Over the previous week, the Billie Jean King Cup trophy has known as British Columbia house. Having launched in Montreal, QC on April 19, the long-lasting silverware’s nationwide tour headed out west to spend some high quality time in Canada’s fastest-growing tennis group.
In fact, the trophy wasn’t alone as Vancouverite Rebecca Marino, who was a part of the group that received Canada’s first-ever world championship final November, proudly accompanied it to a number of occasions and places in her hometown.
Festivities started with the proclamation of Billie Jean King Cup World Champions Day by Mayor Ken Sim within the Council Chambers of Metropolis Corridor on Wednesday, Could 8, adopted by a panel dialogue at Jericho Tennis Membership involving Marino, Tennis Canada CEO Gavin Ziv, Coach Roberto Brogin and Nationwide Junior Coaching Program athlete, 17-year-old Eliana Kook on Friday Could 10. That night, a Women. Set. Match. occasion was held on the Tennis BC HUB involving native younger ladies and women gamers.
Then, on Saturday Could 11, the trophy visited members of the tennis group in Burnaby, the longer term web site of the Pacific Tennis Centre (PTC) challenge. Held at Burnaby Tennis Membership, the occasion noticed Marino joined by Mayor Mike Hurley, President of Tennis BC’s Board of Administrators Denise Wong, former Tennis Canada CEO Michael Downey, and Chair of Burnaby Tennis Membership Lawrence Kumar.
Reflecting on the previous couple of days internet hosting the Billie Jean King Cup in BC, Marino stated: “It’s been an immensely proud expertise having the ability to convey the Billie Jean King Cup again to my house province as a world champion. We, as a group, are so excited to know the trophy will journey throughout the nation and encourage much more ladies and women to choose up a racquet.”
“It’s an honour for us to have the ability to host this cup right here on behalf of Tennis Canada,” Kumar stated. “We’ve been capable of get all the youngsters out and our members. It’s additionally a strategy to give again to the group. We’ve proven loads of help, not essentially simply us however the entire decrease mainland group, to foster the expansion of ladies’s tennis and this can be a strategy to give again.”
The Pacific Tennis Centre – for the group and Western Canada’s subsequent tennis superstars
The foremost matter of dialogue at Saturday’s occasion was the PTC facility, which, as soon as full, will characteristic six absolutely lined courts and as much as 4 out of doors clay courts. The brand new house of Tennis Canada’s Nationwide Junior Coaching Program and Nationwide Wheelchair Tennis Program, it is going to be a flagship for accessibility and inclusivity in sport for years to come back. As a community-first challenge, 80% of the court docket time shall be made out there for reasonably priced, year-round use.
“We, in BC, see unbelievable and elevated numbers of gamers on the court docket,” stated Denise Wong of Tennis BC, who will associate with Tennis Canada on the challenge. “We love being right here in Burnaby on the web site of the longer term Pacific Tennis Centre. If we might help work collectively to construct extra lined services, it not solely advantages high-performance athletes however will increase accessibility to on a regular basis leisure gamers and wheelchair gamers as effectively. We’re excited to be a part of it.”
With a dedication already secured from the Metropolis of Burnaby, the challenge requires further funding from the Provincial and Federal governments earlier than the three-phased plan could be set in movement. That may’t come quickly sufficient, with the ability set to have a big effect on not simply the group, but in addition the province’s most promising future tennis stars.
“When we’ve such success both on our ladies’s or males’s group on the worldwide stage, we’re inspiring younger youngsters to choose up a racquet and play,” Wong added. “However, prior to now, any gamers who want to maneuver additional on of their careers have to maneuver out of the province. So, having the PTC right here in BC offers extra tennis gamers at that stage the possibility to remain right here in-province and really deal with tennis.”
“To echo what others have already stated, a year-round regional tennis centre just like the PTC would convey immense worth to British Columbia,” Marino added. “BC wants its personal regional centre to extend accessibility to the game and foster the event of gamers in Western Canada. If there had been a regional centre once I was coaching as a younger athlete, it could have made the world of distinction.”
For extra info on the Pacific Tennis Centre, click on right here.
The following cease on the Billie Jean King Cup Champions Tour sees the trophy head to Calgary, Alberta. Click on right here to see the listing of places it is going to be visiting.
