Cedar Rapids tennis center will be ready for Iowa boys’ state tournament

CEDAR RAPIDS — With a school year that began with a derecho and has endured a pandemic throughout, it is no surprise there was plenty of last-minute work needed to keep the Class 2A boys’ state tennis tournament in Cedar Rapids.

After having the spring season canceled in 2019 due to COVID-19 restrictions, the local tennis community saw its best-known outdoor facility, the 12-court Veterans Memorial Tennis Center, ravaged by last August's derecho.

As the spring tennis season began, there still was plenty of work to be done in order to hold the state meet, set to begin Friday at 9:30 a.m., concluding with the title matches on Saturday afternoon. The Class 1A portion of the meet will be held at Byrnes Park in Waterloo.

"We received huge cooperation from everyone in the city's Parks and Recreation Division," said Randy Krejci, who serves as the meet director. "We also got help from contractors and private companies assisting in getting the tennis center ready for this premier event."

Lewie Curtis, who is the director of officials for the Iowa High School Athletic Association, also is the IHSAA director in charge of tennis. He made a visit to Cedar Rapids last week to check on the progress of repairs.

At first glance, there was some doubt as to whether or not the Cedar Rapids facility would be ready, he said. "Consideration was given to a facility in central Iowa, but that was primarily as a Plan B option.

"The folks with the City of Cedar Rapids and the visitor’s bureau really made me feel like they could and would get the job done. As with many things over the past 12-18 months, we know that last-minute decisions might have to get made, but people are more comfortable with those uncomfortable issues."

Over the past few weeks many things had to be addressed — including repairs to much of the fencing, bringing bleachers back, repainting some court markings and replacing or repairing other amenities needed to host a tennis meet.

"We even had to make sure all the grass around the courts got mowed," Krejci said. "We haven't had any official meets (since 2019). I know the venue will be looking good come Friday morning."

As for the tournament itself, it was seeded through Zoom calls earlier this week, a departure from past years when seeds were decided at a meeting of the coaches the morning of the meet.

"That eliminates the length of the pre-tournament meeting," Krejci said, noting that it will allow matches to get started right on time.

Curtis anticipates a weekend filled with exciting play.

"We look forward to some great tennis to be played in a tennis community," he said. "(We are appreciative) to Cedar Rapids and Waterloo for taking on this task along with the many volunteers who will help make the tournament a success."