Save the HCC Tennis Courts! (Hillsborough County, FL)
Goal: Stop the closure of the County’s largest public tennis facility
Leader/Advocate Organization: Hillsborough County Tennis Association
Introduction: In many ways, the story of the (HCTA) is like that of a classic literary hero. Both have humble beginnings, are thrust unwittingly into great battles, and use a shrewd blend of intelligence and strength to triumph against overwhelming odds. And while the HCTA did’nt slay a fire-breathing dragon or dethrone an intergalactic warlord, it did something even more impressive—it completely reinvented itself, carried on to a remarkable victory, and emerged stronger than ever. Here’s how.
When the HCTA was formed in the spring of 2007 by a handful of tennis enthusiasts living in Hillsborough County, Florida—a large swath of land located midway along Florida’s west coast that includes the city of Tampa—the group’s goals were rather straightforward: "Provide a unified voice for tennis in Hillsborough County and make sure that tennis gets a fair share of public resources," says HCTA President Sharon Belmudez. But the association’s primary focus soon shifted thanks to some unexpected bad news. The bad news: The City of Tampa announced it would be closing the County’s largest public tennis facility before year’s end as a cost-cutting measure.
Description:The facility on the chopping block was the City of Tampa Tennis Complex at Hillsborough Community College (HCC), a 28-court (16 hard, 12 Har-Tru), 13-acre complex complete with lights, pro shop, men’s and women’s locker rooms with showers, and a practice wall. The facility is home to thousands of local players, including several high school and middle school teams, USTA Junior Team Tennis, USTA Team Tennis, and USTA Leagues for adults and seniors. The complex has also hosted USTA men’s and women’s $10,000 challenger tournaments, USTA Boys’ and Girls’ 18’s National Tennis Championships, and a an annual tournament where the state’s best community college players compete for an opportunity to vie for a national championship.
"The courts are always crowded, and the players range from kids swinging a racquet for the first time to senior league players who’ve been playing for more than 50 years," says HCTA Public Relations Director Gary Shepherd. "Those courts and the people on them represent everything that’s good about tennis. It would be a tragedy if they were to close."
Several others agreed with Gary’s sentiments, and in August 2007 the HCTA found itself with a new mission ("Save the HCC tennis courts!") and a new board. "Some of the original members just didn’t have the time or energy to devote to such a large cause, so they resigned and moved on," says Belmudez, who was elevated to the role of president after the incumbent resigned.
With a new board in place and more tennis enthusiasts joining the cause every day, the HCTA mobilized its troops and was preparing to fight to keep the HCC courts open. But as they would soon learn, the proposed court closures were about more than the City trying to trim spending. It was a complex issue involving multiple players and conflicting ideas.
In the simplest of terms, the courts stand on property owned by Hillsborough Community College (HCC). For the last 20 years, the city of Tampa has leased the land from HCC with the understanding that it would maintain the 28-court complex and pay for staffing—an expense that exceeded $400,000 in 2007, according to City budget reports. But the lease expires in March 2008, and HCC has announced it won’t renew the City’s lease. The reason: HCC is developing long-term campus-wide redevelopment plans, including a hotel, corporate meeting space, and other amenities. Those amenities may well include tennis, but the school needs the flexibility to redesign.
Despite the proposed construction, for a moment it looked as if some of the 28 courts would be spared. However, those hopes were soon dashed when the City, facing a revenue shortfall due to state-mandated property tax cuts, announced it would "unfund" tennis at the HCC courts beginning in September 2007. This decision all but ensured that the 15,000 people who flock to the HCC courts annually would be looking for a new home come fall.
"Honestly, it’s the HCC’s property and the City’s money, so the final decision lies with them," says Shepherd. "But closing those courts would be a huge blow to the recreational tennis players of Hillsborough County. The 28 courts [at HCC] account for over a third of the City’s public courts and more than half of its [Har-Tru] courts, which are particularly important to senior players. Unless there is a change of heart and funding, there could be a sudden and severe shortage of public tennis courts in Tampa and Hillsborough County."Facing numerous challenges and overwhelming odds, the HCTA marched on, hoping its impassioned and vocal defense of public tennis would be enough to save the HCC courts from impending extinction. The group continued to recruit more like-minded members, and Shepherd met with various city officials, including the Tampa City Council. During his presentations, Shepherd would highlight tennis’ numerous benefits while stating the following:
- 80 percent of tennis is played on public courts and one-third of new players are minorities, according to a recent study from the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association.
- While participation in most recreational sports is declining, tennis is on the rise.
- Closing 28 of the city’s 76 public courts would cause overcrowding at the remaining facilities. Without a place to play, and unable to afford private tennis clubs, many people might quit tennis and, as a result, wouldn’t benefit from the game’s many health and social benefits.
Thanks to these and other HCTA efforts, Tampa’s tennis-playing public enjoyed a major victory when the city announced it would keep the HCC complex open at reduced hours through March 2008. And, to the joy of thousands of area tennis players, HCC announced in February 2008 that it would keep the entire complex open for the foreseeable future. The company that is planning to redevelop the campus has brought in a new management team to run the 28-court tennis facility.
"This is a massive win for us," says Shepherd. "We didn’t do it alone, either. The entire local tennis community spoke up loud and clear in order to save HCC tennis. At the Hillsborough County Tennis Association, we’re happy to live in an area where tennis is considered vital to the community. And we certainly thank the leadership of the college for its awareness of the importance of tennis."Not a group to dwell in the past, the Hillsborough County Tennis Association (HCTA) has since reinvented itself and put together an action plan that includes a series of 27 goals ranging from developing a Junior Quick Start Program and forming a Junior Team Tennis League to sponsoring a World Team Tennis tournament and eventually building a state-of-the-art public tennis facility. All of the goals, both long- and short-term, revolve around a common theme: social responsibility and community citizenship. It’s a noble mission and one that’s being championed by HCTA’s newest board member Michael Herrera.
Herrera, a transplant from the Bronx who now works for United Way of Tampa, specializes in social planning and community development. With his help, HCTA is creating committees and an organizational architecture that will help the group achieve its lofty goals.
"When I first joined the HCTA, you could tell that there was no shortage of enthusiasm or passion for tennis," recalls Herrera. "But [HCTA] was a little directionless after the fight to keep the [HCC] courts ended. We had a bit of an identity crisis, and we needed to regroup and come up with a new mission as well as an organizational structure that could support all of our ideas."
Many of those ideas came from neighboring Community Tennis Associations (CTAs) that had established themselves and were funding all kinds of tennis-based community outreach programs—including tennis lessons for people with special needs, after-school tennis-and-education programs, and annual tennis block parties. As Herrera puts it, "there’s no need to reinvent the wheel when you can mimic a successful program and make it your own." In fact, he credits working with fellow CTAs as the key to HCTA’s recent growth and reorganization.
"We figured out quickly that you can’t implement a program or big ideas without a structure," says Herrera. "So we looked around and reached out to CTAs that were successful doing the things that we wanted to do. Their support and advice were invaluable, and we’ve used these learning to build a solid foundation. And in fact, other CTAs are now calling us for advice!"
This illustrates just how far HCTA has come in such little time. Says Shepherd, "I like to joke that the situation with [the HCC courts] forced us to grow up fast." And they haven’t stopped since.
Funding:
- $500 start-up grant from the USTA Florida Section. The Hillsborough County Tennis Association (HCTA) used the money to file for 501(c3) status.
- $435 grant from the USTA Florida Section. Money was earmarked for the development of the official HCTA website: www.hcta.usta.com.
Words of Wisdom:
Sharon Belmudez, president of the Hillsborough County Tennis Association (HCTA): "Ask a lot of question, speak to as many people in the community as you can, and recruit the right people. Find out what peoples’ fields of expertise are and get them on board. Just remember, no matter how motivated and committed you are, you can’t run a CTA by yourself. CTAs are the product of teamwork, good communication, and mutual respect. Without those three things, you’re in trouble."
Gary Shepherd, public relations director for HCTA: "Go slow and make sure board members are committed to the cause. It’s amazing how much time everything takes; you probably spend a minimum of 15 to 20 hours a week launching and then maintaining a successful CTA. It’s an incredibly rewarding experience, but it’s not for everyone. Make sure the core group of people are committed to the cause and have a plan for moving forward."
Michael Herrera, HCTA board member: "Accept and embrace change. There will be hard times, and you’ll lose people. But you’ll also gain new people with new ideas, and the CTA will be stronger because of it. Also, broaden your scope. You can’t exist if you’re focused on just one singular purpose. Finally, make sure you put a structure in place that will allow you to achieve all of your goals. This process works, and pretty soon you’ll see fruit coming from the tree."
Contact Information:
Phone: 813-657-5617
Website: www.tampatennis.org
E-mail: president@tampatennis.org