USTA SoCal to designate Bakersfield as first Tennis Town

The name of the city is Bakersfield, but next week, during the annual Bakersfield Tennis Open, there will be an official ceremony to permanently recognize it also as a “Tennis Town.”

Done through the United States Tennis Association's Southern California chapter, being a Tennis Town is part of an initiative “to highlight local towns that have been instrumental in the growth of Southern California tennis and where it is more than just a sport — it is woven into the fabric of daily life. These towns are the heart of Southern California’s great tennis legacy.”

Bakersfield will become the first city to earn the Tennis Town designation.

“Tennis Towns are communities that have distinguished themselves with a rich tradition of participation, success and inclusion,” Kern Community Tennis Association Board of Directors President Jerry Matthews said.

A ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Bakersfield Racquet Club, which is hosting the Bakersfield Tennis Open, a men’s professional tennis tournament, March 17-23. The BRC is located at 1660 Pine St.

“Bakersfield Mayor Karen Goh will be joined by Tracy Macnair Burrell and Hank Pfister in accepting this award for our city, but it is really an award for all those who play regularly, teach the game to newcomers, volunteer to create opportunities for others, patronize the professional tournaments, and support the Kern Community Tennis Association's efforts to make tennis accessible to players from all backgrounds and income levels,” Matthews said.

Bakersfield has surely had its share of success in developing top male and female tennis players who’ve excelled at the youth, high school, college and professional level.

Take a look, for instance, at the list of tennis-affiliated inductees who are in the Bob Elias Kern County Sports Hall of Fame. Dennis Ralston was in the inaugural 1967 induction group and he’s since been joined by Lake Lovelace (1969), Sally Moore Huss (1977), Jack Lynch (1981), Henry (Hank) Pfister Sr. (1982), Hank Pfister Jr. (1990), Marianne Werdel Witmeyer (1996), Gloria Friedman (2003), Camille Benjamin (2006) and Frank Thiessen (2018).

Plenty of championship-level success has been reached among Kern County’s local tennis programs — as evidenced recently by the representation this past fall for girls tennis with four county high school teams reaching their respective CIF Central Section division finals.

Having facilities such as the Bakersfield Racquet Club, which has been hosting tennis events and developing generations of players and an Open professional tournament with top-tier players competing, is a major asset. There are also tennis courts spread around town in city parks and other spaces to maintain and encourage community growth with places to play and demonstrate the bond between the sport and the city of Bakersfield.

Through the Tennis Town initiative, USTA Southern California said it will be spotlighting numerous communities and their contributions to the growth of tennis in the region. Its stated goal is to grow the game to 35 million players in the U.S. by 2035.

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