle schools), demand tennis facilities in order to support team play requirements for our youth. The Parks and Recreation (P&R) Department demands tennis facilities in order to support community group, league, tournament and limited, individual play. Although this support from P&R provides some additional youth development in the sport, it primarily services the adults in the community. Finally, this vision was developed jointly by the community's tennis "experts" (see Enclosure 1), during a meeting held on 11 September 2003 at Jennings Mill Country Club.
High School and Middle School Tennis Programs. The Oconee County Public School System's tennis program has been and remains very successful. The program has three distinct levels. The varsity (boys & girls) program consists of ~ 8 - 10 players each (~16 - 20 total). A junior varsity (J.V.) program (boys & girls) consists of ~ 8 - 10 players (~16 - 20 total). Additionally, each middle school (Oconee County Middle School (OCMS) and Malcom Bridge Middle School (MBMS)) has developed / is developing "C Teams" for both boys & girls. Middle schools, because of the need to increase interest and coupled with the lack of physical maturity of the children, will normally carry more players on their teams than at the two higher levels. Therefore, ~12 - 15 "C Team" players (~24 to 30 total) are expected at each middle school. Once the NOHS is fully operational (AY06-07), each high/middle school tandem (e.g. OCHS/OCMS and NOHS/MBMS) will support between 58 - 70 interscholastic tennis players. The high school season for 2003-04 (as directed by the Georgia High School Association (GHSA)) allows practice to start February 2 (with the first matches being played not earlier than February 16). The region tournament must be completed by April 28. This leaves only nine weeks to finish all dual match play (region play = 13 matches; non region = 5 matches; total = 18 matches). This necessitates 2 matches per week. This tight schedule does not account for Spring Break (where players are often gone with families) or any "rain-outs". Therefore, efficiency of scheduling/maximizing court use is critical to the success of the school system's tennis program.
Current school tennis facilities - with no lighting of the courts - do not support the current school "needs"; lighted courts are required to effectively support the in-season school tennis teams. There are 10 courts without lights at OCHS. There are no courts at either middle school appropriate for practice or play; lack of facilities at the middle schools demands that their practices occur at the high school(s). At present, the middle schools cannot practice at HCM; the major deterrent to practicing at HCM is that after-school tennis programs run by the P&R and conducted at the park for other youth (not playing on school teams) would be adversely affected. As well, given the growing demand of community tennis play (discussed later in this paper), school play on P&R courts is not a viable option. Starting in February, in order to accommodate all three tennis teams, they must share limited practice time and competitive play opportunities (as dictated by daylight hours) on the high school courts.
The OCHS tennis courts partially meet practice needs (both pre-season and during the season). 10 courts are required for practice of each team level. With ~8 - 10 girl and boy players (~16 - 20 players total) practicing on each of the J.V. and varsity teams and ~12 - 15 per gender (~24 - 30 players total) for "C-Team", 10 courts (per team per practice session) are required for singles play, doubles play, and drills. As a result, teams cannot legitimately practice daily; rather, they currently alternate practice days leading-up to and during the majority of their respective tennis seasons. Once the season starts and on days where either a home "C-Team", J.V., or varsity match occurs, one (or both) of the other two squads (depending on away schedules) cannot practice because the courts are committed to another's match play.
Once competitive play begins, the high school courts only partially meet team(s) needs in support of dual region and non-region play. Most regions chose to play each region member at least once. Depending on the size of the region, this may vary from as little as eight to fifteen (e.g. 15 teams in Region 8, 5-A this year). These regions demand competitive play from 7 to 14 required matches per year. The tennis program(s) which exist at OCHS (and likely at NOHS) are of such quality that it(they) are constantly looking to play non-region "power house" tennis programs to prepare for state competition. Schools such as St. Pius, Lovett, Woodward Academy, Westminster, Walton and Marist have all shown interest in playing the Oconee County school(s). These matches are critical in order to achieve excellence in match play preparation. The GHSA permits 18 varsity dual matches, and 13 J.V. dual matches. There is no rule on middle school but, normally, athletic directors keep the middle school season close to the same percent of J.V. to varsity matches (about 70 %). This permits the "C Team" to play ~ 10 matches. Home and away region matches are normally 50/50. Coaches try to get as many home matches as possible but such quality teams will likely require a home and away format. The GHSA format in tennis is three singles' matches and two doubles' matches (requiring five courts). Many times, other regions' schools that have limited court space choose to come to OCHS because of the extended time that it takes to play two or three rounds (by cycling matches onto courts) in order to complete ten matches for boys and girls at their site. Because of travel expense and availability of coaches, schools normally travel their boys and girls together. For both genders to play concurrently (especially during daylight standard time, where darkness ~ 5:30 P.M.), ten courts are required. The ten courts at OCHS support either a J.V. or varsity match on any given day. This is not the preferred condition. Logistically, visiting teams like to travel their varsity and J.V. squads together. Head/assistant coaches prefer to watch both varsity and J.V. teams play competitively in order to better develop their players. To do this, two rounds of 10 matches each (20 matches total) must compete. Without lighted courts, OCHS home matches (varsity and J.V.) must be scheduled on different days or on the same day but at different locations.
As outlined above, with the loss of seasonal light (3rd Sunday in October - 1st Sunday in April), court lighting is needed for the high school(s) (assuming that the "C Teams" practices there). Recognizing that the varsity team would always have priority of play, in one "make-sense" model, the "C Team(s)" would preferably practice first after being bussed to the high school(s). They would practice from 3:30 to 5:00 P.M. As a general rule, the J.V. teams would practice next. Most do not drive themselves to/from school and they need to be home earlier than the older, varsity players. The J.V. practice would routinely occur from 5:00 - 6:30 P.M. (or immediately following the "C Team" practice). Finally, the varsity practice would run from 6:30 - 8:00 P.M.; the students on the varsity team(s) normally have the ability to drive, making the late practice "window" most appropriate for them. The J.V. and varsity teams would periodically switch practice times so that both teams would have the opportunity to prepare for matches under daylight or "match" conditions.
Current school tennis facilities - with no lighting of the courts - do not support the current school tournament "wants." Tournaments are a necessary component of quality high school tennis programs. With effective planning and modest improvements to facilities, two types of tournaments - region and invitational - are possible. The ability to host region tournaments is not only prestigious, it allows the county to showcase our community and give the team(s) a distinct advantage in winning by competing at the "home court." Initially, NOHS will not be in the same region as OCHS. Therefore, it is possible to host both a 2-A and 3-A region tennis tournament. Depending on the number of teams in each region and how many teams qualify - historically, all teams go to the tournament, carrying 9 players per team (7 starters and 2 alternates) - hundreds of players, parents, and spectators would bring strong economic and social gain to the schools and community. Presently, many regions pay costly fees to assure facilities of sufficient size are reserved in order to conduct their region tournament. For example, a 10-team region (~18 boys/girls per team) yields an ~180-player tournament field. Region 8 -5A (which OCHS is presently part of) has 15 teams; ~270 players play each spring in this region tournament. In order to host tournaments of this size, 16x to 20x lighted court facilities are routinely used. With ten courts at each high school (total of 20 lighted courts), equipped with modest tournament facilities (e.g. tournament headquarters buildings, restrooms, limited spectator viewing areas), region tournaments could easily be conducted jointly at the two high school facilities over a weekend play period (Friday, Saturday and Sunday).
In addition to region tournaments, high school invitational tournaments in Northeast Georgia are very limited, yet, much needed. Using all 20 high school courts, tournament play could be held in one weekend for up to 16 teams. Recognizing that it is important to raise additional funds (to augment school-budgeted $$$s) for all school sports' programs, high school foundations and/or booster clubs (e.g. Warrior and Titan) would benefit tremendously from these events. The cost to enter a tournament varies from $100.00 to $200.00 per team. From this, the host school routinely provides tournament t-shirts and trophies, guaranteed two-match minimum play, and a quality venue for play (courts, nets, on-court water and seating, wind screens, on-site restrooms, seating for fans, and, possibly, concessions). As tennis interest has greatly increased in the Atlanta area, only a few prestigious invitational high school tennis team tournaments have developed. One of the most prestigious is the Buckhead Rotary Invitational. The director of this tournament (a "flighted" event with A, B, and C skill levels) has requested that Oconee County host one of the flights, assuming our facilities are adequate and available. In this, the county has a strong reputation within the Georgia tennis community to be asked to host a portion of this great tournament. It clearly would be a tremendous honor and financial benefit for the school program (and the community) to participate in, and, over time, originate tournaments such as this.

Community (Recreational) Tennis Programs. The county has a very active tennis community that has experienced tremendous tennis growth over the past three years. In 2000, 456 players participated in one of the four programmed instructional tennis seasons (winter, spring, summer, and fall). Of those, 134 were adults and 322 were children. Only 48 adults participated in county-sponsored United States Tennis Association or Northeast Georgia Tennis Association (USTA/NEGTA) league play. At that time, only two public courts were available in support of this tennis interest. Four additional courts have since been added (six are now available); as a result, participation in the public tennis programs has increased by 275 percent (275 %) over the three-year period (note: the growth has primarily occurred since late Fall, 2001, the date when the four new courts were completed). In 2003, 1256 players participated in one of the four programmed instructional tennis seasons (winter, spring, summer, and fall). Of those, 669 were adults and 587 were children. Impressively, 676 adults participated in county-sponsored USTA/NEGTA league play (see Table 1 for breakdown of play by tennis season). The county now supports 54 teams throughout the calendar year. In addition, three junior tournaments have been conducted, each averaging attendances of ~ 90 youth. Growth numbers show a steady increase, evidenced by an average addition of 85 new league players each of the last three years. It is important to note that of those players, 55 % (or 47 players) practice/play at night as part of scheduled leagues (business women, men and mixed teams); the other 45 % (or 38 players) play in "day" leagues (seniors, women's daytime and combo teams).
The county has quickly out-grown its current tennis facilities' capacity. Although requested routinely, no additional night league teams are possible due to the lack of lighted tennis courts. The two "upper" courts are "open play" courts; the four "lower" courts are reserved by the P&R from ~ 4:00 P.M. until 9:00 P.M. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Just as with other county-sponsored activities, tennis league play is routinely not scheduled on Wednesday or Friday evenings in respecting religious and family gatherings. Although it is somewhat difficult to quantitatively calculate today's tennis requirements, it is correct to state that, based on requests, more night play opportunities are now demanded. For the future, however, growth projections objectively show that the county will require an additional 3 lighted courts (total of 9) by February 2004, an additional 6 lighted courts by February 2005 (total of 12) and an additional 9 lighted courts by February 2006 (total of 15) [note: one (1) additional, lighted court is required for every sixteen (16) additional, night team/league players] (see Table 2). Feasibly, if the OCHS and NOHS tennis courts were lighted, a portion of them could be shared as co-use facilities in support of community needs during Spring tennis seasons/programs; during other times of the year (when school tennis teams were not "in season"), the courts could be used extensively by the county for night play. Understandably, formal co-use agreement(s) would be required between the affected schools (OCHS and NOHS) and the P&R. This agreement(s) would require formal approval by the county's Board of Education (OCBOE) and Board of Commissioners (OCBOC).

Table 1. Tennis Growth Data for Oconee County

    Current county tennis facilities do not support the tennis community's "wants." Local tournaments and an indoor facility are desired components of quality community tennis programs; neither is present in the county. Tournaments excite greater tennis awareness, provide a competitive athletic event, and generate income for the local community. With effective planning and some facilities' improvements, two types of tournaments - local and regional - are possible. Bishop Park (in Athens) currently holds a modest number of local tennis tournaments. Conversely, Oconee County does not have a facility(s) (10 + courts) capable of accommodating the same type of local tournament(s) like those held at Bishop Park. In order to host a comparable local tournament, 10 to 20 lighted courts and tournament facilities are required. Combining the six courts at HCM (note: only four [the "lower courts"] are currently of tournament caliber, the other two [the "upper courts"] need re-surfacing) with 10 co-use courts at OCHS would provide ample court "space" for a comparable tennis tournament site (total of 14-16 lighted courts). Adding modest tournament facilities to the high school (restrooms, tournament headquarters, viewing area, hitting wall, and possibly, a concession facility) are needed for effective conduct of a local tournament. The addition of 10 lighted courts and similar tournament facilities at NOHS (total of 24-26 lighted courts) would allow for a more robust local - or possibly, regional (discussed next) - tournament venue.
In addition to local tournaments, hosting USTA/NEGTA regional tournaments is recommended. Currently, there is no such venue in the area, primarily due to the lack of a facility(ies). Most tournaments such as these are held in Atlanta (at sites such as the Hudlow Tennis Center), Augusta (Newman Tennis Center), Rome (Rome/Floyd Tennis Center), Macon (John Drew Smith Tennis Center), Columbus (Cooper Creek Tennis Center), and Chattanooga (The Champions Club). Both the USTA and NEGTA have shown considerable interest to date in conducting regional tennis venue(s) in the Clarke/Oconee County area. They are very sensitive to both tennis tradition and tennis excellence in the area (Crakerland Tennis Tournament, UGA Tennis, and OCHS Tennis). They also recognize the growth of our community (both physical growth and growth in tennis interest [based upon the data previously provide in Table 1]). Tournaments of this caliber require: (1) a quality venue for play (~ 25 to 35 tournament-quality courts [well-kept surfaces, nets, and windscreens], on-court water and bench seating, tournament headquarters [telephone/internet hook-ups, work space, tennis shop for providing limited services (e.g. racket re-stringing, sale of grip-tape, etc…)], on-site restrooms, adequate viewing/seating for spectators/awaiting players, concessions, and security [as needed]); (2) a two-match minimum play guarantee; and (3) sufficient local community infrastructure to support out-of-town guest lodging/dining. This type of event(s) would clearly be a tremendous honor and financial benefit to our community. It should be mentioned here that most - if not all - of the public tennis centers listed above charge modest usage fees (memberships, daily-use, match-use, or play-by-the-hour) to local/county residents. As well, light fees are frequently applied as additional charges. Although not the purpose of this memorandum to provide revenue data or estimates for these types of facilities/events, it is certain that the sooner the facilities are constructed, the greater long-term financial gain for the local community.
The final "want" of the tennis community is a 4-court, indoor tennis facility. There are numerous advantages in having an indoor facility. First, although there are large upfront costs, these $$$s would quickly be recovered as indoor facilities are a tremendous source of revenue. Community indoor courts are routinely linked to annual memberships and court-usage fees. In this, a four-court facility would service those who prefer indoor play and/or demand all-season, all-weather play. Second, there is no public indoor facility in the state. USTA/NEGTA indoor tennis tournaments/venues could be sponsored without "challenge" by other counties, thereby providing another large revenue generating possibility. Third, indoor facilities provide flexibility in conducting scheduled outdoor tournaments. As needed, indoor sites enable planned tournaments to remain "on time" during tournaments that are plagued with inclement weather. This is an attractive incentive to out-of-town players selecting the competitive venues to which they commit; a tournament that can guarantee successful completion is often chosen over one that cannot. Although maybe not immediately feasible (due to $$$ constraints), it is advised that the final facilities plan include an indoor facility "footprint" at the new county park. It is believed that the current 4-court layout at HCM is a good model; it appears that a covered structure could be put over those courts. This way, at the right time (over the next 20 years), a flexible condition exists to cover either four courts at the new park or the four "lower" courts currently at HCM.

Consolidated Needs and Wants. Detailed earlier in this report, the spring of the year is the maximum use period for the county's tennis facilities due to concurrent school and P&R tennis programs/competitions. During this time, the community experiences a large volume of current (and growing) tennis play. After maximizing all public tennis court use by applying the "co-use" plan for tennis facilities, it follows that if the spring tennis "needs" are met, the "needs" at other times during any given year will also be met. Combining school "needs/wants" with the community's "needs/wants," a consolidated listing of requirements is provided at Table 2.

Recommended Growth Plan. Following a systematic growth plan is necessary in order to manage ongoing tennis programs and allow school and county tennis coordinators to effectively promote program development, to include the scheduling of future tennis tournaments/venues. It is believed that a growth plan's "KEYS TO SUCCESS" is based upon four primary tenets: (1) insuring a long-term source of revenue for maintenance and other school/community sports / recreation programs; (2) making efficient use of quality tennis courts built with tax payer $$$s by leveraging community land, parking, fencing, landscaping, other infrastructure; (3) integrating future event planning to maximize $$$s to the local community (e.g. high school, team league, USTA/NEGTA tournament play); and (4) planning/allowing for systematic growth and possible expansion. In order to meet current & future "needs/wants" through year 2008, provide flexibility for expansion through year 2023, and generate income as fast as possible, it is recommended that the county immediately light the Oconee County High School courts (with work completed by 31 January 2004), build and light 10 new courts at the North Oconee High School by 31 January 2005 and plan for and build 14 new outdoor, lighted courts at the new park facility by 31 January 2006. Because medium to large-scale tournaments potentially generate desirable revenues to the local community, all public tennis facilities (Herman C. Michael Park, OCHS, NOHS, and the new park complex) should be able to accommodate tennis tournament venues. Figure 1 details the recommended components of each facility.

Distribution: 5-OCBOE, 5-OCBOC, 1-OCS Superintendent, 3-OCP&R, 5-OCHS, 2-OCMS, 2-MBMS, 1-Mr. Ron Ray, 1-Mr. Dan Magill, 3-WK Dickson & Co., Inc., 1-Each Tennis Vision Meeting Attendee

Enclosure 1: List of Attendees - OC Tennis Vision Meeting

Table 2. Needs and Wants for Tennis Facilities in Oconee County

TENNIS FACILITY(S) NEEDS

+ Based on Joint Use Agreement, high school courts can be used for Parks & Recreation tennis play during the day.
* For night use, courts require effective lighting.
(1). Of the 8 courts needed by P&R, only 7 are required concurrent with school tennis court demand in order to meet after-school (kids) spring tennis programs.
(2). Of the 10 courts needed by P&R, only 8 are required concurrent with school tennis court demand in order to meet after-school (kids) spring tennis programs.
(3). Of the 12 courts needed by P&R, only 9 are required concurrent with school tennis court demand in order to meet after-school (kids) spring tennis programs.

TENNIS FACILITY(S) WANTS

	Current	February 2004	February 2005	February 2006
School Wants	tournament hqtrs, viewing area, multi-purpose room, hitting wall at OCHS	tournament hqtrs, viewing area, multi-purpose room, hitting wall at OCHS	tournament hqtrs, viewing area, multi-purpose room, hitting wall at NOHS	possible tournament hqtrs, viewing area, hitting wall at new park
P&R Wants	tournament hqtrs, viewing area, restrooms, concessions, hitting wall at OCHS	tournament hqtrs, viewing area, restrooms, concessions, hitting wall at OCHS	tournament hqtrs, viewing area, restrooms, concessions, hitting wall at NOHS	tennis shop / tournament hqtrs, stadium court, hitting wall, 4 indoor courts at new park
Total Wants	tournament hqtrs, viewing area, multipurpose room, restrooms, concessions, hitting wall at OCHS	tournament hqtrs, viewing area, multipurpose room, restrooms, concessions, hitting wall at OCHS	tournament hqtrs, viewing area, multipurpose room, restrooms, concessions, hitting wall at NOHS	tennis shop / tournament hqtrs, stadium court, hitting wall, 4 indoor courts at new park

Figure 1. Recommended Tennis Facilities Plan

Enclosure 1. Oconee County Tennis Vision Meeting Attendees - 09/11/03

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