CALEDONIA — The cracks didn’t discriminate between opponents and the home team, and it certainly didn’t make a difficult game any easier to play.
Such was the state of River Valley’s tennis courts over the last decade and especially in recent years.
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“They were pretty bad,” River Valley senior girls tennis player Ava Stover said. “There were a lot of girls who did trip on them. My biggest problem was mainly just the ball hitting them and ruining a lot of points — probably at least once a game if not more. Definitely every game there would be at least one point that the crack would take.”
Every shot could be an adventure as the cracks zigged and zagged in all directions around the five courts.
“You’d have balls that hit a crack and it would go over the fence or just hit and slide, but you had to play them. That’s the rule,” longtime RV tennis coach Sherry Jenkins said.
How bad were the RV tennis courts?
Over the last couple of seasons, it was no longer just a nuisance. The courts were becoming a safety hazard.
“They were pretty much unplayable. They were cracks you could get your feet in,” Jenkins said.
And it was starting to affect the program.
“We had very few teams end up coming here towards the end of it,” Jenkins said. “We always had a few home matches here, and some people were kind enough to come here and play on them and understood.”
The courts were constructed when the new high school and junior high campus opened in 2003. They were built behind the two schools and adjacent to the football practice fields just east of the football stadium, but the ground was low and flat and drainage was an issue.
By the end of the life of the courts, Jenkins said she would sweep the rain into the cracks, which were closer in looks to fault lines in places, just so they could have practices and matches as water tended to just lay between the openings.
“We wouldn’t have lasted much longer on them,” Jenkins added.
New courts built as investment in schools, community
With the passage of the latest levy, the district invested $1.3 million into rebuilding its five tennis courts, according to Jenkins. It wasn’t just paving project.
“They replaced everything, the net posts and nets and fence. Everything is brand new,” she said. “The fence is great. There are more gates and higher fence on the ends. The drainage we don’t know much about yet because we’ve had no rain, but everything is perfect.”
While they used the same footprint as the old courts, builders moved tons of dirt to elevate the playing surface a few feet above the surrounding grounds and fields to encourage better drainage. Jenkins said the courts are guaranteed for 20 years.
The work was done over the summer and finished in time for the official start of practice on Aug. 1.
Along with all the new fixtures, eight pickleball courts were painted onto four of the five tennis courts. This was done not only for the middle school and high school physical education classes but also for the community.
“There’s a lot of people in the community playing. One church in town has pickleball, and they play every morning. It’s a big sport for the community,” Jenkins said.
The plan is to build a shed next to the courts in order to store pickleball nets that community members can utilize when the school isn’t using the facility.
RV’s courts go from worst to best
RV’s tennis courts went from being the worst in the Mid Ohio Athletic Conference to the best. Every bounce is true, and there are no more potential pitfalls to avoid.
“It’s pretty different and a lot better, especially with practices and not having to watch for cracks,” Stover said. “They are the best I’ve seen in a while. They are good. It definitely makes calling points a little easier. It’s a little fairer.”
Added Jenkins: “We waited a long time, so it’s worth the wait.”
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This article originally appeared on Marion Star: No more cracks: River Valley builds new tennis and pickleball courts
