Laguna’s campus has seen major change in the last year — it has received a new, state-of-the-art library and an eco-friendly parking plaza. Most recently, construction began on the addition of four brand new tennis courts.
“The idea of having tennis courts was always something the athletic department dreamed about. Having the courts allows us to keep our tennis teams on campus for practice and to be able to host CIF matches. Having the players be able to play in front of their peers for the first time is very exciting for them and a great help to the entire program,” said Athletic Director Mike Biermann.
They are to be used for tennis teams’ practices, matches, and P.E. classes.
“The process included securing approvals from Santa Barbara County and the Hope Ranch Homeowners Association. The principal concerns we had to address were the placement and design of the courts. We needed to find a location that minimized noise to our surrounding neighbors and the ‘visibility’ of the courts from Las Palmas. Further to this approval process, we had to work with the County and Hope Ranch on landscape design elements of the project to ensure that the courts would, as much as possible, blend into the natural look of the areas surrounding the gym,” said Mr. Tom Pickett, Chairman of Laguna Blanca’s Board.
The courts were fully funded by the Furukawa family.
“The decision on the tennis courts was really created by the Furukawa family. They came forward and offered a gift to the School designated specifically for the building of the tennis courts. Because tennis is an important part of Laguna’s boys’ and girls’ athletic programs and offering comprehensive athletic programs to our students is part of Laguna’s Mission. We welcomed the Furukawa family’s generous gift and moved the tennis courts project forward,” said Mr. Pickett.
Having the courts on campus will make it easier on the players because they won’t have to travel for practices, and the student body will now be able to attend more games.
“We will now have a total of six courts, which is the required number for us to host home tennis matches instead of playing those matches at the Santa Barbara Municipal Courts. This will make it easier for our community of parents, students, and faculty to attend home matches and support our tennis teams,” said Mr. Pickett.
The courts are being built by First-Serve Tennis of Santa Barbara. They will be hard-court with a medium/slow surface.
“Having courts on campus means we don’t have to waste 30 minutes driving to and from the Muni courts. Plus, maybe more than two people will show up to the matches,” said senior Ben Furukawa.