Whiteland coach serves up makeshift tennis court

<strong>T</strong>alk about a home-court advantage.

With public tennis facilities off limits due to the COVID-19 crisis, Mike Gillespie made it so he and his sons could practice the sport they love and social distancing at the same time.

Gillespie, the longtime Whiteland High School girls and boys tennis coach, got creative by making a makeshift court in the cul-de-sac near the family’s residence.

“We set it up whenever we want,” Gillespie said. “We keep PVC pipes in the garage and some sort of temporary fencing net for your yard. We wrap it around the PVC pipes, keep it together with zip ties and we have tennis.”

Quinten Gillespie, a Whiteland junior who has played No. 1 singles the past three seasons, takes advantage of the setup as often as possible. Mike Gillespie plays, too, as do younger sons Spencer (13) and Grady (9).

The cul-de-sac court, featuring black spray-painted boundaries on the gray asphalt, measures 31 feet wide compared to the customary width of 27 feet for singles and 36 feet for doubles play. It is 72 feet in length, six feet short of a conventional tennis court.

Such dimensions, according to Mike Gillespie, make it difficult to have a doubles competition at home as the court is too narrow. Singles matches are always a go, as is a game called King of the Court.

The latter, Mike Gillespie said, is when a player plays singles against challengers until defeated twice. When a challenger beats the king two times, he becomes the new king.

Instead of using yellow tennis balls, the family incorporates green dot tennis balls, which at 25 percent reduced pressure are a slightly slower ball that doesn’t bounce quite as high.

“I try to play every day,” said Quinten Gillespie, a member of the Daily Journal’s 2019 All-County team after going 21-4 last fall. “Taking breaks here and there isn’t going to kill you in tennis, but I thought it was cool when he did it. The net we’re using is probably higher than a regulation net, which is good.”

The higher net, Quinten said, helps with practicing net clearance for when they return to practicing and playing matches on a regulation tennis court.

Games of basketball in the family driveway are also common at the Gillespie residence. Soccer balls and footballs get their share of use.

However, it’s nice to know that a game of cul-de-sac tennis is always a possibility.

“It’s tough to play when it’s wet, but we’ve been playing in gusty winds and cold weather,” Mike Gillespie said. “It’s another way for our kids to play something. I didn’t make it for training. I made it for fun.”