Community Health & Wellness Sports

Fox Island raising money to resurface community’s beloved tennis courts

The public tennis courts on Fox Island are in need of resurfacing, and a group of island residents have launched a fundraising campaign to make it happen.

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The campaign kicked off with a doubles tournament on July 18. Organizers will announce subsequent fundraisers later and hope to have the project finished by spring. The repair will cost an estimated $32,500.

The courts at Fox Island United Church of Christ, 756 Sixth Ave., were last resurfaced in 2000. Use of the courts in their current state is limited — lessons and recreational play take place there, but the surface precludes league play.

“There’s chipping in some areas, and it’s going through the overcoating to the asphalt undercoating,” said Sue Spencer, a tennis lifer who coached teams based at the Fox Island courts. “It’s rippled, and there’s damage where the net posts are.”

The tennis courts at Fox Island United Church of Christ are in need of resurfacing. Photo by Vince Dice

Knocking on doors

The Fox Island courts have a long history, starting with a humble fundraising campaign and culminating in becoming the home court of future NCAA Division I college tennis players.

They are not part of PenMet Parks, and nor were they part of its predecessor, Pierce County Parks.

Over the years, many youth tennis players have been part of the Fox Island Tennis Team. The public courts have given players a chance to hone skills that some of them have built upon, and used in league play, high school, and college team play.

They opened in 1974, after the Fox Island United Church of Christ donated the land for them and the Fox Island Community and Recreation Association knocked on islanders’ doors to raise money to build the courts in 1973.

Since then, generations of Fox Island families have used them for tennis lessons, league matches and to just hit a ball around.

Jill Christ was one of the people who went door-to-door in 1973. Her family played on those courts, took lessons there and taught them as well, she said.

Signs posted at the tennis courts publicize the fundraising effort. Photo by Vince Dice

“I wanted to see it for the community, and I had three little kids, and tennis is easier than golfing,” Christ said. “My favorite story was knocking door-to-door for donations and a neighbor said that her husband got laid off, but she believed so much in the project, and gave $5. I remember thinking back then that $100 was a generous donation, but that $5 was a big deal.”

Spencer taught Christ’s family to play.

“We got great enjoyment out of having the courts there, and had fun tennis tournaments, too,” Christ said. 

A tennis legacy

Pollyann Brynestead Butler said the Fox Island courts were where her love for the sport began.  

“I grew up on those courts, every summer taking lessons and playing on the Junior Davis (Cup) tennis team,” she said. 

Her father donated $100 to the project in 1973. She said that donation made an impact on the community and herself as well.

“My Papa didn’t know it at the time, but that donation shaped who I am today,” Butler said. “I played tennis all through junior and senior high school, women’s and men’s tennis teams for 19 years. I coached 12 years at Charles Wright Academy and 7 years at Gig Harbor High School. The foundation and tennis etiquette that I learned from Sue Spencer I used all my years of coaching.”

Richard Byrnestead was one of the donors during the 1973 fundraising campaign for the Fox Island public tennis courts. His daughter, Pollyann Byrnestead Butler, credits his decision to donate to the project with shaping who she is today. Photo courtesy of Pollyann Byrnestead Butler

Spencer started a team on the island in 1976 and continued to lead it for years. Youths from neighboring communities joined, too, with up to 100 kids on the Fox Island team at its peak.

The courts provided a first step for great players who went on to play in high school, college and beyond, she said.

The Fox Island youth tennis team began playing in tournaments in Pierce County in 1975. By 1976, the team was the league champion, Spencer said. Some of the members of that team went on to play college tennis, including Butler, Kirsten Christ
(at the University of Washington) and Tom Peterson (Pacific Lutheran University).

The public tennis courts on Fox Island have been home to many talented youth players who have gone on to win team championships. Photo courtesy of Sue Spencer

To donate

To contribute, go to the Fox Island United Church of Christ donation page and designate your gift for the tennis courts. Donations also can be mailed to Fox Island UCC Tennis Court Fund, PO Box 475, Fox Island, 98333.

The doubles tournament is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 18 and 19. Registration closed July 10. Click here for more information.