Tennis Program Overview
Tradition: Tennis has been a varsity sport at Avon Old Farms since the spring of 1953, and has established a strong winning tradition. Our overall mission is to produce a cohesive and competitive team each year that embodies the values of hard work, sportsmanship, teamwork, and respect for the game of tennis.
Participation: The varsity team will carry eight to 12 players and the junior varsity will carry 12 to 15 players. There are 15 dual matches scheduled each season, and a post season tournament for qualifying teams and individual players.
Facilities: With the generosity of the Globe Foundation, the nine-court tennis complex was dedicated in the spring of 2002. Since then, the facility has been home to the varsity and junior varsity teams and has also hosted a variety of summer tennis camps.
Competition: We participate in the Founders League, and our opponents include Hotchkiss, Taft, Choate, Kingswood-Oxford, Pomfret, Salisbury, Westminster, Trinity-Pawling, Cheshire, Kent, Suffield Academy, Canterbury, Williston, The Gunnery, and Loomis Chaffee.
Format: The match format is similar to collegiate tennis and commences with three doubles matches followed by six singles matches. The team winning the majority of the doubles matches earns one team point, and each of the singles matches count for one team point. The team that secures four points wins the duel match. Players can play both doubles and singles.
Stand-outs: Varsity tennis players have gone on to play college tennis at Boston University, the University of Michigan, Williams College, Hobart and William Smith Colleges, the University of Hawaii, the University of Iowa, and many more.
Team Success: With several players hailing from Richmond, Virginia, several teams in the 1960s had outstanding seasons. The 1978 team went 10-2. During the period of 1992-1995, the team went 46 and 13 and more recently, from 2001 to 2005, the team had 66 wins against only 10 losses. The 2003 team was undefeated and co-Founders’ League Champions. Several other teams have been ranked in the top eight in New England.
The Avon difference: It is rare for a prep school tennis program to have such extraordinary outdoor courts, accessible indoor facilities, a strong tradition, and experienced and passionate coaching. Avon is fortunate enough to have all these factors in place. Avon is also unique in that we have two varsity coaches working with the boys each day. This gives us the opportunity to do individual and group drills at the same time. There are several public indoor facilities within six miles of campus where serious tennis players can find excellent instruction and competition.
