M’CHIGEENG – The refurbished Manitoulin Secondary School (MSS) tennis courts were officially opened at a brief ceremony held at the school this past Saturday.
The courts at MSS were refurbished thanks to financial support from an Island business and a service club, as well as help from members of the community and volunteers.
Chris Theijsmeijer, co-ordinator of the Manitoulin Tennis Club and coach of the MSS Mustangs tennis team explained, “we received financial support from Manitoulin Transport, as well as from the Gore Bay Rotary Club which provided the last bit of funding needed to make sure it was going to go ahead.” In total, the project cost $20,000.
The new courts will “be safer for one thing—players won’t be slipping as they had on the previous courts; and this work will mean the longevity of the tennis courts,” said Mr. Theijsmeijer. “We redid the lines on the courts as well.”
A majority of the work on the courts was carried out by volunteer labour, from those at the school and the community. Mr. Theijsmeijer pointed out that Chris Smith Courts, based out of Ottawa, provided a one-day outline to volunteers on how to seal the cracks in the tennis courts properly.
