After sprained ankles, lost home matches, and countless frustrations, the Northwest tennis teams (boys and girls) will finally be able to play home games.

   With the Board of Education’s approval to build new tennis courts in a different location, the teams will no longer have to deal with the old courts and the problems that come with their location. 

   Currently, rainwater flows down from the soccer field and underneath the tennis courts where the old courts are located. This is the main problem. The poor drainage is making the courts crack and impossible to fix long term.

   The boys’ varsity tennis coach, Ron Woodruff, has been a major factor in figuring out ways to improve the old tennis courts that have been in place for over 30 years.

   “Over the years, they have been patching the courts and trying to resurface them, and there is just no long-term solution with where the old courts are currently located,” said Woodruff.

   With the addition of the new courts, players will have more motivation to go hard in practice. Since there will be no cracks to stress about, a player’s full attention can be on improving their game without worrying about facility mishaps or injuries.

   In addition, the two teams have not held a home game in over 10 years. The teams have had to travel to every match, and many of these trips are lengthy, over an hour. With home matches coming back next season, the coaches are confident this will have a positive impact on the program. 

   After finishing this season with 18 road trips, Junior Karson Schroeder is looking forward to having a home match for the first time in his tennis career.

    “It will be really nice to be playing on brand new courts for my senior year, and I think this is the best way to end my journey,” said Schroeder. 

   With the new location being near the band parking lot, the construction process can easily be viewed, and there is excitement growing that construction may be complete in time for the girls’ tennis season. If so, they will be the first ones to use these courts in competition.

   Senior Savannah Anderson has been playing tennis for most of her life, and the addition of these courts will allow her to improve. 

    “Our team will be able to play all at once, getting more practice, rather than standing in lines for two courts only,” said Anderson. 

   With all of this extra room and space, each tennis player will be able to play more matches and improve from having more opportunities for extra reps.