As the court season gets underway, the Seniors Tennis Society of Maple Ridge is looking to bolster its membership.
The association has around 45 members at the moment but they have had has many as 60 in the past said one of its founders, Roman Evancic.
To entice new members, he said they are offering free tennis lessons to anyone who is nervous about starting.
“I started at 65,” Evancic, who is now 82-years-old and looks to be in fantastic shape, said.
Regular tournaments help the members hone their games and a weekly “ladder” challenge is enticing to those who like to keep their edge in between.
“You play every Monday at your level, and if you win you move up a rung, and if you lose you move down a rung,” Evancic said.
“It’s a little competitive, which makes for lot of fun. Our goal is encouraging good exercise for seniors.”
John Jacobs, who serves as a director for the club, said they are always looking for new members for the club as some people move on from the sport, or can’t play for health reasons.
They accept people as young as 55 and there is no age limit on the upper end.
“It’s always nice to have new players to play with, as everybody’s got different abilities,” Jacobs said.
The matches are always doubles, so there is not quite as much running around, and players can form great bonds with their partners from game-to-game.
“I’ve made a lot of new friends here over the last five years.”
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Good will extends to ensuring everyone is playing as well as they can.
Rick Ford, who serves as the vice president of the club said everybody with a fair amount of experience pitches in to teach others.
“We’ve put together some organized lessons at times,” he said.
“Lots of people come to this game later in their athletic life and like any sport, you need to learn it.”
Seniors interested in giving tennis a shot are welcome to show up to the Maple Ridge Tennis Club between 8 a.m and noon on weekdays, or they can call club president Roland Muzzolini at 604-820-4122 for more info.
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