Now that we’re in the height of tennis season, the BTA Board of Directors thought we’d catch you up on some of the first half of the year’s notable events.
Chris DeCicco steps down from presidency
First and foremost, in late March, Chris DeCicco announced that – after serving for over three years on the board, the last sixteen months as board president – he was retiring from both presidency and the board to focus on some new career opportunities. Chris was instrumental in continuing the BTA board’s new direction, initiated by our past president, from being merely an administrative force for leagues, drop-in, tournament, and winter socials, to being a major community advocate for more and better public tennis facilities in the Boulder area. He also headed up the charge for a major Boulder racquet center complete with indoor courts. The board wishes him the best of luck in all coming endeavors.
Michael Xu elected as new president
At our April 16 board meeting, the board elected Michael Xu as new president. Michael, who joined the board last summer, has already done his time in the trenches, attending City Council and Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meetings as a BTA representative, as well as holding numerous meetings with leadership from Boulder Parks and Rec. He also organized the most recent community survey on the state of Boulder tennis. As such, he’s a great person to keep moving the BTA agenda forward.
Former president passes on
On a sadder note, Tim Petrosky, a former BTA Board member and president, passed away earlier this year. He lived in Boulder for 46 years and was an avid tennis player. (Those of you who played Saturday morning drop-in tennis in the first decade and a half of the 2000’s will know him well.) He served on the BTA board for many years – as president for the last few – before he stepped down in November of 2019. Four of the current board members sat on the board with him and can attest that Tim was a great guy who was always willing to give back to the sport he loved.
League, drop-in, and tournament news
As for current happenings, the USTA league season is in full swing, with BTA fielding a number of teams under the leadership of league administrator Jody Reenan. And Saturday morning drop-in is perking along under the management of Alex Goldstein. (Although there’s still room to fill another court or two on any given Saturday, so don’t hesitate to join the fun!)
And despite all the challenges Colorado weather threw our way this very rainy spring, the 2023 56th Annual Austin Scott Memorial Tournament successfully wrapped up, with 245 players participating and 33 champions and 33 finalists going home with trophies. Our thanks to tournament director Timmy Brommell, tournament outreach manager Shannon Derby and tournament logistics manager Parker Dodd for pulling it off.
Continuing advocacy for Boulder tennis
And, of course, as we see our main job now, the BTA board continues to apply pressure on the powers that be for the changes our tennis-playing community needs: 1) for Parks and Rec to speed up the maintenance cycle for our beaten-up public courts; 2) to abandon the failed “multi-use” concept of pickleball and tennis sharing courts, since it only results in tennis players abandoning those courts and crowding on to the few remaining pickleball-free courts (pickleball players and tennis players all need and deserve their own dedicated courts to play on); 3) for Parks and Rec to take the blinders off and recognize that Boulder is heading toward a tennis court overcrowding crisis when RMTC and CU South close their gates, and especially if Centennial Middle School decides to restrict access to its courts; and 4) recognize the overwhelming need for a central hub Boulder tennis center. For more on this, see our Save Boulder Tennis webpage.
Umm… Port-a-Potty news
Finally, on a more mundane (but important!) note, Boulder Valley School District removed its on-site port-a-potty from the Centennial Middle School courts at the end of the school year – very inconvenient for the teams that host league play there, for the Saturday morning drop-in group, and for the numerous folks (BTA members and not) who use the courts for their informal play over the course of the week. So BTA contracted with a provider to supply a port-a-potty over the summer. It is effectively a BTA service, so please report any misuse or vandalism or service issues you notice to courts@bouldertennis.org.
See you on the courts!
The BTA Board
