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22 ·The IFP· Halton Hills ·Thursday, May 3, 2012 Tennis club eager to move to new digs By EAMONN MAHER Staff Writer If all goes according to plan, the six new lighted tennis courts currently under construction at the Gellert Community Centre in Georgetown South could be ready for play in a month or so. The Halton Hills Tennis Club, formerly known as the Gordon Alcott Tennis Club, is implementing the first phase of its project to establish a community tennis centre and training facility in time for the 2012 season. Fences and lights have been erected at the new Gellert site at a cost of about $660,000 and construction crews are confident that with a good stretch of warm, dry weather, the playing surfaces on the courts will be ready for action by the end of May. The cabin that served as the clubhouse at the GATC's previous location at the Mold-Masters SportsPlex has been transported to the Gellert Recreation Centre and will be renovated for use at the new facility. "We received lots of calls even when the dirt was just being moved around at the Gellert, never mind it starting to look like a tennis facility," said HHTC president John Dallison. "A lot of people who live in Georgetown South have seen the plans and are thrilled that they can bike or even walk to the courts and the staff at the Gellert are getting questions asked about it. We've also heard from people who didn't even know we were at Mold-Masters, because we were tucked in behind the arenas." There are currently about 300 HHTC members, Dallison said, and the growth in player numbers has been growing at a rate of about 10 per cent annually. Many local residents who take tennis lessons at the club aren't full-fledged members. In the club's vision document issued last year, looking ahead over the next two decades, it's projected that there will be 1,000 tennis players in the area by 2021 and 1,500 by 2031. For Dallison, the project is a bit of a back-to-the-future scenario as he helped spearhead the efforts in the late 1970s to start up the GATC at Mold-Masters and then brought in a learn-to-play program, lessons, social events, house leagues and competitive teams that play in regional tournaments. "It's like it has come all the way back around," laughed Dallison, who was inducted into the Halton Hills Sports Hall of Fame last year as a builder for his decades of volunteer work on the local tennis scene. "I had a brief reprieve in the middle for a while, but it's all been worth it. This has always been a passion of mine and here we are 30 years later, with a group of us who lobbied and pushed and prepared documentation to get the new facility built." The second phase of the HHTC development, when it becomes financially feasible, includes the addition of two more courts and the installation of a dome over four of the courts that would allow for year-round use. With the addition of the six Gellert tennis courts, there will be a total of 15 courts in the municipality, which achieves the standard of one court for every 4,000 residents. The HHTC has also undertaken a fundraising campaign with a goal of reaching the $50,000 mark to help pay for coaches, new equipment and storage facilities. Dallison added that an application was sent to the Ontario Trillium Foundation in hopes of getting a grant to cover the expenses of renovating the clubhouse, making it wheelchair-accessible and building a couple of viewing decks. For more info, visit the website www.haltonhillstennis.com or call 905-873-8107. SPORTS & LEISURE Halton Hills Tennis Club president John Dallison can't wait to unleash his serve at the new facility at the Gellert Community Centre and get to work on what should be a busy summer for the recently relocated club. Photo by Eamonn Maher Penguins take title The Penguins from the Georgetown Minor Hockey Association's peewee house league division defeated the Streetsville Sabres 3-2 in the championship game of the Allstate All-Canadians Mississauga House League Peewee Challenge at the Hershey Centre in mid-April. Devan Wheeler, Tyler Reid and Samuel Bouffard scored for the Penguins in the final. Team members (front, from left) are: Nicholas Klobucar, Tyler Reid. Second row: Kyle Sideris, Andrew McMahon, Alexander Stirpe, Samuel Bouffard, Ryan Waddick, Ryan Primdahl, Kyle Boorman. Third row: Jake Oram, Lucas Mastromattei, Devan Wheeler. Back row: Assistant coach Shawn Clarke, Mason Lebel, Joshua Flowers, Jacob Clarke, Caleb Gannon, head coach Bernie Reid, assistant coach Bill Sideris. Absent: Trainer Connie Sideris. Submitted photo Synchro Showcase Sunday Halton Hills Synchronized Swimmers are all smiles as they come up for air during a performance of their team routine. From left to right are: Michelle Yahiro, Kaitlyn McKay, Emma Major, Beth Howden, and Hannah Glen. The club is hosting its 18th-annual yearend showcase called `International Splash' at the Georgetown Indoor Pool on Sunday, May 6 beginning at 3 p.m. and invites the public to attend. Tickets are $7.50 each or $25 for a group of four. Halton Hills Synchro welcomes new members for the 2012-13 season, which begins in September. For more info, email hhsynchro@gmail.com or contact Miranda Kohler at 905-873-6274. Submitted photo