{"id":627555,"date":"2026-04-25T10:50:28","date_gmt":"2026-04-25T10:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/627555\/"},"modified":"2026-04-25T10:50:28","modified_gmt":"2026-04-25T10:50:28","slug":"local-tennis-club-aims-to-rally-renewed-interest-portageonline-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/627555\/","title":{"rendered":"Local tennis club aims to rally renewed interest – PortageOnline.com"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Portage Tennis Club<\/a> is preparing to welcome the public back onto its courts as it looks to rebuild membership and revive interest in the sport through an upcoming open house in early May.<\/p>\n

Club president Jim Malenchak says the organization is working to re-establish itself after a quieter period, with volunteers already preparing the facilities at Island Park for the spring season and regular play underway.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to reorganize the club, it\u2019s kind of been hibernating for a few years, and we want to bring it out more to the public,\u201d Malenchak says.<\/p>\n

The club will host an open house on Sunday, May 3, from 1 to 4 p.m., inviting residents of all ages and skill levels to try tennis, meet members and take part in introductory lessons.<\/p>\n

Related stories:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been playing already, and we cleaned off the courts, ready to go,\u201d Malenchak says.<\/p>\n

He adds that equipment will be available for those new to the sport, including rackets and balls, with members on hand to help beginners learn the basics in a casual setting.<\/p>\n

\u201cCome and try tennis. If you haven\u2019t played, come and try. Come and meet the members because we\u2019ll help you learn how to play. For beginners, we\u2019ll give lessons, or we\u2019ll help you learn how to play the game and enjoy the game,\u201d Malenchak says.<\/p>\n

Courts and access<\/p>\n

The club operates what members describe as the city\u2019s only two viable tennis courts, with Malenchak noting other facilities in the area have fallen into disrepair or are no longer actively used for tennis.<\/p>\n

\"MembersMembers of the Portage Tennis Club gather at the Island Park courts in Portage la Prairie as the group works to rebuild interest in the sport locally. PortageOnline\/Cory Knutt<\/p>\n

He notes that while membership supports upkeep and programming, the courts remain open for public use.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe public has access to the courts. So as a member, you might get priority on key times when the courts are booked but you have free access to play if you want,\u201d Malenchak says.<\/p>\n

Membership fees help fund maintenance and programming, including repairs and general upkeep done by volunteers.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why we got the courts in this kind of shape is because of volunteers and people paying their fees,\u201d Malenchak says.<\/p>\n

Rebuilding interest in tennis<\/p>\n

The club acknowledges shifting recreational trends, with many former players moving toward pickleball in recent years. Malenchak says participation in tennis has declined compared to earlier decades when membership was stronger.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of our ex-members are playing pickleball, and we don\u2019t have any people coming up like they used to,\u201d Malenchak says.<\/p>\n

Still, he notes there is renewed interest from some new players who have chosen tennis over other options.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to reconstruct it,\u201d Malenchak says.<\/p>\n

New players find their game<\/p>\n

Some residents are already discovering the sport through informal play. Dave Bertin, who recently started playing, says he was encouraged to try tennis for recreation and exercise.<\/p>\n

Sandra McEwing, who also began playing recently, says she chose tennis over pickleball because of its style and physical challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe chose tennis over pickleball because tennis is a more gracious sport. It\u2019s not as bashy with the sound. It just feels more elegant,\u201d McEwing says.<\/p>\n

She adds that the setting and social aspect are part of what keeps her coming back.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a beautiful location. We\u2019re not trying to beat each other, we\u2019re trying to engage in a recreational activity rather than a competition,\u201d McEwing says.<\/p>\n

The Portage Tennis Club says membership fees help cover ongoing maintenance and upkeep of the courts, with rates set at $30 for a couple, $20 for an adult, and $15 for juniors under 18.<\/p>\n

Club organizers say the funds are used for things like repairs, equipment, and general improvements, with much of the work also supported by volunteers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Portage Tennis Club is preparing to welcome the public back onto its courts as it looks to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":627556,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[442],"tags":[49,48,82,593],"class_list":["post-627555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=627555"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627555\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/627556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=627555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=627555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=627555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}