So It Begins!

Hello Folks,

I hope you all made it through yesterday's storms okay.

The Spring is flying by, and I don't think we will have Parent meeting this year. Instead, I will just try to contact each of you via this email. The most important bit of information you need is our schedule.

2012 Hixson Tennis Schedule:

Tuesday, March 6 - @ Rhea County, 4:00pm (Scrimmage)
Thursday, March 8 - @ Red Bank (Scrimmage)
Tuesday, March 13 - @ Chattanooga Central, 3:30pm
Thursday, March 15 - @ Red Bank, 3:30pm
Monday, March 19 - East Ridge @ Home, 3:30pm
Tuesday, March 20 - @ CSAS, 4:30pm
Thursday, March 22 - @ Cleveland, 4:00pm
Thursday, March 29 - @ East Hamilton, 3:30pm
Tuesday, April 10 - Chattanooga Central @ Home, 3:30pm
Wednesday, April 11 - @ Signal Mountain, 3:30pm
Monday, April 16 - East Hamilton @ Home, 3:30pm
Tuesday, April 17 - @ East Ridge, 3:30pm
Monday, April 23 - @ Chattanooga Christian, 3:30pm
Tuesday, April 24 - Red Bank @ Home, 3:30pm
Monday, April 30 - @ Notre Dame, 3:45pm
Tuesday, May 1 - CSAS @ Home, 4:30pm
Thu/Fri, May 3/4 - District Tournament (TBD)

In years past, the parents have organized a snack schedule. We have 17 members on the team plus 2 eighth graders (Alex Condra and Ethan Gossett) and 17 matches (including the District Tournament and two scrimmage dates). If I could have one parent volunteer to put the snack schedule together for this year that would be great. Let me know, and I'll give you contact info for all the parents.

Uniforms:

The uniforms are ready for purchase. We are again using the Sporty Chic Boutique at the Racquet Club. The girls uniform is $50 for the dress and an extra $10 if they need the undergarment (the girls should know who ordered this piece). You can buy the uniform any day this week at the shop (uniforms will not be needed for scrimmages). The boys uniform is $39. The boys decided to just purchase a top this year, so I will need for each boy to furnish his own pair of black shorts with pockets.

In addition, I would hope that all of the players have tennis-specific shoes to play-- NO RUNNING SHOES as running shoes are not designed for lateral stops and one can easily turn and ankle on the tennis court with the wrong shoes. The Front Runner on Hixson Pike is an excellent place to find a good pair of tennis shoes, and if you tell them you play for Hixson High they will give you a discount (I think 10%).

Fundraiser:

We are slated to work the concession at McKinley Arena on March 17. There will be two shifts, and I am requiring that all the players be available to work one or the other. I will also need a few parents to volunteer as well. As we get closer, I will give you details. Since we are doing this fundraiser, I am not going to charge a tennis fee this year.

Racquet Stringing:

With our season about to kick off, it is time to think about getting your child's racquet restrung. This is something that needs to happen at the very least once per year. Strings lose their resiliency and tension even if they are shoved in a closet in the offseason. If you bought a racquet that was prestrung, you have no idea when those strings were installed. Generally, the strings that come with a prestrung racquet are of the lowest quality, so I would suggest getting those replaced as soon as possible. I can restring your child's racquet for $20-- a considerable discount.