TW Upper mid west chapter (Minnesota)

Anyone out there in MN??? I think its high time we start up our own little chapter. Guys n Gals are welcome. A place to get to know each other and hit with eachother... MN where ya at???
 

SlapShot

Hall of Fame
Count me in.

Currently in East St. Paul, may be moving to St. Louis Park if a job offer comes through.

3.5/4.0
 
G

Gugafan_Redux

Guest
MPLS right here.

I play at Baseline (U of M). I used to play at Northwest clubs, but I dropped membership when Lifetime bought them out. Can't wait for spring!
 

SlapShot

Hall of Fame
MPLS right here.

I play at Baseline (U of M). I used to play at Northwest clubs, but I dropped membership when Lifetime bought them out. Can't wait for spring!

I love Baseline as far as indoor courts go. The resurface in grey made them SO much better than the old maroon and gold only.

Definitely comptemplating a move to someplace where the outdoor courts aren't covered in snow 5 months out of the year. ;)
 

Douggo

Semi-Pro
Apple Valley here - 3.5. Play USTA out of baseline, and also play singles at Nicollet/Reed-Sweatt.
 
Apple Valley here - 3.5. Play USTA out of baseline, and also play singles at Nicollet/Reed-Sweatt.

We should hit sometime, I'm right next to AV in Rosemount. How much does it cost to play at Baseline? I've never played USTA but think it would be fun.
 

Zhou

Hall of Fame
When did baseline redo their indoor courts? I was there in october for a tourny and it was maroon with gold lines?
 

Zhou

Hall of Fame
Count me in.

Currently in East St. Paul, may be moving to St. Louis Park if a job offer comes through.

3.5/4.0

Man you are lucky. I live in woodbury so it is like a 40 minute drive there. Michael lynne's tennis shop is beast. We only got a small tennis club there but we are not as lucky, the 2 pros that taught me from the beginning got new jobs and the new pros are not as great
I go to ML Tennis because right now, I do not trust the people at our club to string my rackets also, they carry wilson and prince so if I got my rackets strung there I would have to order PHT on TW.
 

SlapShot

Hall of Fame
When did baseline redo their indoor courts? I was there in october for a tourny and it was maroon with gold lines?

They resurfaced them in September with the grey outlines - prior to that, the entire surface (both the court and surrounding the court) were maroon, which seemed to absorb the lighting much more than the grey.

Man you are lucky. I live in woodbury so it is like a 40 minute drive there. Michael lynne's tennis shop is beast. We only got a small tennis club there but we are not as lucky, the 2 pros that taught me from the beginning got new jobs and the new pros are not as great
I go to ML Tennis because right now, I do not trust the people at our club to string my rackets also, they carry wilson and prince so if I got my rackets strung there I would have to order PHT on TW.

You talking about Wooddale? I'm very familiar with the "Wooddale Wall" :). Not bad courts, but I alwys feel like the lighting there is weird.
 

Zhou

Hall of Fame
Yeah, it is wooddale tennis.
I mean, the courts are decent but I mean the walls are just too close to the courts so if you serve out wide, there is a good chance it would go into the wall or court dividers.
I only take tennis lessons there because it is close and I do not have that much time to go after school 2/3 days a week at Fred Wells.
I met Amy Fraser there!
 
Yeah. There were a couple of nights when it dipped down to minus 15 in the Twin Cities. And that doesn't include wind chill. We had consecutive days (3), earlier this month, when it didn't rise above 0. But it was actually worse last year when we had two full weeks when it didn't get above 0. I remember going out one night when the temp "rose" to 0, exactly 0, and thinking "I know it's zero, but it still feels pretty cold." I guess I knew then and there I've lived here too long.

The heater in the back bubble at Fort Snelling went out a couple of weeks ago. I heard the USTA team had to play in their sweats.
 
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Zhou

Hall of Fame
Lilydale was nice. Reasonable prices and nice courts.
Can you hit at baseline for free or do you need a membership?
Baseline has really nice courts except I don't like how the net doesn't dip down.
 

zapvor

G.O.A.T.
It's been cold this winter - we've had a couple of -20 days. We wouldn't be hitting outside during this time - too windy. ;)

aw boo. i was going to give you guys mad props. lets see some footage of outside hitting when it hits minus 20 again. come on! i did it in 29 degree with wind. wait...thats still like 40 degree different lol
 

Zhou

Hall of Fame
I would hit outside but come on, look how much snow is outside.
Imagine what it would do to your strings.
 

TonLars

Professional
Hey all, Im from Long Prairie which is 2.5 hours north of the Twin Cities (its near the Alexandria area). Im a 5.5 player

I just started my job here in Spring Lake Park actually a couple days ago. Im a tennis instructor here at 'Public Indoor tennis'. This facility just started this last December. I strongly encourage any of you to check it out. The manager has an interesting goal of making tennis more accessible to everyone; rather than pay such high fees for membership at the health clubs that go along with the tennis: workout equipment, showers, lockers, spas, etc. Its all about the tennis and at a very affordable price; much cheaper than anywhere else around.

Id love to give anyone a lesson if interested. Otherwise just check out the rates, the website is http://www.publicindoortennis.com
 
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TonLars

Professional
Haha, yes you are right. Shows you proof that Im definitely not from around here. Spring Lake Park
 

TonLars

Professional
Tony - When do you teach? I'd love to get some pointers from you if we could schedule something.

Hey, definitely thatd be fun, Im not sure what works for you but I just took a look at what times are available coming up so youll have to let me know. Right now this is what it looks like the next few days for options, anything in between these hours:

Thursday: 1-3pm, 5-6pm
Saturday: 2-10pm
Sunday: 8am-2:30pm, 6-10pm
 

tykrum

Rookie
Interesting, I actually was asked by a friend at the USTA if I wanted to look into teaching there. I said I was only looking for full-time career jobs, but here I am still without one! I wouldn't want to be a tennis instructor for my career anyway.

I am 4.5 player that plays out of Baseline as well. My 4.5 team just won our flight last week, pretty excited about being at areas this summer. Also my hometown is Winona, Dover are you still in high school? Cotter or Senior High?
 
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SlapShot

Hall of Fame
Hey, definitely thatd be fun, Im not sure what works for you but I just took a look at what times are available coming up so youll have to let me know. Right now this is what it looks like the next few days for options, anything in between these hours:

Thursday: 1-3pm, 5-6pm
Saturday: 2-10pm
Sunday: 8am-2:30pm, 6-10pm

Tony - drop me an e-mail. pjnelson AT stthomas DOT edu
 

SlapShot

Hall of Fame
Yeah - I'm playing for Rogers. I am Rogers, in fact. We'll be seeing you guys next week.

Not sure if I'll be playing that match, but I'll make sure to say hi if I am. We've been chasing Galvin all season - someone needs to beat them. :evil:
 

SlapShot

Hall of Fame
Bumping this thread.

I just got back from a lesson with TonLars - very good pointers. I'd recommend him to anyone looking to sharpen their game.
 
Hey Slapshot,

I noticed your St. Thomas address. I heard a rumor that they're getting rid of the courts at St. Thomas. Any truth to this?
 

TonLars

Professional
Bumping this thread.

I just got back from a lesson with TonLars - very good pointers. I'd recommend him to anyone looking to sharpen their game.

Thanks, it was fun and you did well! I think if you work hard you can keep improving your game quite a bit. You definitely can have a solid forehand weapon, the key is just cutting down the unforced errors. The hitting part is hard for me since every shot I hit is painful and I dont have much strength, but I can get by enough to keep the ball in play a little.

Hope to see you again soon, good luck with your matches
 

SlapShot

Hall of Fame
As far as I know that's the plan. Here's a link to some additional information:

http://www.stthomas.edu/openingdoors/studentCenter/StudentCenterCaseStatement.html

I guess I'll be playing at St. Kate's... Off topic, are there any lighted courts near St. Thomas? I thought Mac used to have lights, but I'm not sure if that's the case anymore.

Lighted courts are a bear to find around St. Paul for some reason - last summer, I hit at St. Kates, Mac, St. Paul Academy, and Highland Park HS, and I think only Mac has lights.

St. Thomas's courts were trashy and worn out anyway. Wouldn't be my first choice of places to hit.
 

Zhou

Hall of Fame
I am so happy today. I bought a stringer! Gamma Progression II 602 FC. It arrives in about 1.5 weeks!
Now I can tryout new hybrids without having to spend the extra money. Wooddale would charge me $76 for both of my rackets and at Michael Lynne's they charge $72. I would make the stringer back in about a year.
 

TonLars

Professional
I bought a stringer! Wooddale would charge me $76 for both of my rackets and at Michael Lynne's they charge $72.

Thats outrageous!

Where I work, theyd charge you 10-20+ dollars less for hybrid stringing. But getting a stringer is the best way to go.
 
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SlapShot

Hall of Fame
I've been stringing my own since my senior year of high school - I don't even want to think about how much $$ I've saved. I actually plan on upgrading to a new stringer soon, but I'm still in the "can't decide what I want" phase.
 

UserNeimenin

New User
Wooddale Tennis Center

I just can't believe this kid bashing the Wooddale Tennis Center! It is the perfect place to play tennis in the cities. For one thing, you don't have to pay outrageous membership fees like those Lifetime Fitness Centers.

Also, who doesn't love playing attached to a live roller skating rink on a Friday night? Just suck it up and don't worry about the guy 10 feet away grunting on the bench press.

The courts there are great and the walls are close, but if you can't get to the ball before it hits the wall, you probably aren't quick enough to get the ball or it was going to be a clean winner anyway. After playing in the Wooddale Classic, I found that it is one of the greater arenas for tennis in the whole state and if you don't feel that way you are a SPOILED BRAT, not a real tennis player.

And the person who said the new pros there aren't as good, are you kidding me? What a joke. Are you speaking of the same Wooddale that is run by Narrski? He's top notch and runs one of the greater clubs in Minnesota.
 
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