Haiden Widener, Campus Carrier Sports Editor
Berry’s student work program and academic catalog will be expanding this year, as the new Rome Tennis
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| PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY GEORGE LATAIF |
Center at Berry College (RTC) is open and functioning. With sixty courts available, there will be room for home matches for Berry’s tennis team, along with city, state-wide and national tournaments. The center has already hosted two tournaments, including a wheelchair tournament, as the center is fully handicap accessible.
The new facility, which offers many opportunities to Berry students, is the result of a partnership between Berry, the City of Rome and the Coosa Valley Tennis Association. While Berry provided the land, the funding for the project came from the city.
“For us it was a win-win,” College President Stephen R. Briggs said. “Great for the city and great for Berry as well.”
The center not only provides benefits for the tennis team, but for all Berry students. “Berry students are welcome to play here for free,” Executive Director of the RTC, Tom Daglis said. All you have to do is show your Berry student ID and reserve a court online.
The center is currently being run by mostly students.
“It’s kind of a start up setting. We’re learning as we go,” said Abbey Giglio, a senior at Berry, who has been working the front desk for a few weeks. The facility currently employs eight student workers but is looking for more to help around the office and grounds.
There are also academic benefits for Berry students through the RTC. The Professional Tennis Management program (PTM) is being added to the Berry academic catalog this year in affiliation with the tennis center. PTM will be offered as a major and minor through the kinesiology department. Within this there are opportunities for certification from the United States Professional Tennis Association and the United States Tennis Association (USTA). Daglis is also the director for the PTM program at Berry. He expects to enroll an average of ten students per class year into the program.
Berry’s relationship with the RTC opens doors for students, but the community of Rome benefits as well, Briggs said. This facility will bring in revenue for the city, more tourism and possible future Berry students.
Since the facility meets USTA regulations to hold national events, hotels and restaurants are expected to benefit from the attendance that comes along with these tournaments. Daglis expects to host a great deal of large tournaments and other events, so Berry is considering building a hotel on surrounding land.
“We own the property around the tennis center, so we’re looking to find someone to build a hotel,” said Briggs.
He said that the college is actively pursuing this in hopes of bringing interesting work opportunities to students and building more partnerships.
Briggs stated that the goal of the hotel would ultimatley be to “create opportunities for students that extend past what we can do on campus.”