After years of attempts, Laguna Blanca was finally able to secure approval to build its new tennis facility on the upper campus in Hope Ranch. The project was completed in record-time once approvals were received, and we have now had the opportunity to play several home matches and hold a number of practices on campus for the first time! On Wednesday, the entire school took part in a dedication ceremony.

Speaking to a large crowd of Laguna students and community members, Head of School Richard Marracino and then school board-member Tom Pickett took the opportunity to thanks those involved, particularly the Furukawa family, for their work in securing the home-court advantage for Laguna tennis!

Following the ceremony, players took the court for an exhibition match, including members of the current team, alums of the program, parents, faculty, and other Laguna Blanca community members. In a hard-fought battle, Team Blanca defeated Team Laguna by the score of 5-3 in a series of exciting doubles matches.

Despite gaining full access to the courts less than two weeks ago, I have already noticed the positive impact. Current Laguna boys’ tennis players have been turning up during free periods and lunch to work on their game, and a surprising number of students not currently on the team have been seen out on-court. The future of Laguna tennis is looking very bright and I am looking forward to helping the tennis program progress.

– Trevor Thorpe