University of Minnesota Athletics
Behind the Baseline; Minnesota's New Baseline Tennis Center
10/10/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Just a matter of months ago, they would have been piling into a van, equipment and all, on their way to practice. Being that practice usually took place at the 98th Street Racquet Club in Bloomington, Minn., it would take nearly one hour to make the commute. Once there, the team would get in a good couple of hours of practice before having to pack up their things. Why? Because around nine o'clock, they would be shooed out with the doors locked behind them. Some competitive advantage, huh?
Don't misunderstand, the courts at all the Northwest Athletic Clubs are some of the finest in the nation. It's just that the Golden Gophers practiced and competed on courts that were not even their own. They have only hosted a handful of conference tournaments in their 54-year history and national tournaments - forget it. The Golden Gopher tennis team has never really had a home court advantage.
"The possibilities of the facility are endless," Head Men's Coach David Geatz said. "We will be able to host more Big Ten tournaments and championships. We will be hosting the singles championship this fall. We will be able to have more home matches than we were ever able to have before. In terms of recruiting, I can't even begin to explain how this will help out our program. It's very difficult to sell your program when you don't have a facility on campus. And practicing, we won't have to waste so much time commuting. We will always be able to practice without being kicked off the courts."
As Coach Geatz said, the opening of the new, on-campus Baseline Tennis Center this weekend will bring a great deal of changes to the both the men's and women's tennis programs. It kind of brings to mind the well-known Field of Dreams quote "Build it and they will come." And they are. This weekend, the men's tennis team will have the first Minnesota Invitational with five teams participating. They will host eight home matches, including the Big Ten Singles Championships, which will take place at the Baseline Nov. 15. In February, the women's team will have their home opener with the Minnesota Court Classic and will go on to host six home matches.
Now that the shock has somewhat subsided, let's delve into the pesky details. After all, the facility is unbelievable despite the fact that finishing touches have yet to be made.
To begin with, there are currently 18 signature maroon and gold courts - 10 inside and eight outside - with the possibility of four additional outdoor courts. The indoor courts have 30-foot ceilings and are heated during the winter and air-conditioned in the summer. The courts have a plexi-type of pavement that provides more cushion than typical hard courts. The softer surface is designed to prevent injuries by causing less stress on the athletes' knees and other joints.
"The court surface is the best system you can get," Geatz said. "It's a plexi, cushion pavement that is soft and much easier on your body. It will help prevent injuries. It really is a tremendous advantage to us."
"The surface really is state-of-the-art," John Pratt, Baseline Tennis Center Manager, said. "In terms of safety, it's better on your knees because it has a little more give to it than other hard court surfaces. It should safeguard against injuries. The fact that the courts are air-conditioned is almost unheard of. It's another one of those characteristics that places Baseline head-and-shoulders above most of the tennis facilities in the nation."
The Baseline Center is a permanent facility, unlike the domed facilities the teams have played in for the past several years. No longer will fans have to sit on bleachers rolled-out for the occasion, because Baseline features chair-back seating with electronic bleachers that can be used at will. It also features an electronic scoreboard, a sound system and clubroom with kitchen for private parties.
"When all is said and done, it will be one of the best tennis facilities in the nation," Coach Geatz said. "It's brand new, it's wired for sound, it has a scoreboard. It's simply tremendous. There is nothing like it in terms of collegiate facilities and I'm very proud that it's at the University of Minnesota"
"If you compare Baseline to some of the other collegiate tennis centers, it will without a doubt be one of the best, if not the best, in the country," Pratt said. "You look at the accessibility the team has, the seating, the club room, the court system, the sound system and scoreboard. Many teams don't have anything like it. I don't even think the donors, who worked so hard to make this happen, had this in mind."
Beyond courts and spectator perks, which also will include concession stands, come many other attributes. Eventually, there will be an outdoor plaza with picnic tables and a gazebo- think the Garden of Eden, only on campus. The front entrance will have a Hall of Fame room with a Minnesota tennis mural and trophy cases. Even beyond that, the teams have something they have never had before, their own locker rooms, team meeting rooms and an enormous weight room that is shared with the women's hockey team.
The opening of this unbelievable facility could be small foreshadowing of what is to come for the Gopher tennis team. A team that made a run for the Big Ten Championship, a team that has so much talent they can't wait to let it out.
"We have great seniors with Thomas Haug, Manuel Lievano and Eric Robertson," Coach Geatz said. "Our young guys are very impressive too with Aleksey Zharinov leading the way. We had a tremendous loss when Harsh Mankad decided to leave. That dropped us from a top 10 team to a top 25. Our goals this season are the same as they always have been despite that. We want to win a Big Ten Championships and regain a spot in the top 10. I honestly think we will see that happen this year, if we keep working hard."
While finishing touches are still being made, many of which won't be until spring of 2003, it can be said that the Minnesota tennis teams have much to look forward to. This weekend will bring the opening of their new, on-campus facility with the men's Minnesota Invitational taking place at the Baseline Tennis Center. With the new courts and a team that has outstanding talent, the possibilities really are endless.
Written by Athletics Media Relations Student Assistant Tarcy R. Thompson It's hard to explain the attributes of the new Baseline Tennis Center to someone who has never seen it. It's even more difficult to describe if you're in a state of shock. Why shock? Well, you have to know what the tennis team has dealt with in the past.
Just a matter of months ago, they would have been piling into a van, equipment and all, on their way to practice. Being that practice usually took place at the 98th Street Racquet Club in Bloomington, Minn., it would take nearly one hour to make the commute. Once there, the team would get in a good couple of hours of practice before having to pack up their things. Why? Because around nine o'clock, they would be shooed out with the doors locked behind them. Some competitive advantage, huh?
Don't misunderstand, the courts at all the Northwest Athletic Clubs are some of the finest in the nation. It's just that the Golden Gophers practiced and competed on courts that were not even their own. They have only hosted a handful of conference tournaments in their 54-year history and national tournaments - forget it. The Golden Gopher tennis team has never really had a home court advantage.
"The possibilities of the facility are endless," Head Men's Coach David Geatz said. "We will be able to host more Big Ten tournaments and championships. We will be hosting the singles championship this fall. We will be able to have more home matches than we were ever able to have before. In terms of recruiting, I can't even begin to explain how this will help out our program. It's very difficult to sell your program when you don't have a facility on campus. And practicing, we won't have to waste so much time commuting. We will always be able to practice without being kicked off the courts."
As Coach Geatz said, the opening of the new, on-campus Baseline Tennis Center this weekend will bring a great deal of changes to the both the men's and women's tennis programs. It kind of brings to mind the well-known Field of Dreams quote "Build it and they will come." And they are. This weekend, the men's tennis team will have the first Minnesota Invitational with five teams participating. They will host eight home matches, including the Big Ten Singles Championships, which will take place at the Baseline Nov. 15. In February, the women's team will have their home opener with the Minnesota Court Classic and will go on to host six home matches.
Now that the shock has somewhat subsided, let's delve into the pesky details. After all, the facility is unbelievable despite the fact that finishing touches have yet to be made.
To begin with, there are currently 18 signature maroon and gold courts - 10 inside and eight outside - with the possibility of four additional outdoor courts. The indoor courts have 30-foot ceilings and are heated during the winter and air-conditioned in the summer. The courts have a plexi-type of pavement that provides more cushion than typical hard courts. The softer surface is designed to prevent injuries by causing less stress on the athletes' knees and other joints.
"The court surface is the best system you can get," Geatz said. "It's a plexi, cushion pavement that is soft and much easier on your body. It will help prevent injuries. It really is a tremendous advantage to us."
"The surface really is state-of-the-art," John Pratt, Baseline Tennis Center Manager, said. "In terms of safety, it's better on your knees because it has a little more give to it than other hard court surfaces. It should safeguard against injuries. The fact that the courts are air-conditioned is almost unheard of. It's another one of those characteristics that places Baseline head-and-shoulders above most of the tennis facilities in the nation."
The Baseline Center is a permanent facility, unlike the domed facilities the teams have played in for the past several years. No longer will fans have to sit on bleachers rolled-out for the occasion, because Baseline features chair-back seating with electronic bleachers that can be used at will. It also features an electronic scoreboard, a sound system and clubroom with kitchen for private parties.
"When all is said and done, it will be one of the best tennis facilities in the nation," Coach Geatz said. "It's brand new, it's wired for sound, it has a scoreboard. It's simply tremendous. There is nothing like it in terms of collegiate facilities and I'm very proud that it's at the University of Minnesota"
"If you compare Baseline to some of the other collegiate tennis centers, it will without a doubt be one of the best, if not the best, in the country," Pratt said. "You look at the accessibility the team has, the seating, the club room, the court system, the sound system and scoreboard. Many teams don't have anything like it. I don't even think the donors, who worked so hard to make this happen, had this in mind."
Beyond courts and spectator perks, which also will include concession stands, come many other attributes. Eventually, there will be an outdoor plaza with picnic tables and a gazebo- think the Garden of Eden, only on campus. The front entrance will have a Hall of Fame room with a Minnesota tennis mural and trophy cases. Even beyond that, the teams have something they have never had before, their own locker rooms, team meeting rooms and an enormous weight room that is shared with the women's hockey team.
The opening of this unbelievable facility could be small foreshadowing of what is to come for the Gopher tennis team. A team that made a run for the Big Ten Championship, a team that has so much talent they can't wait to let it out.
"We have great seniors with Thomas Haug, Manuel Lievano and Eric Robertson," Coach Geatz said. "Our young guys are very impressive too with Aleksey Zharinov leading the way. We had a tremendous loss when Harsh Mankad decided to leave. That dropped us from a top 10 team to a top 25. Our goals this season are the same as they always have been despite that. We want to win a Big Ten Championships and regain a spot in the top 10. I honestly think we will see that happen this year, if we keep working hard."
While finishing touches are still being made, many of which won't be until spring of 2003, it can be said that the Minnesota tennis teams have much to look forward to. This weekend will bring the opening of their new, on-campus facility with the men's Minnesota Invitational taking place at the Baseline Tennis Center. With the new courts and a team that has outstanding talent, the possibilities really are endless.
Written by Athletics Media Relations Student Assistant Tarcy R. Thompson
