‘MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS’
T
By Jim Berger
TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR OF USAPA MIDDLE STATES REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
USAPA AMBASSADOR
AAU PICKLEBALL SPORTS REPRESENTATIVE, MISSOURI
his is the theme for this
year’s Middle States
Regional Championship,
scheduled to be held
at the “historic” Dwight Davis
Tennis Center in St. Louis August
13-16. Located in the nationally
recognized Forest Park, the venue
will feature 40 pickleball courts, a the center of recreational activities
such as golf, baseball and softball,
ice skating, soccer, snowboarding,
fishing, boat rental, national and
international tennis—and, now,
pickleball!
The venue is named after Dwight
F. Davis, a native St. Louisan and
the creator and donor of the famed
clubhouse with showers and lockers,
nearby extensive parking, and
walking distance access to such free
attractions as the world-famous St.
Louis Zoo and the Missouri History
Museum as well as the critically
acclaimed St. Louis Art Museum.
Forest Park (larger than Central
Park in New York City) was the site of
the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair and,
for over a century since, has been Davis Cup. Davis, early in the 20th
century, as the director of parks in
St. Louis, developed tennis courts
and, in 1913, a tournament was held
attracting over 200 participants.
That same year, he contacted other
U.S. cities, encouraging them to
form municipal leagues so inner-
city and national competition could
be held. The mission Davis professed
exists today. Former and current
professional tennis players such
as Connors, McEnroe, Venus and
Serena Williams, Roddick, Evert,
Sampras—I could go on and on—have
all competed at the facility, and
now, since a sanctioned pickleball
tournament was held last summer,
we can add Weinbach and others to
that storied list.
The venue was completely rebuilt
in the 1960s to include a stadium
that seats 1,700 spectators, which
was utilized on the professional
tennis circuit. Since 2017, that center
court has been converted into four
permanent pickleball courts. The
events manager, Judy Dippold,
a Missouri Valley and St. Louis
Tennis Hall of Fame member and
avid pickleball player, has helped
integrate the dynamic growth of the
pickleball world with the St. Louis
tennis community and it has been
well-received. •
CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE
APRIL/MAY 2020 |
MAGAZINE
>>>>
51