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18 thursday dec 19 2002 economist sun stouffville tribune sports indoor tennis attracting more players in past two years indoor tennis on upswin 3 1 by adam malik special ennis is best known as a game played out doors but with old man winter having set up resi dence in york region for the next fewmonfhs those who serve and volley find them selves rather restricted for those who have the dollars and time this dilem ma can be solved by going south of the border but for those who cannot afford such a luxury yet still possess an insatiable appetite for the game tennis can be played indoors operators of indoor tennis facilities say the game is gath ering momentum just wanting to do it that is all you need to play indoor tennis indoor tennis is very popular right now said marilyn robello manager of the mayfair east racquet and fitness club inmarkham the weather is now getting- cold as well as the overall popularity of tennis is going up which has generated a lot of interest ten years ago popularity started to decrease and stayed down until two years ago in this time it has steadily gone up said bronna gerry direc tor of tennis at timberlane tennis and country club in aurora proprietors said younger generations account for increased interest in the sport perhaps because of the recent exploits of young big- name tennis stars such as serena and venus williams however they also note theres a loyal group of veteran players we have a ton of kids here mostly they are seven to 14 years old after that it goes from 35 and up said trevor redvers of blackmore tennis club in richmond hill but were really missing the 18tcn 34 age group because of the financial demands of indoor tennis i think we have four people in that age group in total ms robello said mayfair east has a broad age group from three to 82 there is little difference between indoor and outdoor tennis rules skills needed and strategies remain the same skills can improve indoors because there is no weather to deal with some players say it is easier to play inside because there is no weather to worry about mr redvers said theres no wind no sun no rain delays and no prob lems at all with the weather also no ultraviolet rays which has become important nowa days ms robello said it is slightly easier to play inside theres no rain and nothing to interfere with a game mr redvers said timberlane has carpet indoor courts so that is a bit different but inside you escape the natural elements of the outdoors ms gerry said basic skills include hand- eye coordination which is important mr redvers said just wanting to do it that is all you need to play indoor tennis ms gerry said indoor tennis isnt just for the active summer player who finds it hard to go four or five months without picking up a racquet many newcom ers kickstart their tennis expe rience under the roof our beginners are mostly kids not adults we have lots of people who play here all yearlong mr redvers said most people who partici pate in the winter are experi enced ms gerry added with our members most golf in summer and play ten nis in winter theres no wind no sun no rain delays and no problems at all with the weather also no ultraviolet rays which has become important nowadays the number of times par ticipants take to the courts depends on the place and the person at mayfair the average person plays about two or three times a week ms robello said we have many people playing at many different times mr redvers said we have people who play once a week mostly sundays we have tons of ladies playing all the time and our courts are see tennis page 19 staff photosjoerd witteveen ricky chee practises his backhand at the mayfair east racquet and fitness club gfsreg microfibre wihdshirts 2 for 49 men ladies 7 l 7999 sr14999 golf shirts 1999 cotton polos from cold weather fi aa gloves 9777y pr deluxe shoe bag cine water bottle 999 proline iron sets t xt 39999 mhsuho lp ii 69999 jbylormatle 69999 3x0 fao graphite 94999 datrek millers cart bag 14 way divider 10999 mens package itoseuuit bias 1 6 pc steel hug putter hesulcovers 9999 ladies package proselect blaze 17 pc graphite bag putter headcovers 3 5 7 4sw 39999 stocking stuffers animal tuoo headcovers tt r 2000 199 tee 60 pk proselect ti400 taylormade 320300 titleist 975j woods 3999 34999 39999 golf bags raylormade f aq qq cart rugs ttt 6999 bfinci i 3 hwy7 qwarcogoh 5 bimaixomgolf 8221 hwy 7 east wwwchmarcogolfcom clearance centre 9054795077