Sunnyslope completed construction of the new tennis and beach courts on campus on February 5 after months of construction, according to Tim Matteson, assistant principal of operations and athletics .
Having been highly requested by Sunnyslope and the community for over 15 years, the wait is finally over.
Since 2023, Sunnyslope hasn’t been able to play host matches because of several issues, but according to Matteson, “We can finally play home matches with tennis because of the new courts.”
Beach Volleyball Head Coach Amber Fleenor also said, “Now that we have our own beach courts at Slope to use, it will be more fun and easier to run the program.”
Additionally, the beach and tennis teams get many other extra benefits and improvements from getting new courts.
Girls Tennis Head Coach Sarah Schlesinger remarked, “They gave us everything really, they have better nets and ground compared to our old courts, and our team can even spend more time in class because they don’t have to leave campus [early] for practice matches.”
Fleenor explained, “We will have less to set up and clean up, and I also won’t have to schedule transportation for practices and games anymore.”
And it’s not just these conveniences that are so great, new courts also give hints to what’s to come in the future of several athletic programs at Sunnyslope.
When asked what the tennis team’s perspective is on the new courts, Senior Kate Dwiggins said, “Everyone is definitely super excited about it, we get a lot of new stuff, but now there’s an even greater future within [the team] and Slope to look ahead to.”
Fleenor said, “I would love to run sand volleyball tournaments to get more people involved. We’d also like to have some co-ed and teacher [tournaments] in the future as we get more established.”
While Sunnyslope looks to the future after getting these courts, one must acknowledge that the public has proved to be a great help in the whole process.
Both Matteson and Schlesinger expressed their appreciation, as Matteson said, “It’s really important to note that we are truly grateful to the community for helping us get the courts.”
Fleenor also added, “It’s been tiring having courts off campus, so I am super grateful that we get to have them on campus this year. I’m excited!”
In the end, the community proved to be the main stepping stone towards more funding, allowing Sunnyslope to take the opportunity and secure the necessary funding for new courts.
