Questions About Tennis in Maple Ridge
With Maple Ridge growing so quickly, the demand for court time on competition grade tennis courts is becoming a rare commodity. As a MRTC member, you have access to the courts during peak periods on the week and weekend. You also get to meet people and as anyone knows that plays tennis – hitting alone is no fun!
Yes, the general public can use the courts anytime outside of club hours or when we have tournaments. The municipality has allocated the MRTC special times in effort to build tennis as an important activity in our community.
As a BC government registered non-profit organization, all of the funds generated by membership fees are brought into the general revenues of the club and money and kept in the bank. Any money that is spent must be approved by the directors of the club. Some general expenses include liability insurance, equipment such as BBQ, tent cover, prizes for events and T-Shirts which are then sold to members and the general public. All staff and director participation is voluntary.
Our biggest goal these days is to save enough money to get a club house. We feel that having a place to meet where friends can get together for a cup of tea and game of cards while waiting for the rain to stop would be great! It would also give us a place to hold meetings, store equipment and give us the much needed facilities to stage a tournament.
Yes. And we definitely need help! A club is only as good as the membership and when a core group gets together to build something, it can move mountains! We always need help in areas such as staging events, junior/youth programs, putting up posters around town, calling other members and of course developing ideas on how to raise money! Even one hour a week could be tremendously helpful!
Our main focus at this time is on youth tennis development. In addition to the lessons that we provide, the MRTC sponsors events like The Rix Rookie Tour each year.
We have five tournament grade tennis courts – built for the BC Games in 1998, lighting for evening play, lots of free parking, port-a-john and water fountain. The club owns benches, squeegees, and we have a member dedicated to ensuring the nets and courts are kept in good shape. We also arrange court cleaning, mosquito larva spraying and work with the City on all matters concerning tennis.
No – not after 6 pm. This court is reserved for adult play. Kids have exclusive use of the courts from 4 pm to 6 pm on these two days.
Tennis play during club nights is kept fairly loose. We try to accommodate all of the members by focusing on doubles play as this achieves best use of time. This is then generally split into two groups with more advanced players teaming up while intermediate and new players enjoying more relaxed club play.