Tennis machine purchased with Dr. Burke memorial funds

By SUE RIEDER
sports@beeherald.com

A portable silent partner tennis ball machine has been purchased with money donated to the Greene County Community Center in memory of Dr. Robert Burke, long time Jefferson doctor and tennis enthusiast. The battery operated machine can operate for 3-4 hours before needing recharging and can hold 150 tennis balls to throw to a player who doesn’t have a partner. There are different setting, so the machine can throw balls to many different places on the court to simulate match play, or it can be set to throw balls in relatively the same area if being used with a beginning player or one who wants to work on a certain type of return.

The new purchase is currently only being used for tennis lesson that are being taught by instructors hired by the center. Alex Hamilton and Kathy Bravard recently used the machine when working with a group of elementary students. Administrator Vicky Lautner stated that the board will be meeting soon to determine policies for borrowing the portable unit. She aniticipates that borrowers will be required to leave a deposit/ and or a credit card before taking the machine to the tennis court to use.