2013 FVBRC TENNIS NEWS

Welcome to the 2013 tennis season at Flower Valley.I hope everyone enjoyed the 2012 season as much as I did. Many improvements were made to our club, but much is still to come.

Click here to download the 2013 Spring Tennis Season Packet.
Click here to download the 2013 Spring Break Tennis Camp Packet.

Click here to find an open tennis court time.

I would like to begin by reaching out to men and women of the tennis community to consider joining the FVBRC Board of Directors as Tennis Chair in October when my term expires.

Our courts don't remain playable or improved without active stewardship by members of the community. If you enjoy tennis as much as I do, there is no better way to serve yourself and your community than taking on this role. We have a strong pro in Kris Barnes and a strong court manager in Brian Rupple, and these individuals make this role relatively seamless for the most part. Since moving here in 2007, I have noticed the community is in a state of transition, with many prospective youth players growing up. This provides FVBRC with the unique opportunity to develop programs around our community demographics and make them profitable. I encourage anyone interested to reach out to me between now and October and gather more details about what is involved.

In response to concerns related to access and security:

As most of you know, our tennis courts are secured only by padlocks and chains when they are closed. In the past members have been provided the combinations to the padlocks and those combinations were disseminated by word of mouth. The problem with that approach is that from a liability standpoint this means we had effectively no security or hours of operation. Last year we hired a young lady from the community to ensure courts were opened and closed on time, and closed after heavy rain, for example. This approach worked very well for the most part, with minimal concerns. Year over year, however, this solution becomes costly and inadequate. Therefore I am in the process of having card-activated magnetic locks installed on the three main access gates. Cards will be available for purchase by those of us who play tennis for a nominal fee, and replacements will be available for lost or stolen cards. I sincerely hope to implement this system this spring, but as everything, it depends on the availability of funds in view of other needs of the club. Ideally the cards will provide access to the clubhouse bathrooms for tennis players as well. All members will be timely notified as to how to obtain access cards as this feature is implemented.

Catching up to Y2K:

Everyone will appreciate the fact that business of all types is done quickly and interactively using the Internet, yet the FVBRC website has been in dire need of added interactivity and functionality for as long as I have lived here, at least. Because this has an especially adverse impact on my ability to raise program awareness, schedule events and implement registration processes, I have taken on the role of finding FVBRC a capable freelance webmaster to add these functionalities to www.fvbrc.com. I am in the process of vetting candidates, a short list of which will be interviewed and hired with approval of the Board. This will involve minimal expenditure of funds and provide a wide range of conveniences for our members, ultimately to include electronic commerce. The swim team is already on a similar track with some of its agenda items, and the whole club should be as well. Keep an eye on the website and for email communications as these improvements are implemented.

Tournaments and social events:

For the past two years we have merged the New Member Social with the Tennis Social with good success, so that will continue. In addition, the suggestion was made to me last year that I consider a weekend adult tournament and social after school begins in September. This will happen in 2013. Most likely we will have interested members register and participate in a round robin style tournament in mid-to-late September with catering or some other provision of food and drinks. In addition, the men's tournament, which typically takes place beginning in late June and drags on until .well, who knows . will be scheduled in May this year, and I will administer the tournament and impose strict timelines for match completion. Singles and doubles finals will be announced to the community when scheduled so people can come watch and enjoy a few refreshments.

To the ladies of Flower Valley:

As you know, several teams defected from the 2012 league after last season. As you may know, Pam Miller has asked me to assist her in creating a new league for spring and fall play consisting of clubs in upper Montgomery County. Between now and April, Pam, myself and some of the other ladies will be working with representatives of the other clubs to try to create a new Green C league for play in 2013. The clubs involved potentially include Cattail Creek, Lakewood, Aspen Hill, Norbeck, Argyle and FVBRC. Look to the website or for email correspondence from myself or Pam regarding this new development. Those ladies who would like more information may feel free to email me at scott_lloyd@verizon.net.

Tennis Education

Kris Barnes will return as FVBRC tennis pro for the 2013 season. Kris will offer several group programs for juniors and adults. Details will appear on the website soon. Kris will coach the Flower Valley Junior and Midget tennis teams during the late spring and summer, and provides private lessons. For details on the all programs and how register, check the FVBRC website or contact Kris at (301) 452-7439, or via email at hptennisllc@yahoo.com if you have specific questions. We will make a strong push this year to get the Juniors and Midgets registered during March and April.

If you are a parent of anyone on the Junior or Midget teams, please contact Kris if you are interested in volunteering as a parent representative in order to help organize transportation, concessions at matches, and generally just help make this season yet another success for the Flower Valley youth.

Looking to the future of our tennis programs, Kris and I have been discussing ways to better develop the teams and expose our youth to the sport and improve their skills. Keep an eye on the website for new developments and feel free to contact either one of us with questions or suggestions. Our common goal is to develop the team and make the programs more financially sound for the club.

Men's Inter-Club Tennis Team

The men of Flower Valley compete with the men of other Montgomery County Tennis Association (MCTA) clubs in a summer league. Last year the team was competitive, and will compete in the B or C league this year, depending on interest. Beginning in June, team matches are played on Sunday mornings, with a format of four singles and three doubles matches. The team is assembled about a week in advance for each match, and personnel vary based on availability. Anyone interested in playing for the team should contact me at scott_lloyd@verizon.net.

Junior Tennis Team

The Flower Valley Junior Tennis Team is offered to members ages 10-16 who compete against other MCTA clubs. The team will practice for four hours each week beginning at the end of May and running until the end of July. The Junior Tennis Team has been successful under Kris' direction for the past few years. If you are interested in joining the team, please check the website or contact Kris on how to register.

Midget Tennis Team

The Flower Valley Midget Tennis Team is offered to members ages 7-10. Players will participate in four matches in July. The team will practice once a week and matches will take place on Sunday evenings starting around 6:00 PM. If you are interested in joining the team, please check the website or contact Kris on how to register.

Drop-In Tennis

It has been my experience that drop-in tennis during the week takes on a life of its own that is probably dictated by scheduling trends beyond my control. Therefore, there is no official drop-in time for weeknights - we'll just let it happen naturally. But.

Flower Valley Doubles - Saturday Mornings

Drop in for tennis doubles on Saturday morning from 7:00-11:00 AM. Drop-in doubles is open to men and women, and I can tell you some of the ladies have no trouble beating up on the men, so ignore your gender for these events. Doubles players have priority over singles players for the Har-Tru^® courts during these times.

As always, feel free to email scott_lloyd@verizon.net with your questions or suggestions regarding tennis at FVBRC - until Halloween!

Enjoy the 2013 season!

Scott Lloyd, Tennis Chair