Jim Mallery, president of the Athletic Boosters Club; Warner Offord, tennis coach; Mike Roy, athletic director; and Lloyd Appell of the Vicksburg Foundation, proudly show off the newly resurfaced tennis courts at Vicksburg High School.
The twelve tennis courts had developed cracks where water settled, causing the surface to become uneven since they were built over 20 years ago, according to Mike Roy. They have now been resurfaced in blue concrete to meet the latest in the United States Tennis Association official colors. The cost of the $80,000 project was split between the Athletic Boosters organization, which put in $30,000; the Vicksburg Foundation with $30,000 and the school’s athletic budget with $20,000. The school’s portion also included resurfacing the infields of the baseball diamond and the softball diamond this fall, Roy pointed out.
Lloyd Appell, who has served with the Foundation and the school board for many years, was pleased the Foundation could contribute. “Athletics, like band and other school extra-curricular activities, are a vital part of the educational process. They help students get organized and work hard for success, just as any of the classroom experiences they have.”
“We are so fortunate and blessed to have the sports facilities we have in these economic times,” Roy said. ‘It makes for a proud community. The Boosters and Foundation are a big help to the sports programs so we don’t have to charge for ‘pay to play’ as many of our neighbors must do.”
