Since its formation in February, Martha’s Vineyard Community Tennis has made its presence felt on the island, bringing tennis opportunities to year-round residents and tourists alike.
"There are a lot of tennis players on the island and we had always found ways to get together and play in a loosely organized way, but a group of us thought it was time to get better organized," said Sarah Moore, who along with John Cahill, serves as co-director of MVTC. "One of the main objectives of the organization is to make tennis accessible to everyone on the island."
MVCT has already shown its willingness to chip in and help the tennis community.
Prior to the spring season, the CTA held a round-robin tournament to raise money to support the island’s boys’ and girls’ high school teams.
"So far, being able to raise money for the high school teams has been our most satisfying accomplishment," Moore said. "It was a great way to show the community as a whole what we are about, and the kids and their parents were incredibly grateful."
MVCT’s board consists of 10 individuals with different backgrounds and abilities in the game of tennis, but it is bonded by a single commonality.
"We’re tennis enthusiast first," Moore said. "The board has worked very well together, I think, because of our different experiences and backgrounds. We have tennis pros and 3.0 players, retired businessmen and women, and people with young families all working together."
One of those pros is Scott Smith, who has coached for than 25 years and worked at Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy the early 1980s, training such stars as Andre Agassi and Jim Courier.
Smith is the Executive Director of the Vineyard’s other Community Tennis Association, Vineyard Youth Tennis. Vineyard Youth Tennis was founded in 1997 and offers tennis lessons to island children free of charge.
MVCT hopes to work closely with Vineyard Youth Tennis in the future.
Perhaps some of the youngsters learning the game on Martha’s Vineyard will someday be part of the all-island USTA League that was formed this year with the help of MVCT and coordinator Nina Bramhall. The women’s league features 3.0, 4.0 and 4.5 players.
"We are very excited about MVCT and all we have accomplished in such a short amount of time," Moore said. "We share a passion for tennis and it’s been a lot of fun for all of us to be part of."