Less Tennis, More High-Performance Fitness for Gambrills Club

The owners of the Severn Valley Tennis and Fitness Club (SVTC) recently announced a new leasing agreement that will transform the location into a high-performance athletic development center.

The Gambrills club has leased its location on Route 3 to Athletic Performance Inc., which offers specialized training for high school, college and Olympic athletes.

Severn Valley officials said they were having trouble maintaining its member base under the previous model, which offered memberships for tennis and traditional fitness. The club also offered special tennis programs, including a competitive ladder.

“We believe we have served our members and community well, through unprecedented economic turmoil and serious competition, and we truly thank you for your support and patronage,” SVTC managing partner Sam Nassar said in a note to members. “That said, with such competition and economic difficulty, we've continued to struggle to maintain our membership base, as well as our competitive edge in the marketplace.”

The new lease went into effect on Nov. 1, and Athletic Performance Inc. is in the process of transforming the club. Currently, the club maintains 14 tennis courts, including 11 indoor courts. At least six of the indoor courts will be removed in favor of training space, possibly as soon as this weekend. However, the club has no plans to eliminate tennis entirely, and continues to offer junior clinics and leagues.

The Gambrills location is the second in Anne Arundel County for Athletic Performance Inc., which also operates a 6,000-square-foot facility in Millersville.

Meanwhile, Sport Fit Bowie has offered special membership rates to those looking for a new place to play tennis. The club, which recently hired former Severn Valley tennis director Randy Stevens, will have an open house on Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m.