Bringing back tennis to CCSU, a large task on hand

Campus activities and sports offered by schools serve as main attractions for both commuting and resident students at schools across the nation, and CCSU is no exception to that rule. The thousands of students currently attending the school rejoice from watching or taking part in any of the 16 sports programs available.

The school however, elected back in 2002 to eliminate three programs that we very dear to the student community. Basing their decision on the need to cut down their costs, the school decided to part ways with their Men and Women’s Tennis programs along with their Men’s Swimming program. Cutting back on both Tennis Programs was a surprise move by the school, especially considering the low budget it required to keep these programs running. One of the individuals most directly affected by this decision, was Coach Alan Leathers, who at that time was the coach of both programs. In a letter to State Senator Tom Herlihy, Alan explained how tough it was to explain to his players that the school would no longer fund or support the sport.

The irony of it all was the fact that of the almost $3.5 million budget put aside by the school for sports purposes, only around $50,000 was required in order for the tennis programs to subsist. The tennis program was trying to survive despite the low amount of money it was receiving by the school, but the pleads of coaches and players was to no avail. In coach Leathers own words, “We certainly [were getting] the most bang for our buck considering the relatively small budget. I have talked with coaches from other schools who have cut programs and their “Tier 1” sports have not shown any improvement as a result of minimal increases in funding.”

Now, five year later, the school remains without any short-term plans to bring back tennis as a sport at Central. Students around the school, especially those that have interest in the sport, agree that bringing tennis back to Central would enhance their school experience.

Alex Terry, a sophomore student at CCSU, mentioned that coming into Central he was under the assumption that the school had a tennis team, “when first applying to this school I thought there was a team, and I was definitely going to try out for it, coming here [and finding out there wasn’t a team] was a little disappointing,” said Terry.


Jenelle Bourgalt, also a student at CCSU and a tennis fanatic, stated her belief that the sport could make a come back. “I am very familiar with tennis at CCSU because a friend of the family was a member of the Tennis program a few years back, and he always talks wonders about it. The players were there, so was the support of students and the willingness of coaches to continue with the program, it is just a shame that it no longer is a part of Central,” said Bourgalt.
Jenelle Bourgalt: "We can open up the eyes of the administration"
She later added, “The Tennis Night we had earlier this semester was a sign that the school has not completely forgotten about tennis. We have many kids here at school that love the sport, I for one very much enjoy playing it. If we can get a club going, and show the school the numbers that have a passion for the sport, we can open up the eyes of the administration and hope that leads into good things for us.”

Another good point on the matter was given by Alex Shniper, a junior at Central CT State University. He said that the best time to get the word out that there is an interest in tennis is at other sporting events at school. “We first must establish a tennis group, and get a good idea of the number of students that are interested in the sport. From there the next step could be to attend basketball or football games [the two biggest sports at Central) and handout fliers to not only student but also to those members of the New Britain community that attend the games, letting them know that we the students want the school to consider bringing tennis back to Central,” said Shniper.
Alex Shniper: "We first must establish a tennis group"
Only time will tell whether these ideas will ever materialize and if they will have any effect on the school’s administration. Charles Jones, Director of Athletics at Central CT State University was not available for an interview.

A light of hope was brought upon with the efforts of the CCSU ReCentral crew who during the 2007 fall semester organized a Tennis Night that was attended by about 60 central students. The event saw the students take part in group lessons by some Professional as well as Amateur coaches, followed by various matches between the attendees. After the event, the school’s Recreation Specialist, Ken DeStefanis offered some encouraging words. “I believe this night was a success, we hope to set up Tournaments, Leagues and other nights like this one in the near future,” said DeStefanis.