Hinsdale Paddle

Petitioning the Village of Hinsdale for Additional Platform Tennis Courts

This week we begin a petition drive, asking the Village of Hinsdale to act on its plans for platform tennis that were approved in 2001 (2-1/2 years ago!). Here's that plan (all 15 Megabytes): http://www.villageofhinsdale.org/pr/files/parkfacilities.pdf


Our initial goal will be to collect 500 signatures to present to the Parks & Recreation Commission. Paddle players are asked to solicit signatures of adult Hinsdale residents (an average contribution will be 8 signatures collected by each player). The petition signers do not need to be paddle players themselves. We also welcome non-residents who have acquired passes for platform tennis to endorse this petition.



Here's what we are saying:

Dear Commissioners and Trustees:

Thank you for your continuing efforts to understand and to respond to the needs of our community.

The Village of Hinsdale has recognized that we are facing a shortage of platform tennis courts. In the November 2001 Comprehensive Parks Facilities Master Plan, a solution to this problem was identified:

"The two existing platform tennis courts located in Burns Field should be relocated to KLM with the addition of two new platform tennis courts. The four new courts should be located in the southeast portion of the park. A warming building with restrooms should be constructed adjacent to the new platform tennis courts."

I urge the Village of Hinsdale to proceed now with its plans for adding platform tennis courts and to complete this project in 2004.

Platform Tennis Petition

Players will receive copies of the petition during the week of October 27 through the team captains. Please do your part to expand this valuable Hinsdale Parks program

Challenge Match Procedures

We encourage all players within the Hinsdale Park District teams to seek the highest level of competition possible in order to develop to your potential. We have two mechanisms in place to attain this goal:

1. The team captains get together a few times each season to consider changes to the team rosters. Moves of an individual from one roster to another and swaps of two players will both be common cases.

2. Players, paired with a partner, can also trigger a move to a higher level within or across teams. We call this a “challenge”.

This note describes the procedures in place for challenge matches. Although initiating a challenge may be uncomfortable for some people, please recognize that this can also be a healthy and fun part of a competitive sport. Encourage your paddle colleagues to test their skills.



Paddle Challenge Match Procedures

75th Anniversary Issue of Paddle Featured in Platform Tennis Magazine



This issue recalls the finals of the Chicago league play-offs and lists the winning teams from last season (including three teams from Hinsdale Park District).

Juniors Program on Halloween


The folks at Viking are putting a free clinic for juniors on Halloween from 6 to 9 PM. The details are included in this note:
Viking Kids Day October 31, 2003

The Official Rule Book

The APTA recently updated its notes about rules and etiquette.

Platform Tennis Rules 2003

Instructional Videos on Platform Tennis

The MPAA has not yet rated either of these videos, but rest assured they are for a general audience.

Driving Directions to Platform Tennis Facilities

Bill O'Brien kindly provides a set of driving directions from Hinsdale to the other paddle facilities in the Chicago area.

Driving Directions for Paddle League Matches

This map may also come in handy:

Map for some North Shore Paddle Clubs

The Doings reports that neighbors around Burns Field will lobby against additional paddle courts.