An exciting new addition to the HF campus has been in the works for quite some time. The completion of the new tennis facility is just weeks away, and with it brings valuable benefits to the school community and a permanent home for the tennis team. Thanks to a few incredibly generous donors, Holy Family will soon be home to seven beautiful green courts. 

Mr. Nakayama, Advancement Director at Holy Family, explains how the project came to be. “The majority of the major donations are from donors who wish to be anonymous. We had one family who, unfortunately, lost their daughter (an alum of Holy Family). She played tennis at Holy Family, and they wanted to start seed money for tennis courts at the school. That was a very large gift.  We then had another donor who also wanted to be anonymous, come in and basically double that gift. Holy Family then did some additional financing and we began the project. The total of the project is about $800,000.”

This new facility will bring benefits to the tennis team in more ways than one. “It will give us something to be proud about; it will be our home court to defend versus borrowing,” says girls tennis coach Mrs. Storgaard. 

Aside from enriching school spirit, the tennis courts will also help the team with logistics. In previous seasons, the tennis team has had to practice at several different locations. “We have six different sites, and on an annual basis those sites change based on where we can get permits. Girls are driving anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes all over Broomfield, and sometimes as far as Erie or Longmont,” says Mrs. Storgaard. “We have such an incredible program, and because Holy Family is such a great place to be, I think our girls were willing to make the sacrifices they made.” After being asked if this will pique the tennis interest of future tigers, Mrs. Storgaard adds: “Having new courts will only encourage people to make that choice.”

In addition to being used by the girls tennis team, Mr. Nakayama points out, “Obviously we will be able to host tennis camps for younger kids, and eventually down the line we may see a boys tennis team come to Holy Family as well.”

A long time coming for sure, the completion of the tennis courts is now at the hands of the weather. Although everything is mostly completed, the top layer cannot be put in until the weather is 50 degrees or warmer for 5 days in a row. Originally planned to be done by the end of April, the current temperatures will likely cause the courts to be completed towards the beginning of May.

When asked if the facility will be dedicated or named after anyone, Mr. Nakayama responded, “There is no current name as of right now. We have spoken to one of the donors and they may want to name it in about 4-5 years.” 

As impressive as the HF campus and facilities already are, this new addition will continue to put our school at a competitive advantage. These courts will no doubt add to the community and assist in recruiting prospective students to Holy Family — all thanks to some very generous donors, whose gifts will be put to exceptional use.