Good Sports: Roeding Park Tennis Club a staple in central Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- For astir a century, the Roeding Park Tennis Club has been a staple successful cardinal Fresno.

"Roeding Park tennis for a batch of radical is truly a family," says Tom Haverty.

For members similar Haverty and Camilla Sutherland, it's been a mode of beingness for decades.

"Started erstwhile I was property 12 -- I played my precise archetypal tennis tourney retired present astatine Roeding Park," Sutherland said.

"I was brought retired present successful the aboriginal 70s arsenic a small toddler," Haverty said.

Thanks to a Measure P income tax, each 11 tennis courts person been resurfaced wrong the past year.

"These are the champion courts successful municipality without a doubt," Haverty said.

"These are 1 of the champion courts successful town, and possibly adjacent successful the state," says Adam Balakian.

While Sutherland typically plays successful the morning, different member, Drexler Dy, hatched the thought for a escaped assemblage tennis nighttime connected Tuesdays.

"First clip I ever started it, it was past 2nd and determination was nobody," helium said.

A erstwhile collegiate subordinate turned coach, Dy started to dispersed the connection backmost successful October.

With the assistance of members similar Balakian, those numbers grew from conscionable a fewer to dozens of caller members.

"Potential is conscionable thing untapped, and that's each this spot was," Dy said.

"I deliberation it's conscionable a truly large accidental for radical from the assemblage to play tennis and person fun," Balakian said.

Back successful February, a blaze burned done the club's retention unit, wiping retired the club's rackets, balls and tables.

"Everything that we had successful determination has been destroyed," Haverty said. "We had to region it."

Thanks to a tiny donation drive, the nine has dilatory started to enactment the pieces backmost together.

"A bully portion of that was we had a batch of accidental to rebuild and really fortify our group," Balakian said.

As the nine rebuilds, members similar Haverty are besides hoping to grow with a imaginable clubhouse connected his privation list. That would request support from the city.

No substance your property oregon accomplishment level, the nine extends an unfastened invitation.

"Come retired and articulation us," Sutherland said.

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