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Tennis Facilities At Choate In October 1995, Choate Rosemary Hall dedicated the Torrence Hunt Tennis Center, the realization of a vision by Torrence M. "Tod" Hunt Sr., a graduate of the Class of 1940, a parent and grandparent of Choate students, as well as a long-time trustee of the school. Mr. Hunt--a former captain of the varsity squad and a member of the school's Athletics Hall of Fame--was committed to providing the school with, in his words, a "world class" facility as a symbol of the excellence Choate Tennis has long embodied. (He also has been involved with a similar project at his other alma mater, Williams College--another institution with an impressive legacy in the sport.)
To supplement the Hunt Tennis Center, the Rosenthal Tennis Courts provide an inclement weather alternative in the Johnson Athletic Center. The three indoor courts were resurfaced in the summer of 2001. Quite simply, Choate's tennis facilities are unparalleled in the world of scholastic tennis.
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The initial stage of the Hunt Tennis Center's development in 1995 entailed
six brand new
showcase courts adjoining a spacious clubhouse. The building itself boasts a large
central room for team functions, locker room facilities for both boys and girls, a kitchen, a state-of-the-art video system, trophy cases,
a stringing machine, equipment storage, and office space for coaches. The
walls of the clubhouse feature Choate Tennis memorabilia, including
plaques listing each of the male and female captains of the Choate,
Rosemary Hall, and CRH tennis teams since the early twentieth century, as
well as pictures of the school's national champions and distinguished
teams. On the occasion of the Center's dedication, Mr. Hunt also endowed a
new award to be given to one boy and one girl on the school's varsity
teams each spring to recognize "Character, Sportsmanship, Spirit, and
Improvement" in the sport. The unique crystal tennis sculpture
created as the permanent trophy for the Hunt Award is prominently
displayed in the Center's illuminated trophy case.
Happily
for the Choate program, Mr. Hunt stayed very involved with the school
and its tennis venue after the Center's opening. In addition to his
initial gift, Mr. Hunt's vision and generosity facilitated three
upgrades to the complex since 1995. The creation of
eight new courts in the fall of 1998 served to embellish the beauty
and functionality of the Center, bringing all of the fourteen courts there
up to championship standard. And in the spring of 2000 and again in the
winter of 2001, the school completed the addition of
stadium seating overlooking the Hunt Center's show courts as well as additional
landscaping around the grounds. The new facilities for spectators make the
Hunt Tennis Center a perfect site for large tournaments. There also are plans
to create additional outdoor match courts adjoining the Center within
the next few years.
