By Judy Piersall

Steve Ellis and his wife moved to Marietta, Oh., in 2004. With a desire to play tennis and a love of the sport, he was met with the challenge of getting tennis going in an area that seemed to hold little interest for the sport.

Tennis had peaked in Marietta in the 70s when the area had nearly 30 well conditioned courts. Marietta had the tennis bug. Unfortunately from this high, the decline in the years to come was dramatic.

The city’s public courts received little or no repair. The void left by abandoned facilities was filled by vandalism. As tennis participation declined, the city struggled to justify investment in facilities.

Ellis developed a plan which he hoped would spark tennis resurgence in the area. He created the Marietta Community Tennis Association (MCTA) that allowed him to apply for and obtain more than $5,000 in USTA grants for tennis court repair. The grants, coupled with FEMA funding allowed Marietta to repair four courts at Indian Acres Park and Lookout Park.

He was not only engaging the tennis community but city government as well. He explained to the Marietta Mayor’s office and at Marietta Council meetings that well-maintained tennis facilities would improve the City and reduce vandalism. He volunteered in the community by helping coach Marietta College tennis teams, working at the YMCA with the National Youth Sports Program, and helping set up a tennis program at a local club.

In 2006, Ellis was offered a job with city government as the Assistant Safety Service Director. This position allowed him to develop plans to repair the two remaining abandoned courts at Lookout Park. He identified funding and convinced city government that increasing participation and the reduction of vandalism made this a justifiable investment.

The resurgence in tennis in Marietta, Ohio can be summed up in six words —- The hard work of Steve Ellis.