Hi reader,

Ohhhh yes, the tennis season is in full swing! 

We have a record number of children taking part in Hot Shots lessons this term (92!). Our six competitive teams are performing well in the Tennis Otago Interclub. Our social sessions on Tuesday mornings, Wednesday evenings, and Sunday afternoons are loads of fun. And we're receiving more casual bookings from non-members via our book-a-court system too. Yay!

IN A NUTSHELL:

• New pathway for Hot Shots to Juniors
• Quiz Night Fundraiser! Tuesday 26 Nov
• The roundabout
• Book-A-Court

PATHWAY FOR JUNIORS:

We have a new vision for the pathway from Hot Shots to Juniors. Over the past 10 years or so all Dunedin clubs, including Taieri, have seen a drop in participation from children (3-12 years), which has had a negative flow on effect in more recent years at Junior level (10-18 years). But now with 92 kids in Hot Shots, and 21 of them in the top level (Green Stage), our number of Juniors is going to pick up over the next year or two, and we need to have a clear pathway to help those players feel confident to step into the next level of tennis.

You can read our vision for this pathway on the Junior page of our website. For starters, all Junior members (both competitive and social) are now welcome to train FOR FREE on Thursday afternoons (from 4:45pm-5:45pm), AND also on Saturday mornings (from 10:30am-11:30am)! Also, we are encouraging all Green Stage and Junior players to find a buddy to have a hit once/week (or more!) outside of trainings, as this is the best way to consolidate learnings. Court bookings are free for all club members :)

We are also excited to announce that Tennis Otago is paying clubs more attention. Their new Game Development Officer, Andrea, has already been to our club twice in the past few weeks, which is twice more than has happened over the past 3-4 years ;) And, she's excited to share our blueprint for growth within the Hot Shots levels with other clubs, which for sure will help foster more Junior players in the region. Exciting times ahead!

QUIZ NIGHT FUNDRAISER:

We are hosting a Quiz Night fundraiser at the Kensington Sports Bar on Tuesday 26 November, starting 7pm (flyer attached). The purpose? To help raise funds to facilitate the additional training opportunities for our Junior members. This is a very worthy cause, so we'd love for you to take part in the Quiz Night. Entry is just $10pp. Teams of 4-6 people (make a group prior, or join one on the night). We already have a wide variety of epic prizes and raffles, here's the top four to date:

• One free social membership from the Taieri Tennis Club (Value $160)
• Two hours of free gardening from Tidy Kiwis Home Services (Value $150)
• Free wheel alignment from Bridgestone (Value $119)
• $50 voucher + jewellery set from APT Collections (Value $100+) 

Plus lots more! So not only will this be a fabulous night out, you'll also be supporting a great cause, AND you're in with a good chance to walk home with way more than you'll spend. Win:win:win!

We are also on the lookout for more donations, big or small. It can be from your business, or simply a small gift from yourself just for fun (e.g. a bottle of wine, or some chocolates). More prizes, more fun! 

For more info, please visit: https://clubspark.kiwi/TaieriTennisClub/EventsV2

And because the Kensington needs an indication of numbers, if you are keen to make or join a team, please add your name to this Google sheet.

See ya there!

THE ROUNDABOUT:

All that work on the intersection of Wickliffe and Church Streets is coming along very nicely isn't it?! I see the new curbs are completed, and rumour has it that project is ahead of schedule, no doubt thanks to the genius management skills of Downer Construction Manager slash TTC member, Mike Carter. Quite frankly though, I'm enjoying the more peaceful tennis matches due to no traffic driving past, so Mike, if you're reading this, feel free to slow it down mate ;)

BOOK-A-COURT:

Why did the chicken cross Wickliffe St? Coz she'd already book-book-booked a court!

That's right, be you a chicken, club member, or a casual player, this is a friendly reminder that anyone can book a court at the Taieri Tennis Club! This Christmas, when your friends and family from out of town are bored of opening presents and looking for something more exciting to do (and wanna burn off some of those many many calories they ingested..): tell them to book a court for an hour or more at the only tennis club on the Taieri! Bookings for members are free. Bookings for casual players is for a fee. Bookings for chickens available for a trade with a half dozen eggs.

To book a court, please visit our website: https://clubspark.kiwi/TaieriTennisClub/Booking

By the way, we were the very first tennis club in NZ to install a smart lock (back in March 2024), and these days we're getting calls from all over NZ asking for advice about it.

Right, that is all! Enjoy the remaining weeks of Spring... Summer is right around the roundabout now!!

Here to serve,

Steve, on behalf of the TTC Committee