After 83 Years, Pleasantville Tennis Club Still Thrives

While much in the local landscape has changed over the years, if one thing has been a constant, it's the .

The club, founded in 1928, is one of the oldest private tennis clubs in Westchester and is the oldest continuously-operating business at the same address in Pleasantville for the last 83 years.

One reason why the club has continued to go on successfully is locals' love for the game has remained constant, according to club President Sue Harris.

“The club has had some dedicated tennis players throughout the years,” Harris said. “It has been able to attract some of the top tennis players in the area who have been incredibly successful. The club has also maintained the courts extremely well. Those are some of the reasons for its success.”

These reasons continue to be true in the 2011 season.

This year alone, the PTC’s Men’s “A” team won its seventh consecutive championship in the top division, the Rough Division, of the Westchester County Tennis League.

The club’s men’s “B” team also won its league title as well. The club’s senior men’s squad won its second straight championship in the top division, the Lee Division, of the WCTL, in 2010.

Besides having successful teams, the club also has individual men’s players who are in the United States Tennis Association Eastern Section rankings.

In addition to fielding men’s teams, the club can also boast of women’s B and C squads in the Metropolitan Interclub Tennis League.

Along with having top-notch players, another reason for the club’s success and the fact that it has lasted as long as it has, is its strong connection with the surrounding community.

“A good proportion of the members actually come from Pleasantville,” Harris said. “A lot of our new members come from young families and because of that, we have had programs for the kids that have become very successful.”

Those programs include an after-school junior development program for those ages 4-6 and 7-15 in May and June. As for the summer months, the club runs a Junior Tennis Camp for children ages 8-17 of all ability levels, with a special section for current high-school varsity and those looking to become varsity players.

There is also a junior team of competitive boys and girls the PTC fields in the Westchester Junior Tennis League.

One of those players that took part in the junior camp was Amanda Posa. Posa decided that she wanted her game to go from “hacking around with friends and family” to a “serious tennis game.”

Her game became serious indeed as she rapidly moved up the tennis food chain on ’s varsity squad, moving up to No. 1 singles and finishing the season as the Westchester County Section “C” girls singles champion as an eighth-grader last fall.

Making sure the club's programs run smoothly is Head Pro Geoff LoConte, USPTA, USPTR and a small staff of teaching pros who offer private and group lessons all season. The pros also run the PTC’s Junior Development Program and Junior Tennis Camp.

Besides providing instruction, LoConte is also a serious competitor at the local and national levels, currently ranked in the Eastern Men’s Open and nationally ranked in the Men’s 30s.

The club also each year host two prestigious United States Tennis Association Level 2 Tournaments for competitive junior players from the tri-state area. Those tournaments are the June Classic and the September Classic.

With all the above going on, it’s no wonder why Harris has liked being the club’s president the last four years.

“I enjoy being president of the club and it’s not just me,” Harris said. “Everyone on the board is a volunteer, it’s a lot of work but we do it because we really enjoy the club.”