Tennis players love new surface at Lewes Canalfront courts
Some local tennis players are drawing a line over the newly resurfaced courts at Lewes Canalfront Park, saying they do not want the city to change a thing.
“[The surface] is easier on your body because it’s soft. We really appreciate the city putting this in for us. This is a great tennis surface,” said local player Dave Shook.
Shook is no weekend warrior when it comes to tennis. He coached men’s and women’s teams at Division I Lehigh University for 25 years. He is now a girls’ tennis coach at Cape Henlopen High School.
Shook joined Cape assistant boys’ tennis coach Mike Roy and fellow player Gene Weiermiller at the courts Oct. 4 to prove their point.
The tennis view is opposite from that of local pickleball players, who say the surface is full of dead spots that prevent balls from bouncing.
“They call it a dead spot because they didn’t get the bounce they want. We’re used to not getting the bounce we want. So, you just adjust,” Shook said.
“Tennis players are real athletes. Some days you play on clay, maybe you’re playing on grass, and then there’s hard courts, which come in all kinds of speeds. We don’t make the surface be what we want; we change to fit the surface,” Shook said.
In August, the City of Lewes hired a contractor to lay down a new, spongy surface to replace the old cracked asphalt.
While tennis players say the surface is an ace, pickleball players say it’s a dud.
“I stand by my comments that the pickleball courts need to be fixed,” said certified pickleball coach Chuck Connolly, who was among the players who gathered at the courts Aug. 16 to try out the new surface. “Everyone that I have talked to will not be returning to the courts until they are fixed.”
Connolly said there are plenty of tennis courts to go around in the Lewes area. “Pickleball courts are in dire need in the region. Building more courts in the area could also attract additional spending in the Lewes downtown area,” Connolly said.
“City management spoke with the manufacturer and installer again,” said Lewes Parks and Marina Manager Janet Reeves. “Their experience with other communities is that pickleball players do not like the surface because play is different than on an asphalt surface. We are arranging for them to come to a meeting and address mayor and city council in a public forum.”
Reeves pointed out that the city just installed a backboard for tennis players to hit practice shots.
Shook agreed that pickleball players should ultimately have their own courts in Lewes.
“I love pickleball. My friends play it. I’ve never tried it, but I think it’s great. These courts have been here forever as tennis courts, so [pickleball players] need their own dedicated facility. I hope we can all just get along,” Shook said.
