The Wheeling Oglebay Tennis Club has a full slate of activities scheduled for area youth and adults for the spring and summer of 2018.
Membership Round Robin and Picnic
The year’s festivities will begin on Saturday, May 5, with the “Swing into Spring” round robin and membership picnic. The event will be held at the Oglebay Tennis Facility. The round robin will be played from 1-3 p.m. followed by the social, annual meeting, dinner and entertainment. Annual memberships include family ($25), individual ($15) and junior ($10).
Membership in the WOTC helps promote tennis; supports elementary play days, Millie Mulhern Youth Tennis, the OVAC High School Kick-off, and the Summer Camps at Oglebay; and provides opportunities to experience free round robins, socials during the tournaments, tennis discounts with the Wheeling Park Commission; and enables area tennis information to be shared.
All tennis enthusiasts (players and non-players) are encouraged to join the WOTC. For more information about membership, email Tom Andrews at tandrews39@comcast.net.
Millie Mulhern Youth Tennis
Beginning on Tuesday, May 8, the WOTC will present Millie Mulhern Youth Tennis, which is a free program for all children ages 5 to 16. No experience is needed.
MMYT will follow the Net Generation format, an initiative developed by the United States Tennis Association. The USTA’s goal is to bring together volunteers, coaches, professionals and parents to introduce this “sport of a lifetime” to children across the country.
All practices and matches will be held at the Hilltop Courts at Wheeling Park, thanks to the generosity of the Wheeling Park Commission.
Practices for all participants will be on the following Tuesdays and Thursdays: May 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24, 29 and 31.
Those children ages 5 to 8 will be on-court from 5 -6 p.m., and those ages 9 to 16 will be on-court from 4:30-6 p.m.
The children (ages 9-16), who are ready to compete, will be invited to play in matches on May 20, 27 and June 3, from 1-3 p.m.
Tennis racquets are available for those who need them. Participants need to wear appropriate athletic shoes and shorts with pockets (or have a ball clip); they also need to bring water or sports drinks.
To sign up a child for Millie Mulhern Youth Tennis, email the child’s name and age to the WOTC at wheelingoglebaytennisclub@gmail.com. Then do one of the following: request a registration form to complete and bring to the site on Tuesday, May 8 OR arrive at the Hilltop Courts to fill out the registration form on Tuesday, May 8. Ages 9 to 16 will register from 4-4:30 p.m. Ages 5 to 8 will register from 4:30-5 p.m.
WOTC volunteer coaches will be on court with the participants to provide instruction, supervise the activities and monitor courts during the matches.
Summer Tennis Camps at Oglebay
The Summer Camps at Oglebay, sponsored by the WOTC, will begin with a week of tennis for the Oglebay Park Children’s Association participants. During the week of June 18-22, children who are bussed from various neighborhoods will have two hours of instruction per day provided by local professionals with the assistance of WOTC volunteers.
The four weeks of age-based camps will begin on Monday, June 25, and run through Thursday, July 19. Participants ages 5-6 will attend camp on Mondays (June 25, July 2, July 9 and July 16) from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Children ages 7–8 will have camp on those same Mondays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. A camp for children ages 9 to 12 will also be held on Mondays from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Thirteen to 18-year-olds will attend camp on Thursdays (June 28, July 5, July 12, and July 19) from 10 a.m. to noon. The adult camp will be offered on those same Thursdays from 6-8 p.m.
Staff for the Summer Camps at Oglebay will include teaching professionals Jeremy McClelland and John Chatlak, a camp coordinator, and WOTC volunteers.
Last summer, over 200 children and 45 adults attended these camps. With a mission statement of growing tennis, the WOTC encourages all youth and adults to take advantage of this opportunity to give tennis a try.
Request a flier and a registration form for the Summer Camps at Oglebay by emailingl the club at wheelingoglebaytennisclub@gmail.com. The information will also be available at the Wheeling Park golf/tennis shop, the Wheeling Park office in the White Palace and the tennis shop at the Oglebay courts.
Tournaments
The WOTC will be hosting two adult tournaments this summer. The Jack Dorsey Senior Memorial Tournament will be held from June 7-10. This is a national clay court category II men’s event which draws players from across the country. Divisions include singles and doubles for those ages 35 to 90. Registration for this event is open online at tennislink.usta.com. For additional information about this tournament, email tournament director Kelly Rose at rosek@gabrielrichard.org.
From July 26-29, the WOTC will host the Bordas and Bordas West Virginia Open. This is a Middle States clay court sectional championship, which awards a total of $5,000 in prize money to those competing in the open divisions: men’s and women’s singles and doubles and mixed doubles. Age and NTRP (ability level) divisions are also available for both men and women. Contact tournament director Debbie Pickens at dpickens1018@comcast.net for more information.
The WOTC is able to offer these programs and tournaments because of the many dedicated volunteers and the sponsors. If you would like to assist this non-profit organization with your time or a sponsorship, email the wheelingoglebaytennisclub@gmail.com.
