Tennis Center Sets A New Standard

By Steve Daniel

When Bill Chick took up tennis at Old Dominion in the late ’60s, he and the other students in his physical education class received instruction at the courts behind Larchmont Elementary School, because there were no courts on campus.

His teacher? First-year athletic director Jim Jarrett. Four decades later, Jarrett, who is still going strong as ODU’s athletic director, was among the many well-wishers on hand Sept. 29 for the opening of the $7 million Folkes-Stevens Indoor Tennis Center, built by Chick’s Pepperdine Corp. of Suffolk.

Funny how some things come full circle.

“His main concern was the students,” Chick said of Jarrett, recalling his college years. “He knew I didn’t have any money, so he said, ‘Here’s a racket, so you can play.’”

To this day he considers that gesture, and Jarrett’s instruction, as a valuable gift. “He kept telling us that after we learned to play, we could play tennis until we were 70 years old. I’m 60 now and still playing. It’s a great sport.”

While it’s been many years since he has had to teach tennis as part of his AD duties, Jarrett likewise has retained his love of the sport and is proud of what his former student accomplished.

“As an Old Dominion graduate, Bill was committed to going the extra mile to ensure that the Monarch tennis facility would be outstanding,” Jarrett said.

Pepperdine Corp., which Chick founded 35 years ago and serves as president and CEO, was selected to undertake the design/build project, beating out larger firms that submitted proposals. Chick, who collaborated on the design with Martin Bardoun of Bardoun Design, noted that two other ODU alumni worked on the project as subcontractors: Ted Ambrose ’83, president of Hickman-Ambrose Inc., who did the mechanical, electrical and plumbing design work, and Ed Pence (M.E. ’78), senior vice president of Stroud, Pence & Associates, who served as the structural engineer.

Local tennis enthusiasts Grey Folkes and Ricky Stevens contributed $500,000 each to the project, nearly half of the amount that was raised to get it started.

“What we did was go down to Duke, North Carolina and North Carolina State to interview the coaches there. They were happy to show us their facilities, but spent most of the time telling us what they didn’t like about them,” Chick said. “Our design was based on what they liked and a whole bunch of what they didn’t like, along with Darryl’s needs.”

Darryl Cummings, the men’s and women’s tennis coach (as well as a 1992 ODU graduate), couldn’t be happier with the result. “It was sort of value-added to have someone from the local community, someone who also is an alumnus, get involved in this project,” he said of Chick. “You can see Bill’s touches and passion throughout this facility.”

The center has eight climate-controlled courts (plus 12 new outdoor courts), offices for the staff, locker rooms and lounges for the teams, plus two separate locker areas for members.

It was attention to detail that has made the center such an impressive facility – things like the “U.S. Open blue” courts, extra space between the sidelines and indirect lighting similar to that found at the National Tennis Center. Then there are the spiral staircases leading up to the mezzanine where fans can watch the play down below; the curved glass facade at the front of the building; even ceramic tile and granite countertops in the restrooms and locker rooms, which Pepperdine donated.

Chick, who earned his ODU degree in political science in 1970, views the center not so much as a feather in Pepperdine’s cap, but as a venue where Cummings can continue to build the tennis program and where locals can come to play.

Even before it was built, the Folkes-Stevens Indoor Tennis Center helped out in the recruitment process. Cummings said he added five solid freshmen to the men’s team last fall, including three from Virginia. They, along with his returning players, are thrilled with the new facility.Cummings said he believes the ODU center has set a new standard. “This is the one people will be shooting for.”

For information about membership, classes and events, call Matt Halfpenny, tennis center coordinator, at 757-645-8506.