It’s weather like this that makes the Oregon tennis teams appreciate their new home.
In the past, when it got too cold or too wet to play tennis at the East 15th Avenue outdoor courts, coaches Chris Russell, Jack Griffin and company would have to pack their bags and go across town to one of their alternate indoor courts.
There will be no more moving around for the Ducks, thanks to the new Student Tennis Center, Oregon’s indoor tennis facility.
“We have everything we could possibly want here,” said Griffin, the women’s tennis coach. “To be able to have an on-campus facility for the students and the community is huge.”
The $2.1 million, 48,000-square-foot facility has been in operation for almost two months, but it will be inaugurated today at noon in opening ceremonies.
Physical Activity and Recreational Services and Intercollegiate Athletics are hosting the grand opening ceremonies at the Student Tennis Center, which is located behind McArthur Court on campus.
University Vice President Dan Williams will be on hand to officially open the facility along with representatives from PARS, the Athletic Department and the ASUO. Following the official opening, the men’s tennis team will give a tennis demonstration.
In addition to housing the varsity tennis teams, the Student Tennis Center is also available to students through physical education courses and open recreation times.
“It’s as much ours as it is [the students’],” Griffin said. “Students should take advantage of it.”
Oregon broke in the new facility last weekend with its first-ever home tournament — the Duck Classic.
Improvements on the tennis center are already under way. The recently installed, jumbo-sized liquid crystal display boards are just the first installments to be made inside. Plans for second-story seating with a panoramic view are all in phase two.
The center “is an ideal environment for tennis and one of the top venues for tennis in the Northwest,” said Russell, the men’s coach.