OTTUMWA — Whether Dan Staggs knew it at the time, he was laying the groundwork on turning ‘the pit’ into one of the best tennis facilities in the state several years earlier.
“I can remember my dad coming down here when I was kid and picking up bricks out here,” Gregg Staggs, Dan’s son, recalled on Saturday while standing on the courts named in honor of his father. “I actually think we built our patio at home with those bricks.”
City officials joined Staggs, Ottumwa tennis coach Mark Hanson and several members of the Bulldog boys and girls tennis teams in the official ribbon cutting ceremony for Dan Staggs Family Courts. The new eight-court facility has been open for tennis ever since both OHS boys and girls tennis teams hosted team postseason tournament duals back in May with the sixth-annual Dan Staggs Tennis Tournament being held at the courts this past August.
Since then, work has continued around the courts including the installation of lights to allow for tennis to be played at night. There are more plans in store for the facility, which will officially be named Iowa’s 2024 Facility of the Year by the United States Tennis Association as announced by USTA representative John Terpkosh during last Saturday afternoon’s ceremony.
“We know this is going to be a site for many events going forward,” Hanson said. “Whether it be more regional and substate tournaments during the high school tennis seasons or bigger events that we can schedule in the summer working with the USTA to get some sanctioned events. We may even want to hold a tournament of any kind and use this facility both for practice and competition almost year round is something we’re pretty excited about.”
Work is still continuing on the parking lot that overlooks the tennis courts, as well as the potential for stands to be put in place for fans to watch over the facility. All the finishing touches should be in place when the new Ottumwa High School tennis season arrives this spring with the Bulldog boys and girls getting to call the new Dan Staggs Courts home for a full season.
“It’s going to be great to be able to practice as the same time as the girls, see how they practice and see how we can work together,” Ottumwa senior Dominick Rath said. “It’s not just getting to host our own tournaments. It’ll be great to work together to prepare for things like the state mixed doubles tournament later in the season.”
Jordan Lee enhanced her moniker of being ‘queen of the tiebreakers’ for having several close wins this past season by winning two of the first matches to go to a third-set super-tiebreaker at Dan Staggs Courts. The Ottumwa junior earned an 11-9 win over Burlington’s Annalee Buxton, helping the Bulldog girls clinch a 5-2 win in 2A regional team tennis back in May on the opening day of competition on the courts before edging Fairfield’s Emma Wendland, 10-5, in the girls’ singles championship match at the Staggs Tournament back in July.
“No matter who the opponent is that you’re playing, you have to go in with that open mindset and keep your spirit up no matter who your opponent is,” Lee said. “Tiebreakers seem to really calm me down. It’s something I’ve been a part of so many times. You go into it knowing you’ve got a chance to win.”
Like Rath, Lee is excited to be a part of the bright future of Ottumwa tennis with a new facility to call home. Rath, Emerson Keith and Ava Barnes all took part in the Dan Staggs Tennis Tournament for the first time this past summer after picking up key wins in the opening regional tournament win over Burlington, building the foundation for an exciting future for the program.
“I’ve had so much fun playing tennis. I wish there were more girls that would come out to play,” Lee said. “It was great to have Emma come over here from Fairfield and play in the tournament. I think it would be a great opportunity to take that next step and gain from new experiences.”
Hanson, who will also be returning to the role of Ottumwa boys head tennis coach this spring, is excited to see potential growth for the sport both in and around the city with new state-recognized facilities in place located less than a mile north of Ottumwa High School.
“It shows the commitment of so many people in our community that really pushed this through. Bob Kramer, with the Friends of Ottumwa Parks, just would not take no for an answer. Mike McGrory (Ottumwa superintendent) really wants our kids to have first-class facilities for all of our students,” Hanson said. “Our school district is catching up with so many schools across the state. Our kids can be as proud of our facilities as any kid in any school district can be. We don’t have to be wowed when we got to places like Waukee or Ankeny. We can walk right down the hill and be proud of what we’ve got.
“It’ll be something that will serve Ottumwa families for years to come.”
