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Monkland Tennis Club
"This summer, more than ever, I am grateful that the club is open!" - Erika Rath
September 13, 2020
(photo taken in 2019 pre-Covid-19)
For years The Monkland Tennis Club held an air of mystery and allure. Every now and then as I walked by, I would stop to retrieve a ball that had been hit over the fence or I would slow down and stare in awe. I thought about joining every year, but it wasn’t until last year that I finally became a member.
Well, better late than never!
From the first time I entered the club, I felt welcomed. I was introduced to both new and seasoned members and they embraced me into the MTC tennis community.
From tournaments to Friday night round robins, early morning rallies and late nights games, the club became my second home over the summer. So much so that if my husband wanted to see me, he had to come to the club!
I had finally found my people. Joining the club felt like that perfect game of tennis we all strive to have. It felt like my serve was on and my shots were landing in the right spots.
This summer, more than ever, I am grateful that the club is open and that we are all able to play the sport we love. I am grateful for the people I have met, the friends I have made, and those I will continue to meet.
My wins and losses on the court mean nothing to me because the minute I walk into the club; I’ve already won.
See you on the court!
Erika Rath
Proud MTC member
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Monkland Tennis Club
COVID-19 Club Safety Guidelines and Protocols
Sunday, July 5 2020
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MONKLAND TENNIS CLUB
Club Tennis - Casual or Competitive? Why not Both?
Sunday, June 7 2020
When it comes to strictly tennis, what does a local club represent? Is it seen as a place for recreation or more of a competitive battleground where members get to duke it out on the courts?
After a little digging, it seems as though club tennis serves a different purpose to different people and that is the beauty behind it all. Some people play at their club multiple times per day during the season while others drop-in from time to time. Some members know every face and name of the people playing beside them while others like to stick to themselves and their playing partner only. The truth is, there are numerous meanings to club tennis and so in an effort to narrow it down, the Monkland Tennis Club reached out to players from in and around the Island of Montreal and here’s what we found out:
2019 MTC Ladies Division 3 Interclub Captain, Joanne Weston Edes:
“I developed a passion for tennis while living in The Philippines where we played on indoor courts coached by local Phys Ed teachers. My first experience with club tennis was when I moved to Montreal in 2017. Club tennis has become a very important part of my life both from a sport and a social perspective. In the indoor season, I play at Nuns Island on a team that competes in the Greater Montreal Interclub league. Many of my teammates are also members of MTC where we play for one of our two outdoor Interclub teams. Club tennis at MTC for me is a fantastic mixture of competitive tennis with coaching that pushes us to improve as a team year after year, and social tennis with new playing partners who often become drinking partners!”
Mount Royal Tennis Club former intermediate champion, Matthew Gaty:
“When walking into my Tennis Club I always feel a sense of relief. Leaving the outside world behind to spend time with friends all wanting to play tennis. I have been a member at The Mount Royal Tennis Club for over thirty years and the one thing that always stays the same is a sense of belonging. We are all in this together whether at the pool, bar or lounging on the deck. With the Tennis it’s to have fun and COMPETE!”
2019 MTC Men’s Singles, Doubles, and Mixed Doubles Champion, Mackenzie Stearns:
“The social aspect of club tennis is something that is truly special and very different from the competitive side of the sport. As someone who played competitively year-round for over a decade, I always looked forward to the Summer season at Monkland which allowed me to play with family and friends on a more passive level. I believe club tennis is great for competitive players. It allows them to forget about the win or loss aspect and just to focus on their game and enjoy being out there.”
2018, 2019 Mount Royal Tennis Club Mixed Doubles Champion, Katherine Shaughnessy-Chapman:
“The beauty of club tennis is that it offers a place for everyone and in that sense, it allows for the continuous development of your abilities as a player. When I joined my club 8 years ago at the age of 24, I hadn’t picked up a tennis racket since I was 10 years old and frankly, I was a bit embarrassed by my playing level. That summer I took a bunch of lessons and participated in weekly round robins where I met other members of my level. As I improved, I started having success on the court and entering Club tournaments. The variety of instruction and competition that was available through my Club has guided my development as a player and given me the self-confidence I needed to bring my game to a competitive level, not to mention the incredible group of friends I have made along the way!”
Tennis Quebec Director, regional and technical development, Andréanne Martin:
« Pour moi, un club est un refuge où je peux pratiquer et partager ma passion pour le tennis avec d’autres passionnés. Et c’est aussi beaucoup plus que ça, c’est un endroit où les activités sportives et sociales vont main dans la main et où je peux tisser des amitiés pour la vie! »
2019 MTC Women’s Singles and Doubles Champion, Kiefer Shaw:
“I’ve played competitive tennis from the age of 12 to 21 years old and I’ve played at The Monkland Tennis Club in NDG next to Lower Canada College from the age of 7 and I continue to play there today. In competition there was a lot of tough losses, your ranking goes up and down and the people are very competitive but it made me a very good player. Club tennis always balanced the stresses out. You have the pool, you have friends to play matches and games against, BBQ nights, parties, Round Robins. It’s a lot of fun, and an opportunity to keep playing tennis until I’m 85+ “years young”.”
MTC Manager, Zachary Rath:
“As a member of my local Tennis Club, the two things that stand out to me are group tennis sessions and Interclub. I love the more casual tennis get-togethers where a bunch of members end up hitting until the late hours of the night, and on the other hand I really enjoy the highly- competitive and organized Club vs. Club matchups. For my playing purposes, that combination is really the best part on what Club Tennis offers.”
As you can see club tennis has a combination of meanings and that’s what makes it so special. It’s casual and competitive. It’s people’s past and present. It’s yours and mine. It’s ours.
*If you or someone you know has a unique take on what Club Tennis means, please reach out to us and we’ll be sure to get your message in our next article. *
Send your quote to info@monklandtennis.com*
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Monkland Tennis Club
The Match - Jesse Levine
Thank you, Jesse Levine, for joining us on The Match! For those who don’t know, Jesse is a former professional tennis player with a career-high rank of 69#. He is now the Director Of Tennis at The Delray Beach Club, a panelist for Sportsnet, and a talent scout for Nike. In this video Jesse has a lot to share including a breakdown of the talent growing in Canadian tennis, club life during COVID, and his experience training with Roger Federer! Check it out.
The Match - Brayden Schnur and Filip Peliwo
We were happy to catch up with Canadian ATP tennis players Brayden Schnur and Filip Peliwo on Zoom! In this video, we discuss the evolving comradery between players on tour and on social media during this time of isolation.
The Match - Greg Boire
Zach, our manager set up a “Zoom chat” with the 9-time singles champ, 7-time doubles champ, and 5-time mixed doubles champ of The Monkland Tennis Club Greg Boire.
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Monkland Tennis Club
Monkland Tennis Club Dress Code
Monday, April 26 2020
As the season is fast approaching, we would like to take this time to remind all members of the tennis dress code that should be applied and respected at the club.
Please note that only suitable tennis attire, meeting the requirements stated below will be permitted on court.
- White or white with colour trim, are recommended for tennis attire. However, any solid colour is permitted, with limited contrasting trim or discreet designs.
- Men and Women’s tops, with or without collar, worn on court, must be designed for tennis.
- A single crest/logo or discreet wording not more than three inches in any direction is permitted. Clothing with any other decal, print or wording is not allowed on court.
- ***Any non-collared shirt must be of dri-fit material***
- All men’s and women’s shorts must have pockets (no running shorts). Tennis skirts are permitted on court.
- Tennis shoes must have soft flat soles. Hard/ridged soles or any other type of shoes (jogging, basketball, badminton, etc.) do serious damage to the courts and are not permitted. Please refer to pictures.
- Non-tennis warm-up or sweat suits may be worn only in cold or inclement weather, subject to the above restrictions.
- Members shall assure that their guests have appropriate tennis attire before registering them for play.
In case of doubt as to acceptability, garments not made by known tennis clothing manufacturers will be deemed unacceptable. Check out our pro shop, Tennis Giant, for tennis outfits!
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Monkland Tennis Club
Club Update
Wednesday, April 22nd 2020
Dear Monkland Tennis Club member,
The Board of Directors and Management want to take this time to acknowledge how difficult of a situation it is right now for the many of us who make up the MTC community. As a unified group, we want you to rest assured that the club is analyzing the COVID-19 scenario everyday.
With regards to the opening of our facility and billing, we are unfortunately unable to confirm a date yet for moving forward this season. However, after a financial review, what we can confirm is that the second billing (usually put through June 1st) will be put on hold until further notice. The calculation of the cost of operations and exact amount for the second billing will be reviewed at a later point once we know more details about the length of our season. Furthermore, the Club is being proactive about keeping our expenses to a minimum and is also proactively negotiating some of the below items to be further reduced. Those items include utilities, insurance, taxes (municipal, school, GST/QST) permits, bookkeeping fees, bank charges, essential staff salaries, and auditor fees.
More and more businesses have recently been granted the right to operate and get back to work. To confirm where the Club stands, we have sought out the legal advice of two lawyers who are club members to ensure that we are making the best decisions possible while abiding by the laws ruling our industry. In addition to our legal team, we have also spoken to the Borough Mayor of Côte-des-Neiges/Notre-Dame-de-Grâce. With the recommendations from the above references, at the time of this message, the Club cannot begin to prepare our courts or the clubhouse and will stay closed until further notice.
As indicated in our previous correspondence, we cannot engage staff to build the courts for the season during the government’s non-essential work shutdown. Our staff generally take about 1 month to prepare our courts and clubhouse and we will do our best to stick to this timeline. This reality can only be made possible if and when we are given the green light to legally and safely have staff on our grounds. After speaking with multiple clubs and municipalities from around Montreal and the entire country, we can confirm that for our industry (tennis), we are all in the same boat. That shared position is that we can begin to prepare and run our facilities when, and only when, the government allows us to.
On April 7th, Tennis Canada issued its official recommendation regarding playing tennis.
MTC members can review the article here. Furthermore, Tennis Quebec also released its stance on playing tennis and holding tennis events. Their bilingual statement can be found right here.
In the lighter news department… The Club has totally revamped its website and would love for you to visit if you have not already done so. Please stay socially connected with your fellow members by accessing the new online directory. Please advise us to correct any inaccurate personal information by email at info@monklandtennis.com and create your own personal member login today: https://monklandtennis.com/en/membership-login/
Also be sure to follow our Facebook page which features interesting and fun updates. Some tennis challenges have been uploaded and we encourage you to send us a video of your quirky tennis attempts, a fun diversion for all MTC members.
Member supported and sustained since 1939, the Monkland Tennis Club has been a focal point of N.D.G and our community and part of the fabric of Canadian tennis history and we intend for that to continue. We have created lasting memories and experiences for our members and are excited to keep the tradition going once everything settles. In order to do so, the health and safety of our members, our staff and the club’s financial health are our top priorities.
There are multiple decisions being made in these unprecedented times that will affect the Club not only this year but for years to come. We ask that you please keep that in mind as the Club and its volunteers navigate the best way to proceed in the coming weeks and months. We want to ensure that you come back to the Club you know- warm, welcoming, fun and safe.
Thank you for your patience and consideration. All of us are watching the news updates on a daily basis and we will be in touch again once there is more to report from a Monkland perspective.
In the meantime, please stay safe and healthy.
Sincerely,
Sandy Milroy
Monkland Tennis Club
President
Zachary Rath
Monkland Tennis Club
Manager
514-481-1169
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Tennis Canada
Tennis Canada issues recommendations
regarding playing tennis
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
As the warm weather is upon us, Tennis Canada wishes to issue its recommendations regarding playing tennis during the current crisis related to COVID-19. For the safety and wellbeing of all, the organization strongly advises that all players from across the country refrain from playing the sport that they love so much.
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Zachary Rath
General Manager, The Monkland Tennis Club
Club Update: The 2020 season ahead
Sunday, April 5, 2020
Dear Monkland Tennis Club member,
As the 2020 outdoor season approaches, the management and Board of Directors wanted to reach out and let you know where we stand with the current COVID-19 situation at hand. The club is currently taking all necessary safety measures into account and is preparing to open our doors as quickly as possible.
That being said, we cannot engage our staff to build the courts for the season during the government’s non-essential work shutdown. Generally, our staff take about 1 month to prepare our courts and clubhouse and we are usually among the first in the city to offer HarTru courts every year. Because our courts are uniquely difficult to build properly, we will not consider using third party contractors to build our courts during the work stoppage. Once the government lifts the non-essential work stoppage, you can have full confidence that our staff will work quickly to get our courts ready. What does this mean for an opening date?
As of now, if the work stoppage is lifted on May 4th (see latest news), we will be ready to open June 4th provided it is safe to do so.
While continuing to follow the directives set out by Public Health, the club is preparing to welcome members as soon as possible and will take new health measures this season for members and employees. A brand-new automatic hospital-grade water and ice dispenser will be installed, the club will be professionally disinfected/steamed/cleaned by an outside company before our opening date, and we will continue to explore supplementary health and hygiene protocols.
Furthermore, additional hand washing stations and hand sanitizers will be on site along with tight-knit standards around multiple areas inside the clubhouse including the bar and kitchen. Cleanliness and safekeeping are at the top of our list and we will achieve the highest standards by slotting in extra staff where needed.
On a positive note, the club is excited to unveil our new website that will additionally have a separate members only login. Here you can find all the information needed to take advantage of the outdoor season ahead including event and tournament dates, so please check out our new site today and create your profile here to login to the members’ page.
As it is commonly being said right now, we are all in this together, and what better way to potentially jump into your outdoor season than coming back together at the Monkland Tennis Club. We know these are uncertain times, but you can be certain that the club will be here and waiting for you once things get back on track.
We will keep you posted if and when any announcements come about and we hope to see you at the club soon!
Sincerely,
Zachary Rath
Monkland Tennis Club Manager
514-481-1169
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A secret oasis in the heart of NDG, the Monkland Tennis Club was established in 1939 and has been an important part of the Montreal community as well as the Canadian tennis scene for almost 80 years. Our Champions boards read like a who’s who of Canadian tennis history.