Wilmette Park District Searches for Paddle Tennis Pro

Wilmette Park District is conducting a nationwide search for a paddle tennis pro for the four paddle tennis courts the district is planning to build at West Park, the district is waiting for zoning relief from the village before construction could begin, Chicago Tribune reported. 

The park district has earmarked about $58,000 to hire a part-time professional paddle tennis instructor for 10 months to get a league started and has contacted national paddle tennis organizations and posted the position on their websites, Chicago Tribune reported. 

Wilmette Park District approved constructing four platform tennis courts and a warming hut at West Park during a July 2012 meeting. 

The facility to be built at 3555 Lake Ave. is estimated to cost about $1.2 million and two additional courts could be built if demand increases.  

Platform tennis, also known as paddle, is a “down-sized game of tennis,” where the courts are a quarter the size of a standard tennis court, according to the American Platform Tennis Association. 

A fusion of racquetball, squash and tennis, platform tennis is an outdoor sport suitable for winter because it’s played on a raised platform with heating systems beneath it to melt off snow and ice. 

Developed in New York in the late 1920s, the sport was mainly played in private sports clubs along the North Shore, but has since taken off with park districts. Winnketa offers platform tennis through its park district and Glenview Park District is slated to open paddle tennis courts at and recently hired a paddle tennis pro to oversee its programs. 

Related Coverage

• Wilmette Park District Approves Platform Tennis Courts
• Most Attendees Supportive of Wilmette's Platform Tennis Plan
• Wilmette Approves Public Hearing for Platform Tennis