Thank you so much for all the positive feedback on the first issue of LOve the Game! I really enjoyed hearing from so many of you, and I'm glad the newsletter gave you information you didn't have before. I'm especially happy that the newsletter made some of you feel more like LOTC is a community. I know it's a community, and I'm hoping that this will be one of the ways we can strengthen our connection. I have more ideas about that, which you'll hear about later.
If there's anything you have questions about, please feel free to email me or give me a call. I can't promise every question will make it to the newsletter, but I'm certainly happy to talk to you. Also, if there's a person or feature of the Tennis Center that you'd like to see featured in the newsletter, please let me know. I'm working on a list of features, so it may take a while to get to yours.
Lisa West
email
503-697-2832 direct
503-635-5550 front desk
On to the newsletter!
Lottery
The seasonal court lottery is underway. You can sign up here. Entries close at noon on July 15.
For more information about the lottery, see the lottery edition of our newsletter!
Coming Soon: LED Lighting
Later this month, we will be installing a new LED lighting system at the Tennis Center. In terms of City facilities, the Tennis Center uses less energy than only the water treatment plant and City Hall (though their recent conversion to LED should knock them way down on the list). The Tennis Center uses about the same amount of energy as the library.
LEDs 4 Sports will be installing their AllCourt Lighting System™ by the end of this month. We don't know the exact installation dates yet, but barring anything unforeseen, the new system will be up and running by July 1.
Check out this fun video introducing the system. Also, there are a few video reviews on the LEDs 4 Sports site.
This system, at full brightness, uses 6.0 kW of power, and almost always reduces energy use by at least 50%. Additionally, lighting levels will increase by more than 100% when run at full brightness. There is no maintenance required on the new system, which results in more savings for us. LEDs 4 Sports also projects that our energy savings will be more than $450,000 over 10 years!
Converting to LED lighting is in line with the Parks and Recreation plan to eventually upgrade all facilities to LED. Also, City Hall and the main fire station have recently upgraded to LED.
Here is some general information about LED lighting. This mainly addresses residential lighting, but the principles are the same.
We're very excited about this upgrade, and we know that when you see it, you will be, too!
Coming Soon: Ad-In Bins
This month, we will be putting Ad-In Bins at our outdoor tennis courts. Ad-In Bins are specialized recycling bins for tennis balls. Now you won't need to carry old balls around in your bag until you can recycle them at the Tennis Center; you'll be able to leave them in the bin when you're done playing outside. The bins hold 200 balls, and Tennis Center staff will be emptying them regularly and bringing the balls to the Tennis Center for recycling.
Project Green Ball estimates that 300 million tennis balls are manufactured each year, and 125 million of those are in the US. You probably know that the Tennis Center never puts even one ball into a landfill. We collect used/dead balls from our teaching carts and players, and will donate them to anyone who wants them. We give them to teachers, artists, sports teams...this morning we gave about 225 balls to a dog rescue. We also will be happy to give you some tennis balls for your dog or for any other reason--you don't have to be part of a group. No matter how many or how few you need, please feel free to call and ask. We don't always have them on hand, but we usually do. We'd also love to know what creative uses you come up with for old tennis balls!
On a related note, if you have any need for tennis ball cans, we can help you out there, too.
We've received the bins, and as soon as we have our custom decals, we'll be placing the bins at Westlake Park, George Rogers Park, and the South Shore tennis court. So be on the lookout for them, please use them, and spread the word!
Adult Tennis Classes
I've you've been meaning to sign up for our evening adult classes this summer, there's still room. We've discounted the price for this summer, so this is a great opportunity to brush up on your skills, meet some new people, or just play some tennis. Call the Tennis Center at 503-635-5550 to register.
Racquet Madness Camp
We're offering a fun camp for kids ages 8-12 at the end of the summer. Racquet Madness is a four-day camp that will include tennis, pickleball, and table tennis. Come and have fun with all three of these great sports at George Rogers Park from 9a-12p, August 22-25, Activity # 13909, $105 for Lake Oswego residents and $121 for non-residents. Register at loparks.org or call the Tennis Center at 503-635-5550.
Congratulations
Congratulations to our 65+ Women's 4.0 team captained by Linn Wofford and Tennis Center Instructor Ellen MacPherson. They won the local playoffs and will be representing LOTC at sectionals in Beaverton at the end of this month!
Congratulations to our 4.0 men's USTA team, captained by Tennis Center instructor Brian Hughes. They won the local playoffs, and will be representing LOTC at sectionals in Spokane in August!
Also, congratulations to our Women's City League D team, who won their division and will be playing at the C level next year!
The LED lights are installed and they are beautiful! We've received raves from our players, players at other facilities, and representatives of other facilities who have come by to take a look! If you haven't seen them yet, stop by and check them out or, better yet, make a reservation and play under them. We think you'll love them as much as we do. We love the way they resemble skylights and follow the contour of the ceiling, which makes the courts feel much more open. And that's not even mentioning the dramatically increased light levels! We know we already had some of the best lighting in the Portland area, and now it's so much better.
