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The Big Timber Park tennis courts were recently restored thanks to several pro-active Sweet Grass County residents.  Leading the way to the new tennis restoration was Gwen Childs and Beth Groshens.  It all started when Beth put an ad in the Pioneer classifieds wanting a tennis partner.  Gwen answered the ad, and the two got to talking about the fact that it was too bad that they could not play in Big Timber.  The Big Timber courts were in bad disrepair, so Gwen and Beth got together and talked with the community about the problem.  The solution for the renewal of the old tennis courts was to collect donations from the community, meet as an organized local tennis association, and apply for a grant.  The grant that they applied for was through the USTA (US Tennis Association).  Big Timber is in the 6 state Inter-Mountain USTA district which includes Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Colorado, and Montana.  Each year the Inter-Mountain USTA District provides a grant for 1 tennis court in those 6 states.  Big Timber was fortunate enough to receive this grant last year.  

The rebuilding of the tennis court involved careful attention to the design of the subsurface., which needed to be able to withstand the wide change of temperature that Big Timber is subject to.  With the new subsurface, surface, fence, nets, and posts, the Big Timber tennis courts are brand new. The rebuilding process ended today with the grand opening, and on hand were several of the people instrumental in getting the project going.  The opening involved a celebratory speech and then the tennis courts were open for youth lessons and round robin play.  

MC Beeby, the executive director for the Montana Tennis Association out of Missoula, was on hand for the opening and was helping the youth with tennis lessons.  MC sees the potential of the Big Timber Courts as being and unlimited resource for the community.  She sees that the tennis courts could be the setting for Adult League, Youth League, Junior Night, High School Competitive Team, Hosting Events, Mixed Doubles, Single Matches, and Round Robin Play.  She says that the USTA has all types of resources for facilities such as Big Timber's with 3 courts to make the most of what we have here. The USTA has cirriculum which is targeted to enhancing a community tennis program and can be found at their website www.usta.com.  She thinks  how the courts will be used will be a combination of the vision of the organizers and from what the community wants.  She promotes tennis and says that it is a healthy alternative activity.  

Examples of what is possible now that Big Timber has an excellent tennis facility MC sees as , a Big Timber Invitational, Fun Events, School Teams and use, USTA play in Big Timber, Junior league.  The tennis courts can be a way to meet new people, as Big Timber can invite players from other tennis communities to come play on a weekend.  For example,  nearby Bozeman is hosting the Adult League Championships  this Friday, Sat, and Sun. the 28th-30th where 41 teams from across the state each with 8 players/team come to compete. Each team plays 3 doubles and 3 singles matches.  Tennis, in other words, can be a way to stimulate the economy of Big Timber and a way to meet others.  

When asked what the community could do to keep up the courts, the response was to keep skateboards, roller blades, bikes, cleats, and black soled shoes off of the courts.  If you see a person on the courts, one suggestions is to hand them a community tennis racket and ask them to play.  The person might not know that they will damage the court by riding on it, and by kindly educating them of the problem they will be receptive to the solution.  Hanging on the nets can do serious damage also, as the posts may start to sag inward and are difficult to fix.  

The Big Timber Tennis Association is offering lessons starting this Monday, July 24 and goes every Mon. and Wed. 26th, 31st, and August 2.  The schedule for lessons is as follows:

For more information on the Big Timber Tennis program or to become involved, contact

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