Front Page - Grab your rackets tennis is back at Webber - Grab your rackets, tennis is back at Webber

Teens hanging out at the new Webber tennis courts on dedication day. Photo by Rebecca Branch.

At 8 a.m. on June 28 the weather looked ambiguous, and the weather reports weren’t very reassuring either.  That didn’t keep WCNO/FNA staff Mary Ann Schissler and Jenn Walker, or Webber Park staff Donnell Crayton, Caroline Eggert and Emily Wolfe from preparing for the Webber Park tennis court dedication scheduled for 11 a.m. that same day. They were soon joined by more volunteers. Neighborhood teens were joined by teens from South Minneapolis and a large cache of tennis balls, brought over by Support the Courts members, Amy Quinlivan and Ellen Doll. Together they decorated the fence around the courts with words — WIN, LOB, NET— and tennis balls that seemed to float in the air. By 10:30 a.m. it was pouring in parts of the Camden area, but only a smattering of sprinkles ever fell on the tennis courts at Webber Park. The dedication and ribbon cutting would proceed.
 The dedication was a spirit filled event. Those in attendance were grateful for many reasons. The weather held and the events could proceed. The teens were grateful for the Dilly Bars provided by Park Commissioner Jon Olson.  Some anticipated winning prizes supplied by Papa’s Pizza. Children looked forward to playing the games that had been set up for them by the USTA and the Inner City Tennis program. And everyone was grateful for the new courts, an accomplishment marked by collaboration and generosity. Mary Merrill Anderson, former park superintendent and commissioner-at-large, oversaw the program of many speakers and entertainment by the Unlimited Next Level Drill and Dance Team. 
 Webber Park has a history that goes back to 1908, when the Minneapolis Park Board purchased the land.  According to MPRB River District planner Emily Ero-Phillips, Webber Park has had tennis courts since 1938. The initial five courts were cement. These were replaced by six clay courts and in the 1970s the clay courts were replaced by asphalt courts. The courts had been maintained over the years, but as funds became less available during the current decade, the courts deteriorated to the point that it was not desirable to play on them. There were a few neighborhood diehards who continued to play a sort of ricochet tennis. The Henry High School tennis teams used the courts to practice, but the condition of the courts made it an undesirable place to host games. The Inner City Tennis program had suspended their program at the park until the courts could be upgraded. The Minneapolis Park system did not have the funds to make the radical improvements that would have saved the courts and their future looked as ambiguous as the weather on June 28. 
 Why make a big deal out of tennis courts? Well, maybe it’s because something went right to make this happen. People came together in a collaborative effort and our community has benefited. The bar has been raised just a little higher and already we are seeing the results. Inner City Tennis has returned to Webber Park, Henry High School tennis coach Charles Johnson-Nixon looks forward to hosting tennis matches, and the tennis courts are busy once again. The list of contributors is exhaustive and as varied as the citizenry of our city. Webber-Camden Neighborhood Organization contributed $25,000, and Victory Neighborhood Association contributed $20,000. The list goes on, with contributions from public sources, foundations and corporations, in-kind donations, and donations from hundreds of individuals. If you are curious visit www.supportthecourts.net. 
 Which returns us to one of the speakers; Ellen Doll. She is the founder of Support the Courts, the organization that orchestrated the funding and renovations. Ellen likes to play tennis — no, I think she loves to play tennis — and when her own courts in the Kenwood Area deteriorated to the point of frustration, she decided to do something about it. Her efforts have led to the formation of Support the Courts and to date, the renovation of tennis courts at Kenwood, Pershing, Powderhorn and Webber Parks. Our basketball court was also renovated as a part of the project. The MPRB recently recognized Ellen for her outstanding volunteer work through Support the Courts and the honor was well deserved. At the dedication I introduced Ellen to some of the teens who were volunteering. I told them that she loved tennis so much that she wanted to make sure others would have the opportunity to play. Indeed she has.