BOLIVIA — Brunswick County’s Parks and Recreation Department recently received the United States Tennis Association North Carolina 2022 Outstanding Parks and Recreation Department award.
The association honors the creation of outstanding tennis programs supported by local parks and recreation departments and it is presented to the department that makes the greatest impact in its community that year.
“It is an honor to be a recipient for the 2022 USTA NC Award,” Parks and Recreation Director Aaron Perkins said. “I am appreciative of the team effort between Parks staff and all our other county departments, as well as the support we received from the Brunswick County Board of Commissioners. This achievement would not have been possible without them.”
Brunswick County Parks and Recreation organizes programs, like the adaptive tennis program and Special Olympics team, that provide inclusivity within the sport and community.
To help expand the tennis programs in the county, a partnership was established between the department and the Brunswick County Tennis Association. BCTA is a USTA North Carolina Community Tennis Association which follows the policies and regulations of USTA.
This partnership provides the department with volunteers and grant sources for facility improvements through USTA. It also allows coaches and volunteers to become Safe Play certified through the USTA’s athlete safety program. With the department’s support, BCTA volunteers have doubled from 10 to 20.
During the past nine years, the parks and recreation department has renovated three major parks: Ocean Isle Beach Park, Town Creek Park, and Smithville Park. The department currently maintains 28 tennis courts across seven facilities.
Ocean Isle Beach and Smithville Parks each house eight-court tennis facilities that offer opportunities for BCTA to host the yearly USTA Brunswick County Jr. Open for 12- to 18-year-old juniors. These two facilities also provide home courts for adults who play competitive USTA league tennis, accommodate the Try Tennis program, and support local high school tennis programs such as West Brunswick High School’s boys’ and girls’ tennis teams.
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