The July 22–24 weekend of the National Public Parks Tennis Championships (NPPTC) – hosted by the Bucks County Tennis Association (BCTA) Inc., and supported by the Bucks County Tourism Grant Program – was one of great tennis on various levels, and a “hot” ticket both in attendance and weather. Courtsides quickly started to look like beach scenes with numerous umbrellas and tents popping up to stave off the sun.
Friday evening, just under 90 county participants of BCTA public park tennis programs gathered at Council Rock High School North to compete in a fun team challenge that enabled them to test their tennis prowess against their peers. Some of the athletes enjoyed their first competitive tennis experience that night, in what was the novice division of the NPPTC.
The team results were competitive in all three – Little Aces, Juniors, Teens/Adults – divisions, with bonus rounds of tennis games adding to the fun and excitement.
Saturday and Sunday events showcased the 20th annual BCTA Jr. Classic, a USTA-sanctioned Level 6 tournament for boys and girls in the 14-, 16- and 18-and-under age divisions, and adult competitions that included men’s and women’s divisions in a Level 5 Open Adult Prize Money tournament as well as various men’s and women’s NTRP skill level singles and doubles competitions. The adult divisions also highlighted a special Carol White Women’s Doubles competition held in memory of the former local tennis player, coach and volunteer. Proceeds from this doubles event were donated to breast cancer research and the BCTA Carol White Scholarship program.
The three-day event attracted over 350 junior and adult players and tennis enthusiasts from the surrounding area and as far away as Minneapolis, Baltimore and Atlanta – and all were invited, with their guests, to a Player Picnic/Reception held in the historic Tyler Formal Gardens on the Newtown campus of Bucks County Community College in conjunction with Open Aire Affairs.
Leading up to this historic weekend (as this is the first time the NPPTC was held in the Philadelphia area since 1926 and its first appearance since COVID cancellations in 2020 and 2021) were plenty of promotional activities. The BCTA reproduced the “Original 9” tennis exhibit, a recreation of the International Tennis Hall of Fame exhibit that honored the nine women who risked their reputations to start the women’s professional tennis tour. The exhibit has been on display in the Linksz Pavilion on the Newtown Campus of Bucks County Community College. The BCTA also created the Bucks County Tennis Trail that sent tennis enthusiasts to BCTA-programmed public park tennis courts for selfies that could earn them a free NPPTC T-shirt and other tennis merchandise as well as two tickets to the US Open in New York City.
For a full event wrap-up and results, visit buckscountytennis.usta.com.
“What a great weekend of tennis,” BCTA Program Director Laura Canfield enthused. “The high heat index did nothing to stifle the quality of tennis or the enthusiasm of the players.”
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