STURGIS — Earlier this week, the completion of the new tennis courts behind Sturgis Middle School brought a smile to Dr. Art Ebert’s face. As superintendent of Sturgis Public Schools, he is a big supporter of Trojan athletics and having the best facilities possible.
The courts join those at Augspurger Courts in town and give Sturgis Public Schools one of the better facilities in the state for tennis competition. The Augspurger Courts were recently re-surfaced this summer as well, both sites are in pristine condition. To celebrate the opening of the courts behind the middle school, a pair of college teams were on site to play a match. Spring Arbor beat Trine 5-2 as the universities came together for the unveiling of the new courts.
Augspurger, where Sturgis currently plays its varsity and reserve tennis matches, has 12 courts. There are six brand new tennis courts behind the middle school.
TROJANS WIN AGAIN: Trojan tennis team wins second match in a row
STURGIS GOLF IS PLAYING WELL: Piper’s sterling round leads Sturgis golf to jamboree win
“The facility turned out exactly like we wanted it,” Ebert said. “It’s a combination of what works well from a player standpoint, coaching standpoint and for spectators as well.”
MHSAA events could easily be hosted by Sturgis’ facilities. The 18 courts combined would be more than enough to routinely host conference tennis tournaments for the boys and girls. There’s potential for there to be USTA tournaments during the spring and summer months as well because of the number of courts on the two sites.
Sturgis Athletic Director Andy Hatt said one of the goals for the school is to upgrade facilities, not just tennis. They’re looking into that as much as possible and with upgrades come more attention.
“I think the ribbon cutting and college matches were a great way to officially open the tennis courts up,” Hatt said. “Over the last year, we have completely resurfaced 12 courts at Augspurger Courts and built six brand new ones at the middle school. This gives us one of the best tennis facilities in Southwest Michigan, and probably beyond that.”
SWIMMERS CLAIM WIN: Sturgis high school girls swim to victory once again
Highlights of the new complex include wide alley ways for coaches and players to move around. It’s also a positive from an accessibility standpoint. Each court had a first-row bleacher as spectators are given the opportunity to watch the court immediately in front of them without having to look through people or obstacles.
Those facilities each have access as well, a positive for coaches and players. And, unlike the previous courts at the middle school, these were poured with post-tension concrete with rebar in them, so they should last quite a long time.
“These were built to last a while,” Ebert said. “We’re really happy with them.”
Both Ebert and Hatt said they believe some of the younger athletes in Sturgis’ system will be able to take pride in the facilities. Tennis has always been a popular sport for both the boys and girls in Sturgis and with strong courts, that reputation should remain solid, if not get better. There’s also hope that with more exposure to outside community and schools playing at the sites, it will help Sturgis host more events.
“Our community and our district have great facilities and amenities and my hope is that we can bring more people more often to Sturgis to let them see what a great community we have,” Hatt said.
Another cool aspect from Tuesday’s unveiling of the new courts were a pair of Sturgis graduates being able to participate in the match between Spring Arbor and Trine.
Walter Ebert, 2023 graduate of SHS, beat Christian Perry, 2024 graduate of SHS, in straight sets 6-3, 6-1.
Contact Sports Editor Brandon Watson at bwatson@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @BwatsonSJ.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Trojan tennis celebrates opening of new complex
