T.C. Williams Tennis Courts Closer to Reality

Steve Colantuoni, the administrator at T.C. Williams in charge of athletics, said Wednesday he feels as if the wheels are in motion for the school to soon have its own tennis courts on campus.

He wouldn’t put an exact percentage figure on hosting a home match in 2013, but he said “it’s the furthest we’ve gotten and that’s exciting for me. It’s within reach. It’s the right time to do it, and I think it’s going to happen.”

The project, which is expected to cost under $300,000 for six top-flight courts according to girls coach Artur Kalil, has been a focus of debate since the new school building opened in 2007.

In the meantime, the Titans have played “home” matches at out-of-city sites like the Audrey Moore recreation center in Wakefield. While the boys and girls teams have been able to practice at local sites, it’s not the same as being able to walk out the door and right to a tennis facility. There’s a certain amount of mental energy required to hold practice off campus, said Kalil, that could be dedicated to instruction. Games are even more of a logistical problem. Students have to leave their final class of the day early for all 14 matches instead of half as many times if there were on-campus competitions.

“T.C.’s tennis team for the past three years has had the highest GPA,” said senior Yasmin Farouki. “Kids are studying and cramming and trying to keep their grades up. For us to have to miss our classes—almost an hour of the last period—I don’t think it’s had a negative effect, but it’s really just stressfull.”

More than once, said Kalil, players have considered quitting the tennis team due to the extra travel required.

“They leave school close to an hour early, and get home at 8:30,” he said.

Kalil, a freelance architect who began his coaching career as an assistant at nearby Episcopal, said there’s a 60 to 70 perecent chance the Titans could play at home next year and “by 2014 I hope it would be almost 100 percent.”

The girls team went 3-11 last season with a number of close losses, so Kalil reasons some home support could push the team over the top on those days.

"Outside of parents, we have no fan base," said the coach, who is in his fourth season. "We’ve never had students come out to watch our games."

Some in the community have wondered why the team can’t play its home matches at local parks. That’s a logistical problem, too. Patriot District tennis matches have nine matches in a game—six singles and three doubles. The minimum number of courts at competing schools like W.T. Woodson and Lake Braddock is six.

“And there’s no public court in Alexandria city that has six courts to use,” Kalil said.

At the same time, some players feel slighted.

“We understand the school is under a lot of budget constraints, but we feel a little underappreciated,” Farouki said. “You see the school taking out thousands of dollars to fund lights for a Friday night football game.”

Farouki, who has already been accepted at the University of Virginia and Georgetown, said tennis played a key role in her college applications, and it’s a great de-stresser.

“We can’t wait to go out and hit some more,” she said. “It’s a great sport for all of us. The year is winding down but I’m really looking forward to the tennis season.”

On top of celebrating the new tennis courts, Kalil said he hopes one of the courts can be dedicated to former boys team coach .

The courts would be funded with the help of the community, Colantuoni said, which means they would be available for the public to use, just like the track and other facilities.

“We truly are a community school,” he said.