Come December, Florida will be able to practice year-round.
The UF Athletic Association, with funding from alum Nancy Perry, built a new indoor tennis facility.
Executive associate athletic director of internal affairs Chip Howard said via email that UF built the Charles R. and Nancy V. Perry Indoor Tennis Facility so the teams could practice through the rain.
Howard and Florida women’s coach Roland Thornqvist considered the previous indoor facility subpar.
The courts were not regulation size, so no official matches could be played on them.
Rain leaked onto the courts from the sides of the facility, negating its primary purpose.
“We hoped for a few years that we could take the old facility down because it wasn’t appropriate anymore,” Thornqvist said.
UF’s need for an indoor court was prominent because of frequent rain in Florida. Rain on hard courts like the ones at Alfred A. Ring Tennis Complex, where the Gators compete outdoors, presents safety issues.
“As soon as it starts raining on hard court, you have to stop,” Thornqvist said.
Men’s coach Bryan Shelton related playing on a wet hard court to driving on wet pavement — it gets slippery.
“You put on the brakes too hard, and all of a sudden you are sliding out and a little bit out of control,” Shelton said. “That’s what happens when you try to play when the courts get wet.”
With the new facility, the Gators can practice for indoor tournaments without driving to Gainesville’s other indoor courts. Also, Florida can now host indoor tournaments, Howard said.
Both coaches appreciate the efforts of Howard, Nancy Perry and UAA.
“It’s just the commitment that this place has to doing things the right way,” Shelton said.
