BY McAYE FEGLER, COLLEGE RELATIONS
Alana Wheatley of Gothenburg, Nebraska, Tennis Club president, noticed how many people used the city’s tennis courts near campus last year. She figured there were people attending CSC who had either played tennis competitively in high school or enjoyed playing the sport as a hobby. Aware that the college did not have a tennis team, Wheatley was encouraged to propose the start of a tennis club at Chadron State. Coleton Bevins, assistant director with Residence Life, is the adviser for the club.
The Tennis Club consists of about 15 members right now including President Wheatley, Vice President Sierra Hicks of Paxton, Neb., Treasurer Maddy Brunssen of Waverly, Neb., Secretary Gracie Newton from North Platte, Neb., and CAB Representative Aubrey Barrett of Scottsbluff, Neb. Wheatley is excited to continue expanding the club and hopes it maintains momentum.
“We would love to grow our club and make this a fun way to learn and play tennis. We are very excited to also get the community involved with our club and spread the love of tennis with everybody,” Wheatley said.
The club plans to have practices on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5-7 pm. Wheatley and the rest of the club want to encourage learning skills and then practicing them in game-like situations.
“Our main goal for these practices is for everybody to have a way to come out and practice their tennis skills in a positive atmosphere,” Wheatley said.
The Chadron State College Tennis Club is hosting its first event on Oct. 30 from 7-9 p.m. at the tennis courts north of High Rise. All CSC students are welcome to participate. The club encourages students to wear a Halloween costume to the event and play tennis with the members of the Tennis Club.
The club plans to host more events this semester, as weather allows, and moving events indoors if possible. Next semester, the club will host two tournaments, a singles and a doubles tournament, that will be open for both CSC students and the public.