The composition of Tennis Courts in Flamingo Park will once again be discussed by the Ctiy Commission on September 15, 2010

From: Tobin, Ed [mailto:Ed@miamibeachfl.gov]

Sent: Friday, September 03, 2010 4:25 PM
Subject: Tennis in Miami Beach - Flamingo Park



Dear Community Leaders,



Q. What do Mary Joe Fernandez, Chris Evert, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Bjorn Borg and our local favorite, Eddie Dibbs, all have in common?



A. They all played as teenagers at the Orange Bowl Junior Tennis Tournament on Miami Beach!



Many of us have fond memories of the Orange Bowl Junior Tennis Tournament. The tournament was held at Flamingo Park for over 50 years before it was moved to Crandon Park in 1998.Now, we have an opportunity to bring back the Tournament to Miami Beach.



The Orange Bowl Junior tournament was founded in 1947 by a Miami Beach resident, Eddie Herr, and has become a “rite of passage” in junior tennis. The tournament is one of the most prestigious junior tennis tournaments in the world. Many tennis greats had their careers launched by winning at the Orange Bowl Tournament.



On September 15th the Commission will vote on the configuration of the tennis center at Flamingo Park.   At the core of the debate is whether to keep 17 clay courts in Flamingo Park or change to 12 clay and 5 hard courts. The decision will have a direct effect on our youth, residents and businesses. I am compelled to support positive changes to our community and make you aware of issues that may seem small (compared to the immediate challenges that we face), but are significant to our community. I strongly believe that bringing back the Junior Tournament would bring a positive international spotlight to our community and be a benefit to all.



Maintaining 17 clay courts at Flamingo Park is important to our community for 3 significant reasons:



1. Less Injuries - Clay courts have a health and training benefit for ALL tennis players. The benefits of playing on clay courts has been documented by the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) top coaches and trainers. Patrick McEnroe, USTA’s Director of Player Development, has stated that clay courts help build better competitors while providing a safer playing surface for all players. In a study conducted in 2009 on injuries to players, one of the main causes for injuries was the hard surfaces the junior players practiced and played on. Hard courts can be debilitating on a body. The health and safety of our children and residents are compelling reasons to maintain the clay courts at Flamingo Park.



2. Training Benefits -The benefits to improving a player’s game is also supported by the USTA, recognizing that training on clay helps all court players. Some in our community have argued for changing the composition of the courts at Flamingo Park to allow for our High School players to continue training on hard courts. It is true that most high schools train on hard courts, but this is due to lower costs associated with hard courts – and no other considerations. Going with the “status quo” should not be our reasoning. We should aim to give our kids an advantage by having them train on a safer surface, which the USTA considers the ideal training surface for the next tennis champion. Our high school players would have an advantage if they were allowed to train on clay courts and would become better overall players. Our High School team presently plays at the four hard courts in Normandy Shores.



3. Economic Development-The Tournament is held during the first week of December, typically a slow period for our hotel businesses and our economy would get a boost - with over 2000 hotel occupants and 6000 spectators. Participants of these types of tournaments spend on average three times the amount of the average tourist.



Many of us remember the electricity in the air as the best junior tennis players in the world came to our great City to compete for one of the most coveted titles in junior tennis. The Tournament was an inspiration to our community.



In March, I invited key organizers of the event to Miami Beach. They were impressed. I have been encouraged by conversations with USTA decision makers who have expressed an openness to work with our City. Maintaining 17 clay courts is a key component. The tournament venue must provide enough of the same surface courts for the number of players who participate in the tournament, including pre-qualification matches. The 17 clay courts at Flamingo Park along with the 10 clay at North Shore Park would meet their requirements.



I urge you to support maintaining seventeen (17) clay courts at Flamingo Park. Please provide a Letter of Support and encourage your members to attend the meeting on September 15th.. If you cannot attend the meeting, please contact the Mayor and Commissioners and let your opinion be known and counted.



Your feedback is important to me. Please contact my office at 305-673-7107 or e-mail me at Ed@miamibeachfl.gov - with your opinion.



Thank you for your support.



Respectfully,





Ed Tobin
MIAMIBEACH Edward L. Tobin, Commissioner
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR & COMMISSION
1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139
Tel: 305-673-7107 / Fax: 305-673-7096 / www.miamibeachfl.gov

The position of the Flamingo Park Neighborhood has remained consistent throughout the past two years:  Seventeen is Enough!  Do not take additional green park space to increase the number of Tennis Courts.  Just choose.