Rotarians hear about Leisure Services programs
Published 7:02 pm Thursday, December 15, 2011
Bainbridge Leisure Services Department tennis director Tim Thompson and athletic director Bryan Bush updated the Bainbridge Rotary Club on Tuesday, about the many activities available in their departments.
Thompson opened the updates at the Rotarians’ regular weekly meeting at The Charter House Inn by pointing out that the number of people taking part in the sport at the tennis center at Bill Reynolds Sports Park has greatly increased in the past two years.
“When I spoke to you a few years ago we only had about 30 to 40 young players in our junior tennis programs but since then the numbers have grown tremendously,” Thompson said. “Now we have between 80 and 100 in our junior programs. Our summer camps for our juniors are full every year.
“Our Bainbridge Tennis Association provides scholarships for underprivileged kids to come to our camps.”
Thompson says one of the most popular youth programs is junior team tennis.
“Junior teams are made up of three boys and three girls,” he said. “They play in tournaments here and other Georgia cities.”
Bush, a native of Cordele, Ga., has been employed with the city since early April.
He opened his remarks by praising the Bill Reynolds Sports Park complex.
“Kids here in Bainbridge are fortunate to have the opportunity to play in such a state of the art complex,” he said. “Last year we had 10 tournaments there, including tournaments hosted by the Bainbridge High School varsity and junior varsity Lady Cats softball teams. This year we already have 10 tournaments booked.
“The numbers in our 3-to-17-year-old youth baseball and softball programs are tremendous — we have over 900.
“A new program we plan to put in next year is adult co-ed flag football. March 24 will be opening day for our youth baseball and softball leagues. We will have a baseball camp in July.”