New tennis courts installed at Ottawa Hills High School

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — New tennis courts opened at Ottawa Hills High School Thursday, an upgrade the varsity coach says has been a long time coming.

The courts at Ottawa Hills and Union High School were both replaced this year using a $52,000 grant from the United States Tennis Association Foundation as well as $69,000 from Grand Rapids Public Schools.

“These courts prior were totally in disarray,” said Varsity Head Coach Andre Posey, who has been coaching at Ottawa for 14 years. “I’ve just watched them deteriorate over the years.”

Because he was worried about player safety on the old courts, Posey said Ottawa Hills did not host any home matches for the last few years.

“These courts, I believe, were built in 1972. There might have been some prior maintenance to the courts but none since I’ve been coaching. Since then, my concern was always the players. The players come first.”

After the ribbon was cut on the courts Thursday, the Ottawa Hills boys’ tennis team hosted Cedar Springs.

“These new courts are a testament to what happens when passionate individuals, community support and a shared vision come together for the benefit of our youth. We firmly believe every child deserves access to extracurricular activities and top-notch facilities,” said Posey.

“I just want to say a huge thank you. … This is a moment a lot of us have been dreaming about,” said Ottawa Hills tennis player Max Yoder. “These courts have really given us a renewed sense of pride. … We’re no longer just hosting matches, we’re really showing off a facility that represents the dedication and commitment to our schools’ athletic program.”

The courts will not only be used for high school play, but are also open to the community.

“We encourage the public to come out, Ottawa is a public course, we would love to see the public come out, utilize the courts, it’s going to be a great, great time from this day forward, seeing how the courts will bring the community together,” Posey said.

He said he hopes the new courts allow the program to grow.

“I can hopefully build my tennis teams with the new courts, they’ll be happy to come to practice, to play our matches right here at Ottawa,” Posey said.

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