Playing continued
of Charleston, was a major step for a sport dwarfed in much of the South by the overwhelming popularity of college football and NASCAR. “When the Family Circle Tennis Center was built, it raised the bar for all tennis facilities in the area,” said Eppelsheimer, who was part of the Charleston contingent present at the U.S. Open in Flushing, New York, when the USTA announced that online voters had chosen Charleston as America’s top tennis town. “Other facilities put money into upgrading. It brought up the quality of tennis in the area.” John Legun, the pro at Creekside Tennis & Swim Club in Mount Pleasant, agreed that the presence of professional tennis has played a major role in the ris- ing popularity of the sport in the Charleston area and was a critical factor in the city’s national recognition. “The Family Circle Cup is about 60 to 70 percent of why Charleston is the top tennis town in the United States,” he said. “The rest is the clubs, coaches and players who love the game.” “Even non-players go watch the Family Circle Cup,” said Rich Shy, the tennis pro at Snee Farm Country Club, also in Mount Pleasant. “The more people are exposed to tennis, the more they want to play.” “All the pros and clubs work together,” he added.
“It’s a great lifetime sport. There’s no downside to playing tennis.” Te courts at all three facilities remain full through- out the year. At Creekside, where Legun took over the reins of the club’s wide range of tennis programs at the end of the summer of 2011, boys and girls 4 and older learn all about the sport through group lessons, while individual lessons are available for people of all ages. Clinics, adult league play and competition with other local clubs – including I’On, Live to Play and Snee Farm – help fill Creekside’s 11 courts on a regular basis. Built in 1969, Creekside is the oldest private tennis club in the Charleston area. Legun, who competed on the collegiate level at High Point University in North Carolina and professionally until his career was side- tracked by a knee injury, grew up on Creekside’s courts. He said the sport he has played virtually his entire life fits perfectly with the Lowcountry’s mild climate. “Tennis has always been a big deal in the South,” he commented. “It’s a sport you can play outside all year round. It’s never too cold to play. Te weather is just gorgeous all the time.” Legun gives much of the credit for his success in tennis to the pros who helped him nurture his game as a youngster living in the Creekside neighborhood,
Creekside Pro John Legun looks on as members of one of his kids’ classes work on their game. Left to right: Lawton Harper, Ellen Leseman, Anna Pitcavage, Caroline Roberts, Fritz Browning, John Copeman and Olivia Smith. Photo by Brian Sherman.
which surrounds his current place of employment. Two of them, Rob Woods and Rich Shy, have moved on to Snee Farm. “Tey are the best,” Legun said. “I wouldn’t be who I am today without them.” Shy and Woods, who have been teaching tennis together for more than 30 years, the past seven at Snee Farm, share Legun’s passion for the sport. However, to make learning a little more fun, their summer camps include windsurfing, golf and kayaking. Depending on the weather, their campers might participate in two dif- ferent activities each day. “We just want to make it fun,” Shy explained. “In the summer, there’s no hard-core tennis training.” Snee Farm hosts league play and a large number of tournaments on its 18 courts, including several for chil- dren aimed just as much at fun as at competition. For example, in one tourney, all the prizes are chocolate, while in another, kids vie for Olympic-like medals. At Snee Farm, as at Creekside and the Family
Circle Tennis Center, 10 and Under tennis, basically the sport’s answer to Little League baseball, is mak- ing great strides. Participants use smaller rackets and lower-compression balls, and they compete on much
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