March 2010
All Discovery Park Tennis Club members are entitled to a 5% discount at Sportsco Westfield Helensvale simply by presenting their membership card.
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Dates for the clubs monthly round robins have been set . Check the 'Events' section for details. These are always a great day out for the whole family, everyone is welcome so why not come along and bring a friend!
February 2010
The Open Day on Sunday 21st February was a successful day with lots of people coming along to take advantage of the many activities on offer and the free sausage sizzle. A big welcome to all the new members who joined on the day!
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Due to the extreme wet weather, the annual Open Day has had to be postponed. We will now be holding the Free Open Day on Sunday 21st February so please come along and bring a friend!
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Even though the Open Day was a washout, the committee did not waste a day down and the club and used the time for a working-bee, setting up new cupboards and tables, etc. in the clubhouse and cleaning out the storeroom. We now have more room to move and discovered some very "retro" pieces buried at the back of the shelves!!!
January 2010
Discovery Park Tennis Club welcomes Matt Dudley as the new Club Coach. Matt will be at the clubhouse between 3 & 4pm on Wednesday 27th, Thursday 28th & Friday 29th January 2010 to meet with members. Please come along and introduce yourself to Matt and have a look at the programmes he'll be conducting for the club.
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December 2009
Sadly, DPTC farewells Coach Paul Fox as he moves on to new ventures. A huge thank you to Paul for all his years of dedication to the club and it's players, especially junior tennis. Paul has coached hundreds of juniors and adults over the years (maybe you're on of them!) and he will be greatly missed.
Best wishes for the future Paul!
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DPTC Junior Tennis Christmas Party and Round Robin was held on Sunday December 6th with lots of tennis, tabletennis, speed-gun and the new ball machine having a test run. To see photos and the trophy winners from the day please visit the Round Robin and Junior pages.
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We must make mention of our junior player, Sam Hunt who has had a fantastic year with her tennis. Sam has won a place in the Qld Rep side and we wish her all the very best. Well done Sam!
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DPTC McDonalds Junior Challenge is over for another year and as always it was amazing to see how the junior players have progressed throughout the year. The Term Four Finals always showcase the advancing skills of our juniors and this year was no exception. Thank you to all the kids who particpated to make this event what it has become, to the volunteers who donatoe their time and to Paul Fox for running the event so successfully.
We must give the biggest thanks to McDonald's Helensvale for their sponsorship and support. Each year they supply prizes and trophies for our junior players but this year they have increased their support greatly and provided an iPod for each of the Section One & Two Junior Players of the Year, more prizes and vouchers for all particpants and new promotional banners for the club. DPTC and McDonald's Helensvale strive to encourage as many kids as possible into the great sport of tennis and we sincerely appreciate McDonald's Helensvale for getting involved in our junior programme.
For results and photos from the finals and the Junior Christmas Round Robin please visit the Juniors Page and the Round Robin Page.
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November 2009
Term four McDonalds Junior Challenge finals are being played this week. All prizes and trophies will be given out at our Christmas Break Up Party on December 6th. This year, thanks to our generous sponsors, McDonalds Helensvale, there will be a Section 1 and Section 2 PLAYER OF THE YEAR with a special prize!
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Invitations are being sent out now for our end of year Christmas Party and Fun Day. All the junior presentations, trophy & prizewinners will be announced on this day. We will also have round robin style tennis matches, speed gun, ball machine and lots more. The days events kick off around 8:30am and lunch is included in the ticket price. See Paul or Yukiko for more info. All club members are welcome to attend, we hope to see you there!
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Thanks to all those members who volunteered for McHappy Day. It was great to see club members taking part helping to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House. It's also a way for us to thank McDonald's Helensvale for their support and ongoing sponsorship.
October 2009
Discovery Park Tennis Club wins Tennis Gold Coast Club of the Year for 2009!
September 2009
We are all very excited about our brand new event this month, The DPTC McDonalds Helensvale Junior Cup which will be held on Sunday 13th September. This tournament is open to all junior players under the age of 17, members and non-members. There will be prizes and trophies as well as the winners going on our new DPTC McDonalds Helensvale Perpetural Board in the clubhouse
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McDonalds Challenge Finals time is approaching fast! Term Three is almost over so we'll soon be into the finals matches. Support our junior players - spectators most welcome!
August 2009
The round robin on Sunday 9th August 2009 was another great success - photos here!
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AGM
On Sunday 9th August, Discovery Park Tennis Club held its' Annual General Meeting. To see who was elected on the new committee, check out this link!
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VISIT TO QUEENSLAND TENNIS CENTRE FIRST FOR GOLD COAST CLUB
On Sunday 2nd August a squad of junior players from Discovery Park Tennis Club along with Club Coaches Paul Fox & Yukiko Hawker visited the new Queensland Tennis Centre at Tennyson. The club's major sponsor, McDonald's Helensvale, treated the juniors to breakfast and then supplied the bus for the trip from the Gold Coast.
Tennis Queensland's State Regional Development Coach Matt Richards treated the players to a grand tour of the impressive complex giving the juniors an insight into what goes on behind the scenes during tournaments and international events.
The squad agreed unanimously that the highlight of their day was playing on centre court - the Pat Rafter Arena! Michelle Rigby, Customer Relations Representative from McDonald's Helensvale also joined the tour and said it was great to see such enthusiasm in young players and the whole idea of sponsorship was to encourage young children into sport.
Nathan Griffith of Tennis Queensland said Discovery Park Tennis Club was very fortunate as a trip of this kind was a first for any Gold Coast Tennis Club. DPTC would like to thank everyone involved in putting this tour together.
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DPTC Junior Fixtures teams are doing very well and hope to make it into the finals this season. We wish them the very best of luck!
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July 2009
The new club newsletter is now available for viewing or downloading.
June 2009
Some very exciting finals matches in the McDonalds Challenge and it was great to see FIVE girls in the finals for Section Two. Section One winner, Sam Hunt received a double pass to see the Titans at Skilled Stadium as well as her winners trophy. Runner up was Joshua Hawker. Points winner for the term was Travis Murphy and points runner up was Tyson Allen. All winners and runner ups received a trophy provided by our sponsors McDonalds Helensvale. Congratulations to all winners and we look forward to seeing you all back next term.
Section Two semi finals and finals are to be played this Saturday, 27th June.
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Our new membership cards have arrived and all members will receive their cards on receipt of their renewal. Remember to present your card at SportsCo Westfield Helensvale and Sporting House Direct at Harbourtown for your discount.
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DPTC in conjuction with McDonalds Helensvale will be taking a bus to the Queensland Tennis Centre on Sunday August 2nd 2009. There are limited places and they are filling fast so see Paul Fox to secure your seat now!
Participants will meet at McDonalds Helensvale for a free breakfast and then travel by bus to Brisbane where they will get to have a coaching session with Queenslands head coach, tour the centre and play on centre court! The bus will return to McDonalds Helensvale by 2.30pm
This is a great opportunity for our junior members and is not offered by any other club on the Gold Coast
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There will be a working bee at the clubhouse on Sunday 19th July to do a basic tidy up of the courts, clubhouse and surrounding area. We know all our members would LOVE to come along and help out!
See you there :-)
May 2009
Tennis Pro-Shop now at Discovery Park Tennis Club! FOXTENNIS has a large range of Diadora products at excellent prices from Club Coach Paul Fox. Tennis racquets from junior up to top grade advanced competition models available.
OPENING SPECIAL (until June 30 2009) Purchase a Pro Tour or Nano graphite competition racquet and receive a can of balls and a spare grip.
Available Now: Graphite Tennis Racquets (6 models), Tour Classic Tennis Bags - holds 3 or 6 racquets, ITF approved 4 ball can of tennis balls, re-grips and over-grips, synthetic gut and polyester re-stringing, junior starter packs.
Try before you buy - ask Paul for the use of a demo racquet!
April 2009
Sunday 5th April was the first DPTC Junior Singles Championship. We had 18 entrants all competing for the DPTC Junior Championship title and cash prizes. It was a very hot & steamy day but all the kids had a great day and we saw some excellent tennis and very long ralllies between players.
Semi finalists were Justin Los, Sam Hunt, Tyson Allen and Matthew Wass
Justin 6 defeated Sam 3
Tyson 6 defeated Matt 4
Final - Tyson 6 defeated Justin 2
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We raised almost $500 for the Wildlife Victoria Bushfire Appeal
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The new (April) quarterly club newsletter is now available for viewing online or download here.
March 2009
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Finals for the McDonalds Junior Challenge - Sections One & Two - are now on!
Section One Semi Final - Saturday 28th March
Section One Semi Final - Wednesday 1st April
Section Two Final - Saturday 4th April
Section Two Final - Wednesday 8th April
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The next quarterly club newsletter will be out at the beginning of April. If you would like this newlsetter emailed straight to your inbox please let us know at info@discoveryparktennis.com or it will be available for viewing or download from this website. If you have any news or you would like your business advertised in the newsletter (we have really cheap rates!) please email the exceptionally important advertising and marketing department.
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Discovery Park Tennis Clubs fundraising efforts for Wildlife Victoria were mentioned in the March 2009 edition of The Local Newsletter as a 'thank-you' from Cr John Wayne.
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A quick note to all junior group coaching lessons. Paul Fox will be away from 21 April 2009 until 5 May 2009. Group lessons will continue as normal with Yukiko Hawker and Jessie Warner filling in for the two weeks.
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Stay tuned for some exciting news for McDonalds Challenge competitors!
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Details will be availablevery soon for the DPTC McDonalds Junior Cup. This will be an annual event at Discovery Park Tennis Club and a great chance for our junior players to compete in a singles and doubles tournament. There will be some awesome prizes and of course a trophy for the winner. Dates and other details will be announced shortly.
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The Family Fund Day on March 8th was a great for all who attended. We'll let you know very soon how much we raised for Wildlife Victoria. Local Councillor John Wayne promised to add another $200 to our total. Digger was the winner of the raffle prize - an MP3 player with speakers.
February 2009
Our first Family Fun Day for the year is to be held on Sunday March 8th 2009 with registration from 8:30am, matches commencing at 9:00am. Everyone welcome. We will be donating funds raised to Wildlife Victoria to help all the animals hurt in the Victorian Bushfires. If you would like more information about the great work they do or make a donation please click this LINK
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Our latest newsletter is available for viewing or downloading now. If you would like us to send a copy of our newsletter to your inbox ( quarterly ) please send us your email address and we'll put you on the mailing list.
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Our Free Open Day was a grand success with a steady stream of new players, young and old, turning up to 'discover tennis' or in some cases, break out the old racquets and try again after long absences. We even spotted someone sporting an old wooden racquet - what a classic!
The day was a great success with all our volunteers putting in a top effort to make the day great fun for everyone involved. Coach Paul Fox hosted many (perhaps too many Paul?!) free coaching lessons for mini players, kids, teens and adults which everyone thoroughly enjoyed so we hope we'll see some of them at our social tennis events and junior events.
Many people took advantage of the discounted membership fees and signed up so welcome to all those new members. We're glad to have you aboard!
As always the speedgun was a hit with players; the fastest clocked serves by Tyson 161km p/h and Travis 140km p/h. Everyone enjoyed the free sausage sizzle - thanks to our great supporters at Helensvale Quality Meats once again!
We have some great things lined up for 2009 so make it a habit to regularly check this website to keep up with all the news.
January 2009
Discovery Park Tennis Club is running a Free Open Day for anyone interested in trying tennis or reviving old skills.
Sunday 1st February 2009
9:00am - 3:00pm
Free Coaching
Match Play
Mini Tennis
All welcome!
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Unfortunately our clubhouse was broken into over the school holidays and amongst the various items taken was our small fridge and microwave oven. We also lost a lot of our stocks of drinks and snack foods. This was a great blow to everyone, especially as all our volunteers and juniors who worked so hard through the year trying to raise funds to build a new clubhouse. We have a long way to go and certainly don't need setbacks like this but ...
December 2008
Wow!
Another year over so soon! All McDonalds Challenge and Teams Tennis has finished for 2008 and it was another highly successful year as far as Junior Tennis was concerned. Here are the Results and Awards for 2008:
Winner Section One McDonalds Challenge - Tyson Allen
Runner Up Section One McDonalds Challenge - Jarryd Gist
Overall Points Winner Section One McDonalds Challenge - Travis Murphy
Winner Section Two McDonalds Challenge - Lachlan Smith
Runner Up Section Two McDonalds Challenge - Brett Dingle
Overall Points Winner Section Two McDonalds Challenge - Tyson McConnell
Coaching Pupil of the Year (boy) - Matthew Wass
Coaching Pupil of the Year (girl) - Sam Hunt
Annual Points Winner - Sam Hunt
Coaches Encouragement Awards:
Jarryd Gist
Sarah Hawker
Jaimi Abraham
Amanda Ciuffittelli
Emily Shore
Kirsty McConnell
Rianca Kroon
Ruan Brits
Teams Tournament Players Medallions:
Tayla Buckingham
Caitlin Allen
Hikari Goto
Jarryd Gist
Matthew Wass
Mark Reynolds
Josh Smith
Chantelle Devlin
Sam Hunt
Ruan Brits
Club Award:
Chantelle Devlin
During his speech at the Christmas Break Up, Club Coach Paul Fox made special mention of the amount of comments he has received throughout the year from parents regarding the great sportsmanship and good manners of all our junior players. He also said that parents from our junior members as well as teams from other clubs regularly commented on the efficiency and top organisation within our club.
We're quite chuffed! So a big thank-you to all our parents and especially our junior players for such a top effort!
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Well, our Christmas Party on Sunday 7th December was an amazing success. We had a fantastic turn-out of members and everyone had a great time as there was something for everyone! All raffle and prize winner info will be posted very soon so keep checking back. To 'see' some of the action from the day, check out the Round Robin page.
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Don't forget Sunday 7th is our Christmas Break-up BBQ and Round Robin. We have lots of fun activities planned, prizes galore, raffles and much more. All club members are invited to attend - see you there!
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We love to follow the success of one of our own, Joel Brand. Joel started his tennis career as one of our juniors. We are thrilled to report that at just 15, Joels' tennis career is going from strength to strength. Amongst his latest achievements, Joel came runner-up in the mens doubles at the Nationals in Thailand. He is competing this month at Pro-One and then off to Melbourne. In January 2009, Joel will be playing in the Ballina Open and then the Kawana Open. We'll keep you posted with the results as we get them.
Best of luck Joel!
November 2008
Congratulations to Sam Hunt for winning the Gold Coast District U/10 Championship on Sunday 16th November. Well done also to Tom Hunt who was runner-up in the U/14 doubles.
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Invitations are being sent out now for our clubs' Christmas Break-up Party & Round Robin on Sunday 7th December. If you haven't received yours please contact the club. All members are invited to attend. For catering purposes it would be appreciated if you could reply as soon as possible.
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Our Christmas Raffle is now on sale with some great prizes. Please support your club! Anyone wishing to collect a book/books to sell can contact a committee member. If you wish to purchase tickets they are on sale from the clubhouse of we will have a table set up on weekends throughout November at the Helensvale Plaza Shopping Centre. Be sure to come and say hello! Anyone wishing to man the sales table for an hour or two can contact Yukiko - we would love to see some of our juniors helping to sell tickets wearing their club shirts!
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Our club quarterly newsletter - October issue - is now available for download (see main page)
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We are thrilled to have three juniors teams representing Helensvale in the Tennis Gold Coast Junior Summer Fixture for 2008. Best of luck to Helensvale Hellraisers, Helensvale Hornets and Helensvale Harpoons!
October 2008
DISCOVERY PARK TENNIS CLUB are hosting a Girls In for Breakfast again this year to raise funds for breast cancer. The breakfast is on Sunday 19th October, 2008 and is $5 per person. Though not required it is requested that you bring a plate. Last years breakfast was a great success and a lot of fun so we please come along and support us.
September 2008
It's finals time again for Term 3 of the McDonalds Challenge. Semis and finals to be held in the last school week of the term. Watch the Juniors Page for results and photos!
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We are always looking for volunteers to help run the Tennis Tuckshop on Wednesdays and Saturdays. If you can help please leave your details at the clubhouse.
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Junior Summer fixtures start in October 2008 - now is your last chance to get a team together to represent Helensvale. See Paul Fox or Yukiko Hawker for details. Forms and further info is available at the clubhouse.
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August 2008
Long time DPTC member, Ed Gray, was presented with an Honorary Membership at the AGM on Sunday 3rd August, 2008 by Club President, Karen Robertson. Over the years Ed has been a great asset to the club and contributed much to the growth of the club as part of the committee and an active member. Ed has given freely of his time and knowledge which is much appreciated.
Thanks Ed!
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Our Family Fun Day on Sunday 3rd August was a great success. This was a free day for everyone and some great tennis matches were played by young and old alike! Our AGM was held and the new committee elected followed by a free BBQ lunch for everyone.
July 2008
August 3rd is the next family round robin and it is FREE (including lunch) for all members. Registration is from 8:30am with play commencing at 9:00am. At 12:00pm the Annual General Meeting will be held followed by the free lunch.
ALL CLUB MEMBERS ARE ASKED TO ATTEND THE AGM
Nominations for committee positions are now being received and a new committee will be elected at the AGM on Sunday 3rd August 2008. Please support your club!
Nomintion forms can be downloaded here or will be up on the noticeboards at the clubhouse.
Have you held a life-long desire to become a very important committee person?
Do you want to add excitement and variety to your life?
Do you crave new experiences and want to make new friends?
Do you feel you have vast, unrecognised talents and long to be part of a team?
If you answered YES to some or all of these questions then becoming a Discovery Park Tennis Club Committee Memberor Volunteer is just what you've been searching for!
Rush into the clubhouse today or simply download a nomination form from this website!
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Another successful committe meeting was held on Thursday 3rd July where we have decided to dedicate more time in future meetings to the planning process of the new clubhouse as there is a lot involved in such an undertaking. We must have certain things in place with local council before we can apply for further grants. Our fundraising for the clubhouse is going well but of course we will be continually trying to raise further funds for this project.
Another topic of discussion at the meeting was volunteers...or the lack of them. Unfortunately we have the same few people shouldering all the work, especially for the junior programmes. Discovery Park Tennis Club has long been commended for its' outstanding junior programmes and for these to successfully continue we need help to run these events or they will simply disappear from the calendar of events.
If you have ANY spare time - especially if your child partipates in the junior tennis - and you are willing to assist, please contact one of the committee members (they don't bite) or Paul Fox. Even if it is as little as an hour per year! We would welcome ANY assistance at all. We realise people are very busy and we will not ask for huge commitments, simply an hour here and there would be fantastic. Remember, DPTC is run entirely by volunteers!
June 2008
The Family Fun Day on Sunday 29th June also marked the official opening of the newly surfaced courts 1 & 2. State Member for Gaven, Hon Phil Gray and Division 2 Councillor, John Wayne attended the offical opening and were both impressed with the progress the club has achieved and promised to assist in anyway possible with our future goals. Both were particularly impressived with our extensive Junior Programmes, keen to promote all forms of healthy and active lifestyles to combat the increasing obesity levels in Australia. Hon Phil Gray said tennis was a great 'lifetime sport' and was impressed with the diversity of players on the day. We had players ranging in age from 7 to 76!
Both Phil Gray & John Wayne were persuaded to try out the new court surfaces themselves and impressed onlookers with their masterful tennis skills.
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The last week of June saw the term two finals for McDonalds Challenge. Section One finals were played on Wednesday 25th June and Section Two finals on Saturday 28th June, 2008. The standard of tennis was amazing and it's great to see the progress all players make during the year. McDonalds Challenge is a great way to improve your game, stay fit and healthy while mixing with your friends.
This terms champions are as follows:
Section One
Challenge Winner - Tyson Allen
Challenge Runner Up - Justin Los
Points Winner - Sam Hunt
Points Runner Up - Tayla Buckingham
Section Two
Challenge Winner - Joshua S
Challenge Runner Up - Brett D
Points Winner - Joshua S
Points Runner Up - Brett D
Well done everyone!
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Coach Paul Fox has a range of Junior Holiday Clinics available for these school holidays. Contact Paul if you would like to participate.
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Congratulations to Sam H for making the District Tennis Team for Helensvale Primary School! Sam is the youngest student ever to be selected. Well done Sam and best of luck!
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Sundays Junior Round Robin had a smaller turn out that usual, probably to do with the weather but the rain held off and the round robin went ahead and we saw a great standard of junior tennis.
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Recent rain has been welcomed by the club which will help settle the sand on the new artifical grass courts. Water seems to drain off these courts fairly quickly and even though there was rain early Sunday morning, the juniors had no problem playing on this surface.
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May 2008
Work commenced on Monday 19th May on the conversion of courts 1 & 2 to synthetic grass and is now completed (Wednesday 21st May 2008). The coach has given the new surface the thumbs up saying they're exceptional quality.
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Club shirts are now in stock and available for purchase from the clubhouse. Cost is $25 per shirt. Various sizes available in two styles - mens and ladies and they look great so get yours now!
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We have been advised that the synthetic grass for Courts 1 & 2 is now 'in transit' so work will be commencing very soon on these courts. We'll keep you posted!
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NEW CLUBHOUSE - MEMBER INPUT WANTED!
We have put some building plans up on the noticeboard in the clubhouse for our new clubhouse. These plans are not final plans and we are asking all members to 'put their two cents worth in'! If you would like to help design our new clubhouse, offer your suggestions or take on the whole project, please put your ideas forward. We have been working towards this for a long time (we still are!) and this clubhouse is for YOU so please make sure you have a say!
April 2008
Next committee meeting is Thursday 1st May at the clubhouse at 7:00pm. This is a planning meeting - all welcome!
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Discovery Park Tennis Club sells sausage sizzle and cold drinks at Gold Coast City Councils Active & Healthy Fun Day at the Discovery Park Skate Park on Saturday 26th April. The King is still in his counting house counting all his money but we should have a final figure of funds raised for the club very soon!
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The first issue of the COURT CHRONICLE has now been printed and should have arrived in your mailbox or inbox. We look forward to your comments on suggestions for our newsletter which will be sent out quarterly from now on.
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March 2008
The committee has decided to re-introduce a printed newsletter for all members to compliment the website but also to reach those who do not have internet access. Members should keep an eye out for the newsletter which should be dropped into your mailbox (the old-fashioned kind) very soon!
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The resurfacing of Courts 1 & 2 should commence mid-April. These two courts will be resurfaced to artificial grass. We will also be carrying out some maintenance on Courts 5 & 6 very soon.
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New Club Shirts will be available for purchase soon! Watch this space!
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Great news from the new Fox Cubs Mini Tennis players. Almost the end of Term 1 and excellent progress already with these future champions! Lots of running, throwing, hitting and catching. Well done Fox Cubs!!!
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Discovery Park Tennis Club had a few junior players participate in the recent Taylor Byrne Masters. Tyson, Jarryd, Matthew, Marc, Hikari, Duro, Craig, Elliot & Sam.
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3 Junior Teams have signed up for the Tennis Gold Coast Junior Winter Fixtures. We have teams in Pennant 3, Section 9 and Section 11. Good luck to all our teams!
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The finals of the Tennis Gold Coast Junior Summer Fixtures Section One was held at the Discovery Park Tennis Club on Saturday 8th March at 2.45pm. The final was played between two Helensvale Clubs - Helensvale Hammers (Tom & Marco) and Helensvale Hackers (Craig & Elliot). These finals matches are usually played at Queens Park so a big thank you to all those members who came along to support both teams.
Club Secretary Jill Scott presented the trophy to the winning team - Helensvale Hammers. See Fixtures page for photos and more details. Congratulations must go to both teams for a very entertaining afternoon of tennis.
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Committee meeting to be held 7:00pm Thursday 13th March 2008 at the clubhouse. We will be discussing future projects, events and fundraising for the rest of the year. All welcome.
February 2008
Friday Night Pizza & Tennis is to re-commence on 29th February, 2008. As the number of teens dwindled last year, this year we've decided to try a child & parent format. Kids must bring along a parent to form a doubles team (or vice versa). If you don't have a willing parent, try an uncle, aunt or family friend!!! All matches will consist of a junior/adult doubles team. Cost will remain the same at $10 per player. This will include pizza. Time is from 6:30pm to 8:30pm. We are always open to new ideas and any suggestions are welcome. Please feel free to come along and give it a try!
