A $50,000 grant from the USTA, a community-wide effort, and help from one of Kennett, Missouri’s most famous residents is hoping to turn a once-vibrant tennis community into one again

By Jeff Sikes

Wendell Crow knew something was amiss. Each time Crow stepped on to the Kennett (Mo.) High School tennis courts in his hometown his serve really kicked, and it wasn’t because of the natural spin he imparted on the ball.

A solid player with more than a half century of tennis experience, Crow is a man with a deep knowledge and passion for tennis. But even he knew that when a ball bounces up over a man’s head after a well-placed serve tickles a gaping crack or pothole, something’s not right.

It wasn’t right, and it hadn’t been for a long time for the tennis community of Kennett. The six high school courts Crow and his community shared were far removed from their original pristine state. Time and frequent play by the city’s tennis patrons had degraded the courts to a sad and sorry state of cracks and potholes usually reserved for old country roads.

“It was like playing a different sport out there,” said Crow, who grew up playing tennis in nearby Caruthersville, on a family court built by his father Charles, a former Missouri high school state champion.

Still, the courts were the only ones in Kennett, a town of around 12,000 people nestled in the southeast “boot heel” corner of Missouri. Many locals had given up tennis, preferring to find safer sporting activities, one that didn’t include having to navigate courts that resembled the surface of the moon. The boys’ team had even folded a few years back because of lack of interest, no doubt from court conditions. True diehards like Crow and the school’s girl’s team were the only ones who remained. But the girls had to practice on them.

“The back of the courts had some areas so torn up that footwork was really tricky,” said Crow. “Of the six courts that were there, maybe one or two were what I would call playable.”

Dollars were needed to redo the surface that had been decimated by water drainage issues. Estimates put the price tag of a complete fix at nearly $275,000, a costly one for a school the size of Kennett. A school capital improvement project for the courts helped them earn $100,000 toward their goal, but the total funding was still a long way off.

“(Fixing the courts) had always been on the school board’s radar, but so many other school priorities just came first,” said Kennett superintendent Jerry Noble. “We were concerned because for years we’ve had great community participation in recreational tennis on these courts. You seldom could go by without players being on them. But, we were getting to the point where it was a potential liability issue for us, and thinking we might have to close it down. We simply didn’t have the money to renovate it. Of course, the USTA and Sheryl came through, and that changed it all.”

Kennett’s Most Famous Alumnus

Sheryl is Wendell’s daughter; also known as Sheryl Crow. Yes, the Sheryl Crow who happened to grow up in Kennett, went to KHS, and is better known to the world as the 10-time Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum recording artist. Crow matched the contribution of her former school bringing the school tantalizingly close to the total needed for the repairs. How the USTA got involved to bring that total even closer was an interesting aside to the story.

Knowing her dad was a tennis nut, Kennett High School’s most famous alumnus had purchased a unique 75th birthday gift for her dad at a celebrity auction last year. The gift? A chance to play on the Arthur Ashe Stadium Court with the legendary Billie Jean King. Wendell was psyched, and to prep for his big day, all spring and summer long he’d go up to the courts and workout with longtime KHS girls’ coach Janet Hilburn. On a trip back home last June during one of Hilburn’s summer clinics, Sheryl visited the courts to see her nephews and dad in action, and even batted a few balls around (Crow was an All-State track athlete at KHS).

“She came out and took pictures of her nephews who were in my clinic, and after it was over, she said, ‘I want to hit some’,” said Hilburn. Taken aback by the poor condition of the courts, Crow vowed to see what she could do.

“I think she saw the shape the courts were in, and just wanted to help,” said Hilburn, who has coached the girls team the last 14 years, and could only remember slight patchwork fixes to the courts in that time. “It was such a blessing. After that, everything kind of fell into place.” The whole Crow clan flew to New York for Wendell’s big day at the end of the summer, taking in the men’s final with King. It was King who told the Crows to inform Kennett officials about approaching the USTA to see about additional funding opportunities for the school.

Wendell had an easy in with that, since he works with school board president Matt Shetley. The school board followed up, applied for a USTA Tennis in the Parks grant in early fall of last year, and received $50,000 to help their project. Crow’s generosity, coupled with the USTA pushed them even closer to their target, so school officials decided to move the tennis court reconstruction project up on their list. The girls’ team even penned handwritten letters to King to thank her for her advisory role.

Putting tennis back on the map

Construction on the courts has gone great since late last year, hit a snag with weather delays and flood delays in the spring of 2007, but is set to be completed around summertime, giving the school and the community of Kennett a shiny new tennis home.

“They were scary to play on, and nobody, especially other teams wanted to play on our courts,” said junior Brook Burcham, a member of the Lady Indians tennis team. “I’d twisted my ankle on them before, so I knew all about it. I think the whole team is really excited about this, and I know I am very excited to get to at least play one season on them.”

The 25-member girls’ team was put out a little last fall, having to travel to Jonesboro, Ark. to practice last season, but is looking forward to playing on their own home courts next season. The boys’ team is also hoping to be re-formed, starting next school year. Hilburn’s tennis clinic, which attracts about 75 area kids each June, should have strong numbers this summer. The school’s six new courts, the only courts in the city, will also allow the city to play host to more school and regional events, and even local tournaments. In short, tennis is back on the map for this small community.

Excitement for the project crested when USTA Missouri Valley Executive Director Mary Buschmann dropped the USTA’s check off this past January at a city hall meeting. Buschmann spoke with school officials and administrators to see how things were progressing, and explained that the relationship the school and the tennis organization have formed is just in its infancy.

Going forward, there are many wonderful possibilities to expand the game in Kennett, and that has everyone excited about its future. The game in Kennett was a breath away from collapsing. Now it looks potentially stronger than ever.

“I really believe these improvements will revive tennis in Kennett,” said city school board president Matt Shetley, whose daughter Susan is on the KHS team.

“Competitive tennis had suffered so much because of the condition the courts were in. With the improvements, I think that will be solved quite a bit, and I believe we will see more people here coming back to tennis as a ‘fun’ form of exercise.”

And that’s something to Crow about.