Club Bulletin

Throughout October, SPORTIME Pickleball proudly hosted “Pickle in Pink” events in partnership with the Susan G. Komen Foundation, dedicated to raising awareness and funds for breast cancer research. We invited our community to join in support through a variety of events, including Open Plays, Tournaments, MLP Style events, and Up/Downs. With 50% of proceeds donated, we are thrilled to have contributed over $2,800 to this important cause. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped make a difference!

On Sunday, October 20, the FDR Drive North and Harlem River Drive North will be closed due to the MS Bike event. Here’s what you need to know:

• Access to Randall's Island from Manhattan will be available only via 125th Street between 7 AM and 1 PM
• Manhattan-bound traffic crossing the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge must exit onto the southbound FDR Drive or 125th Street
• Access to Randall’s Island via the RFK Bridge will be available from southbound Harlem River Drive or 125th Street

Please plan your routes accordingly and expect delays in these areas. 

The cafe at SPORTIME Randall's Island will be temporarily closed starting on Saturday, October 19th, as we transition to a new operator. We are actively seeking a replacement that meets our high standards and that will provide an excellent experience for our members and guests. We are currently considering several promising candidates, including well-known names in the food service industry. If anybody reading this message has interest, or knows a high-quality operator who might have interest, please feel free to reach out.

In the meantime, drinks and snacks will remain available for purchase. Additionally, we are exploring temporary options, such as pop-ups and food trucks, to ensure that our members continue to have access to food and beverages during this transition period.

Thank you for your understanding and support. We are committed to enhancing our cafe experience, and will keep you informed of our progress.

SPORTIME Pickleball is excited to welcome Joola as a Platinum Partner. Click below to read about us on these websites:

Joola Blog - October 8, 2024

Long Island Business News:  Sportime partners with global firm to equip its facilities 

Associated Press:  JOOLA and Sportime Pickleball Team Up to Increase Pickleball Facilities in the Northeast

Sports News Today:  JOOLA and Sportime Pickleball Team Up to Increase Pickleball Facilities in the Northeast

To welcome players to the new SPORTIME Randall's Island Pickleball facility, we are offering FREE, on-request, round-trip transportation to and from the Upper East Side for the rest of 2024.  Click here for schedule.

SPORTIME Pickleball partnered with North Shore Animal League America to host a special "Pickle and Pups" Open Play for our 2nd year. Members had the opportunity to play with adorable puppies that were available for adoption, one of whom found a forever home with a member at the event! Adding to the excitement, Joola generously contributed a raffle basket, including a Perseus paddle, hat, and water bottle, which helped make the day even more memorable. Thank you to everyone who participated and helped the puppies find their forever home!

We're serving up some great things for the fall Pickleball season

It's time to start making your indoor pickleball plans. And we are making it even easier for SPORTIME picklers to book courts in seconds, to join the programs that will improve your games, and to introduce you to new friends and partners. Let's go!

Read more >

SPORTIME Pickleball Clubs To Adopt DUPR as Official Rating Partner
by The Dink Media Team on September 16, 2024
Picklepod Podcast
DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating presented by Delaware Life) and SPORTIME, a top provider of racket sports facilities, have entered into a long-term partnership. Their collaboration aims to boost the growth and development of pickleball across the U.S. By working together, DUPR and SPORTIME plan to promote level-based play and enhance the overall pickleball experience for players at every skill level.

This long-term collaboration promises to deliver a host of benefits, from improved player experiences to innovative programming and events.

Read full story

Thank you for an amazing 30 years!

SPORTIME Pickleball had the pleasure of hosting a fantastic group from the Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Association for a pickleball tournament at SPORTIME Port Washington. The participants enjoyed friendly competition followed by an assortment of food and beverages while connecting with fellow alumni. It was a memorable day for all, and we look forward to welcoming the Merchant Marine Academy Alumni Association back for more pickleball events in the future! 

To all SPORTIME Amagansett Members, Players and Guests:

On Saturday, August 24, 2024, SPORTIME Amagansett will be hosting the 10th Annual Johnny Mac Tennis Project Pro-Am Charity Event. The event will include 150 pro and amateur participants, which makes ours one of the biggest tennis charity events in the world!

The Johnny Mac Tennis Project (JMTP) changes young lives by removing the racial, economic and social barriers to success through tennis. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded by tennis legend John McEnroe, JMTP introduces the sport of tennis as a life-long health, fitness and social activity to thousands of under-resourced New York City area children.

For a smaller group of dedicated young athletes, JMTP provides a pathway to success through competitive tennis, leading to college scholarships, careers in the industry, and, for a few, professional tennis careers and, perhaps, Grand Slam titles.

The Pro-Am event requires the use of all of SPORTIME’s 33 tennis courts, which means that we will be closing the club for regular member and guest play from 12pm on Saturday, 8/24.

As all of our coaches, and many of our members, are participating in the event, we hope that we will not be inconveniencing too many of you. And we will do all we can to make sure that our members and guests get all the tennis they can handle on the morning of Saturday, 8/24.

If you are interested in playing in the event, there are a few player spots remaining, in addition to spectator tickets. As always, we are offering SPORTIME Amagansett members and their guests a 50% discount off the regular price of spectator tickets. Just use "FIFTYOFF" as the discount code when checking out. You can go to the JMTP website at www.jmtpny.org for additional info on the charity, and http://proam2024.givesmart.com/ to register for the event or to purchase your discounted event tickets and to access the event's silent auction.

Again, we apologize for any inconvenience and we thank you in advance for your support!

Claude Okin
President & CEO
SPORTIME Clubs

Hana Sromova
General Manager
SPORTIME Amagansett

SPORTIME Bethpage Tennis will be closed Thursday, August 15th and Friday, August 16th due to a power outage. SPORTIME Bethpage Tennis will be closed Thursday, August 15^th and Friday, August 16^th due to a power outage. We expect to resume business as usual on Saturday, August 17^th. Please check back for updates.

SPORTIME Pickleball is proud to become a Platinum partner of DUPR, the world’s most accurate rating platform for pickleball players. Over 1 Million players use DUPR, providing them with real-time match results and assessments, access to historical match data, and the ability to network with other players within the pickleball community.

SPORTIME will be offering special DUPR-rated Open Play sessions and tournaments at multiple facilities this fall, ensuring that each event will include players of the same level, based upon their DUPR rating.

If you haven’t already set up your free DUPR account, sign up now at https://www.dupr.com/  and be sure to select SPORTIME as your home club to get started! Click here to visit our webpage.
 

I’ve played pickleball for years and needed new shoes — experts recommended these ones
By Rachel Rothman, CNN Underscored
Published 1:09 PM EDT, Wed August 14, 2024

Pickleball fever continues to sweep the nation as the fastest growing sport in America, according to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), and for good reason. It’s a fantastic way to stay active, get some exercise and have fun. But like any court sport, having the right pickleball shoes is essential to avoid injury, stay comfortable and elevate your game.

As a testing editor with over 15 years experience and a recreational pickleball player for over 25 years (yes, it’s been around that long!), I recently realized it was time to level up my own gear as I’ve been playing more regularly. So, I teamed up with Stephanie Preston (nee Drexel), a physical therapist in New Jersey, who frequently works with athletes in sports medicine, and David Radisch, regional pickleball director for Sportime, to not only find my own perfect pickleball shoes but help guide you toward the best pair as well. As Radisch notes, “Thanks to the popularity of the sport, there are now many more choices so you can find the right sneaker for you.”

Read the full article on CNN Website

Dear SPORTIME Randall's Island Members:

We hope this message finds you well and enjoying the summer. We are writing about an important safety concern regarding the use of emergency exits in the air-structure covering courts 18-24, which remains inflated year round.

While these emergency exits are meant to be used only in the event of an emergency, players have regularly been using them, with some frequency, to exit in non-emergency circumstances. We understand that, due to the final phase of construction at the front of the club, the present detours are an annoyance, but the use of the bubble emergency exits must stop immediately.

Air-structures rely on carefully regulated internal air pressure to maintain their stability and to remain inflated. When an emergency exit door is opened the air pressure decrease and poses potential risks to the air-structure itself and to everyone inside, including the risk of deflation.

Therefore, in the interests of everyone’s safety, please refrain from using emergency exits unless there is a genuine emergency requiring evacuation. If you observe someone attempting to use these exits, please inform a SPORTIME staff member immediately.

Thank you for your cooperation and attention to this important matter. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to let us know.

Best,

Stefanie Krstic
skrstic@sportimeny.com
Co-General Manager,
SPORTIME RI & JMTA

Mark Bowtell
mbowtell@sportimeny.com
Co-General Manager, SPORTIME RI
and Director, JMTA NYC

Coaching Spotlight: Michelle Stoerback, SPORTIME New York
July 12, 2024 | By Brian Coleman

If you have participated in an adult tennis or pickleball tournament on Long Island, there’s a good chance that you have interacted with Michelle Stoerback, who runs events and tournaments practically every weekend.

Stoerback is the Adult Tennis Director for Sportime Clubs here on Long Island, and has become a fixture at all different types of events.

Read the full story on Long Island Tennis Magazine website

Reported in Long Island Tennis Magazine:

The 2024 Long Island Tennis Magazine Summer Series continued with the Long Island Pickleball Challenge as doubles teams gathered together at SPORTIME Hempstead Lake on a beautiful Saturday morning to compete across three different divisions. 

The day featured great pickleball action on the court with a fun and social vibe off the court, as players enjoyed catered breakfast and drinks which were available throughout the day. The divisions competed in round-robin play which led into the knockout rounds.

Read more >

We are proud the African American Pickleball Association is showcasing their support for pickleball at SPORTIME Hempstead Lake. Fierce and friendly competition, music and fun filled our beautiful outdoor courts. We hope to see more events that support groups and associations to promote the game.  

Special shout out to SPORTIME GM Fiorella Labiento and Pickleball Director Lisa Scotti, along with other coaches, who donated their time and coaching to support the African American Pickleball Association. If you are interested in running an event, please contact pickleball@sportimeny.com. 

Click here to see the write up in Newsday along with video and audio about the day.

Claude Okin was part of the panel for the First Pickleball Minds Conference on May 3rd, 2024 in Princeton, NJ. Note, this link will redirect you to the Forbes website. Read all about it...

Due to rain, event is canceled. Please check our events page for upcoming events.

For immediate release
Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Contact:
Nick Porter
nporter@getodemilly.com 
(212) 686-4551

SPORTIME Pickleball Announces Latest Location in Englewood, New Jersey, Its Fourth Location in the New York-Metro Area  

Englewood Location joins already announced Armonk & Westbury, New York and Wayne, New Jersey Locations in SPORTIME’s expansion goal of 200+ dedicated indoor pickleball courts by 2030

For Immediate Release — New York, April 3: Sportime Pickleball announced today that it has signed a long-term lease for 62 Rte. 4 E in Englewood, New Jersey; currently City Sports on 4. SPORTIME Pickleball Englewood is SPORTIME’s fourth announced location and is scheduled to open in the fall of 2024. Featuring 12 dedicated indoor courts, a pro shop, and a lounge, Sportime Pickleball Englewood will be the second-largest indoor pickleball facility in New Jersey, trailing only Sportime Pickleball Wayne, which, when open, will boast 18 courts. The new facility will bring Sportime Pickleball’s dedicated, indoor, pickleball court total to 66, including dedicated courts currently operated under the Sportime brand and those under construction, all in the New York-metro area.

“We are excited to announce our newest SPORTIME Pickleball location in Englewood” said Claude Okin, President & CEO of SPORTIME. “With four leases signed and more coming soon, our goal is for SPORTIME to be the leading pickleball provider in the tristate area. Like our tennis and sports locations, which we have operated in our region since 1994, SPORTIME Pickleball locations will provide the highest quality facilities and programs and the best coaches, serving players of all ages and levels for decades to come.”

SPORTIME Pickleball Englewood will feature 12, dedicated, indoor pickleball courts. Just minutes over the George Washington Bridge, the location is expected to serve both the populous Northern New Jersey market and pickleball enthusiasts from New York City. No facility of its size and quality currently exists in the market.

“Our latest location in Englewood is another building block towards SPORTIME Pickleball’s aspiration to be the leader in this space. SPORTIME will provide the absolute best player experience in Northern New Jersey and, of course, to the residents of Englewood,” said Daniel Silvermintz, a SPORTIME Pickleball Principal and Englewood resident.

SPORTIME Pickleball’s four signed leases represent over 150,000 square feet and 66 indoor courts. The company is actively negotiating other agreements throughout the 5 boroughs of New York City, as well as in prime locations in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

“Our entire team is thrilled to be able to bring our brand of architecture and interior design to these facilities and to help grow the Sportime Pickleball brand with an elevated level of design and interior aesthetic,” said Joe Yacobellis, Senior Associate at Mojo Stumer Associates, the architect of record for Sportime Pickleball Englewood.

For more information, email info@SportimePickleball.com 
 

###

About SPORTIME Clubs
Since 1994, SPORTIME has been proud to operate the finest tennis and sports facilities in New York State. SPORTIME’s 15 club locations most recently expanded to include the iconic Port Washington Tennis Academy, now SPORTIME Port Washington. SPORTIME currently offers 188 indoor and outdoor tennis courts and 71 pickleball courts, as well as rinks, turf, camps, gyms and more, at sites across Long Island, in NYC, in Westchester and in the NY Capital Region. SPORTIME clubs are state-of-the-art, yet affordable, and feature the best tennis, sports and fitness facilities and programs, including the John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) and SPORTIME Volleyball Club (VBC). SPORTIME clubs serve individuals of every age and athletic ability, 365 days a year. Learn more: www.sportimeny.com.

About SPORTIME Pickleball
SPORTIME Pickleball will operate dedicated pickleball sites throughout the Northeast as part of the SPORTIME family of clubs, and expects to become the dominant pickleball club operator in the area and beyond, leveraging SPORTIME’s existing infrastructure, management and programming expertise, and its player database of more than 40,000 active members/players. SPORTIME recently opened the largest indoor pickleball facility in New York State at their Port Washington facility, offering 12 dedicated courts. Each SPORTIME Pickleball location will feature 10-20 state-of-the-art pickleball courts that will be available for social and competitive open play sessions, court-time rentals, tournaments, clinics, instruction, and private events. Some locations will feature indoor “stadium” courts, and restaurant and event spaces, which will be operated by food and beverage partners. 

About Hornig Capital Partners
Based in New York, Hornig Capital Partners LLC (HCP) is a privately held real estate investment and development firm specializing in value-added opportunities throughout the United States. Led by Daren Hornig, a real estate industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience, HCP pursues purchases of fee simple interest assets, as well as select joint venture structures, with capital appreciation opportunities and risk-adjusted returns. HCP also invests in assets for long-term property appreciation and to effectively recapitalize existing properties with owners to maximize returns. In the past ten years, HCP has successfully closed on more than $1 billion worth of property and development projects. Most recently, HCP purchased the iconic Port Washington Tennis Academy and successfully leased and partnered with Sportime Clubs to create the SPORTIME Port Washington, featuring over 200,000 square feet of tennis and pickleball courts and amenities; the largest racket sports center on Long Island.

About Mojo Stumer Associates
Mojo Stumer Associates is a New York based architecture and interior design firm with a 40-year history of award-winning modern design.  Located on Long Island, New York, our interdisciplinary design studio focuses on all phases of architecture and interior design projects, from conception through completion, across all programs and typologies.

Pickleball is one of the fastest growing sports and the demand for courts is greater than ever. With that mind, SPORTIME Pickleball has announced second and third locations in New York and New Jersey as part of broad expansion plan.  

The Westbury Long Island, Wayne New Jersey Locations, joining already announced Armonk New York Location with goal of 200+ dedicated indoor courts by 2030.

Read full story and listen >

WAYNE — A Long Island-based owner of gyms and racket clubs will open the largest indoor facility dedicated to pickleball in New Jersey at a local shopping center next year, the company said. Read all about it >

By estimation of USA Pickleball, the sport that caught on as a bona fide craze just a few years ago after growing out of middle school physical education units, 36.5 million people played at least once in 2023. And Places2Play notes that there are about 11,000 locations across the U.S. to play.

SPORTIME, known for its tennis facilities and its iconic founder and director John McEnroe, has recently ventured into the pickleball space, beginning construction on a dedicated facility in Armonk, New York, late last year. Read all about it >

SPORTIME Pickleball Announces Second and Third Locations in New York and New Jersey as Part of Broad Expansion Plan
Westbury Long Island, Wayne New Jersey Locations, joining already announced Armonk New York Location with goal of 200+ dedicated indoor courts by 2030. Read all about it >

New York, February 14, 2024  – For Immediate Release -- SPORTIME Pickleball Announces Second and Third Locations in New York and New Jersey as Part of Broad Expansion Plan.  Westbury Long Island, Wayne New Jersey Locations, joining already announced Armonk New York Location with goal of 200+ dedicated indoor courts by 2030 

SPORTIME Pickleball Westbury (575 Merrick Ave.) will open in the fall of 2024 and  SPORTIME Pickleball Wayne (Willowbrook Plaza) has a planned opening in the spring of 2025. These are SPORTIME’S second and third announced dedicated pickleball club locations, which will be the two largest and most comprehensive facilities in their markets, joining an 11 court facility under construction in Armonk, NY.

“We are excited to announce our newest SPORTIME Pickleball locations in Westbury and Wayne, with more great locations coming soon,” said Claude Okin, President & CEO of SPORTIME. “For the ever growing masses of pickleball lovers in the Tri-State area, and for those who will no doubt be joining those legions in the months and years to come, SPORTIME Pickleball locations will provide the highest quality indoor pickleball facilities and programs,  consistent with the SPORTIME brand. We are proud to have been a racket sports leader in our region since 1994”. 

The 50,000 square foot SPORTIME Pickleball location in Wayne, NJ will include 20 indoor courts and is located in the busiest shopping district in the State, with 16 million visitors each year. This will be the largest indoor pickleball facility in New Jersey and will feature a stadium court, food and beverages and event spaces. In addition to a high volume of daily play and instruction, it is expected  to be a major destination site for local and national pickleball tournaments, as well as for large-format group and corporate events. 

SPORTIME Pickleball Westbury will feature 13 dedicated indoor pickleball courts and will be the largest indoor pickleball facility in New York State. Its proximity to the Meadowbrook Parkway and The Roosevelt Field mall, along with thousands of other businesses and densely populated residential areas, make it an ideal pickleball hub for Nassau County. 

Daren Hornig, SPORTIME’s partner in their pickleball venture, is leading the company’s real estate expansion efforts. “These two locations, along with our first location in Armonk, the numerous additional locations we are currently negotiating, and those to follow, will enable SPORTIME Pickleball to be the leader in this space in the Tri State area. While aggressively lining up sites, we are also being very selective, in that all of our locations will be accessible and will allow us to build out high quality, regulation playing spaces, including high ceilings and full court dimensions,” said Hornig.  SPORTIME Pickleball’s 3 signed leases represent over 110,000 square feet and will boast 45 indoor courts. The company is actively negotiating agreements throughout the 5 boroughs of New York City, as well as in prime locations in New Jersey and Connecticut.  For more information, email info@SportimePickleball.com.   

 ###    

About SPORTIME Clubs 
Since 1994, SPORTIME has been proud to operate the finest tennis and sports facilities in New York State. SPORTIME’s 15 club locations most recently expanded to include the iconic Port Washington Tennis Academy, now SPORTIME Port Washington. SPORTIME currently offers 190 indoor and outdoor tennis courts and 71 pickleball courts, as well as rinks, turf, camps, gyms and more, at sites across Long Island, in NYC, in Westchester and in the NY Capital Region. SPORTIME clubs are state-of-the-art, yet affordable, and feature the best tennis, sports and fitness facilities and programs, including the John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) and SPORTIME Volleyball Club (VBC). SPORTIME clubs serve individuals of every age and athletic ability, 365 days a year. Learn more: www.sportimeny.com.    

About SPORTIME Pickleball
SPORTIME Pickleball will operate dedicated pickleball sites throughout the Northeast and expects to become the dominant pickleball club operator in the area and beyond, leveraging SPORTIME’s existing infrastructure, management and programming expertise and its player database of more than 40,000 active members/players. SPORTIME recently opened the largest indoor pickleball facility in New York State at their Port Washington facility, consisting of 12 dedicated courts. Each SPORTIME Pickleball location will feature 10-20 state-of-the-art pickleball courts that will be available for social and competitive open play sessions, court-time rentals, tournaments, clinics, instruction, and private events. Some locations will feature restaurant and event spaces, which will be operated by food and beverage partners.   

About Hornig Capital Partners
Based in New York, Hornig Capital Partners LLC (HCP) is a privately held real estate investment and development firm specializing in value-added opportunities throughout the United States. Led by Daren Hornig, a real estate industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience, HCP pursues purchases of fee simple interest assets, as well as select joint venture structures, with capital appreciation opportunities and risk-adjusted returns. HCP also invests in assets for long-term property appreciation and to effectively recapitalize existing properties with owners to maximize returns. In the past ten years, HCP has successfully closed on more than $1 billion worth of property and development projects. Most recently, HCP purchased the iconic Port Washington Tennis  Academy and successfully leased and partnered with SPORTIME Clubs to create the SPORTIME Port Washington, featuring over 200,000 square feet of tennis and pickleball courts and amenities; the largest racket sports center on Long Island.

Venus Williams—world champion, Bombas investor, and now sock designer—co-created our new limited edition collection of All-Purpose Socks.

For every pair purchased from this collection, Bombas will donate another pair to organizations using sports to engage under-resourced youth, like Johnny Mac Tennis Project and Play Like a Girl. To further celebrate this collab, Bombas will also donate 20 scholarships through these programs to help more kids play the sports they love. 

Find out more

Dear SPORTIME Schenectady Members, Parents and Players:

With the current 2023-2024 indoor tennis and pickleball season in full swing, we hope that you have been enjoying your experience at SPORTIME Schenectady. After the major damage our facility suffered from the fire in April 2023, we are proud both to have been able to find a way to continue operations, after a very brief interruption, and of the tremendous progress we have made reconstructing our facility. We appreciate your patience, support and understanding while we complete the rebuild, which is going very well, but taking a few more months than we had hoped, as often happens with construction projects. We trust that the inconveniences that many of you may have experienced, or may still be experiencing, will be well worth the final result: the best and most modern racket sports facility in the Capital Region! Of course, we are doing all we can to complete the project as quickly as possible.

It has been brought to our attention that some false and mean-spirited rumors are being spread about SPORTIME, including that the club is being sold and that the fire is some sort of insurance scam. We have no idea who would make up such rumors, or why, but just in case anybody has heard this nonsense, it is just that. As a reminder, the fire was caused by a collision between a utility truck and a power line, which caused an electrical surge and explosive fire in our server room. There were no injuries, thankfully, other than to our club, but this has been a major challenge to our hard working Schenectady team. Anybody who witnessed the fire damage, or who has followed our unrelenting focus on the speed and quality of the repairs and renovations that have followed, would have no doubt about SPORTIME's 100% commitment to our Schenectady site. Our focus on being the racket sports leader in the Capital Region remains unwavering. We have attached some before and after images of the damage and of the current status of the restoration work at the bottom of this message.

Below, please find an update on recent and ongoing project elements, with estimated completion dates:

• Hard court tennis building: COMPLETE
• Dedicated pickleball court building: COMPLETE
• Newly installed electrical wiring, HVAC units, and plumbing system: COMPLETE
• Clubhouse lower level office spaces, walls, and ceiling installation: COMPLETE
• Clubhouse lower level main entrance and front desk check-in will reopen by the end of January
• The floor tiling on the lower level will commence next week and the lobby traffic patterns may shift to accommodate sections of the flooring installation
• Permanent furniture for the lobby and lounge spaces is on order
• The staircase to access the second floor of the clubhouse will be completed by the end of January
• The second floor mezzanine, lounge, and conference room will be completed by the end of January
• Locker Rooms: Our goal is to have men's and women's locker rooms both completed by early March, but we will do whatever is possible to provide limited access to showers and other completed bathroom essentials as soon as they are functional, even if we are still waiting on the arrival of lockers or other furnishings

We further want to share that while SPORTIME members at our other clubs will be getting a modest membership dues increase as of January 1, 2024, our Schenectady members will not, and will continue to pay reduced, 50% dues. We are not going to raise member dues for our Schenectady members at this time, while you are enduring the dust of our reconstruction project. When the club is complete, with all member amenities fully accessible, dues will be restored to 100%. At some point after that, we will pass along the increase that others are receiving now, only SPORTIME's second dues increase in the last 15 years, the essential revenue from which will allow us to keep our commitments to our employees and members in the face of the most dramatic inflationary period in recent history. Again, we thank you, in advance, for your understanding and continuing loyalty.

We wish you and yours a peaceful and healthy 2024. As always, please feel free to reach out to any member of our team for assistance of any kind. We are here to help!

Sincerely,

Claude Okin  
President and Chief Executive Officer  
SPORTIME Clubs  
cokin@sportimeny.com

Carlos Campo  
Managing Director  
SPORTIME Westchester and Capital Region  
ccampo@sportimeny.com  
(914) 777-5151

Sarah Sharpe  
General Manager  
SPORTIME Schenectady  
ssharpe@sportimeny.com  
(518) 356-0100

Dear SPORTIME Port Washington Members, Parents and Players:

With the current 2023-2024 indoor tennis and pickleball season in full swing, we hope that you have been enjoying your experience at the new SPORTIME Port Washington. We are proud of the tremendous progress we have made revitalizing our iconic facility, and we appreciate your patience, support and understanding while we complete this exciting work. We trust that the minor inconveniences that many of you may have experienced, or may still be experiencing, will be well worth the final result: the largest, best and most modern racket sports facility on Long Island! Of course, we are doing all we can to complete the project as quickly as possible.

Below please find an update on recent and ongoing project elements, with estimated completion dates:

• New lighting for the clay and hard court tennis buildings: COMPLETE
• New pickleball divider fences: COMPLETE
• New roof between clay and hard court buildings to eliminate water penetration, including interior refinishing of viewing mezzanine: COMPLETE
• Refinished floors in the upper viewing area by the clay courts: COMPLETE
• Interior refinishing of the clay court tennis building: Estimated Completion by December 1, 2023
• New pickleball court benches: Estimated Arrival by December 22, 2023
• New heating and air-conditioning systems in all court buildings (temporary heat provided in the interim): Estimated Completion by February 1, 2024 (the timing of the issuance of pending permits may allow us to complete this sooner)
• New court-level bathrooms and complete renovation of locker rooms: Estimated Completion by March 1, 2024  (the timing of the issuance of pending permits may allow us to complete this sooner).

I also want to share that while SPORTIME members at all of our other Long Island clubs will be getting a membership dues increase as of January 1, 2024, Port Washington members will not.  This is only Sportime’s second dues increase in the last 15 years, and the revenue that will be generated is essential for us to keep our commitments to our employees and members in the face of the most dramatic inflationary period in recent history. However, we are not going to raise member dues for our Port Washington members at this time, while you are enduring the dust of our renovation project. When the club is close to complete and perfect, we will make that adjustment, and we thank you, in advance, for your understanding and continuing loyalty.

Finally, please don’t forget that at times when our parking lot may be full, we have arranged for additional member/player parking spaces at the AC Delco/Shake-n Go-parking lot, located at 85 Harbor Rd, a quick 3-minute walk to the club. Spots 33-47 are designated for SPORTIME members and guests.

I hope this finds you all well and enjoying the holiday season. As always, please feel free to reach out to any member of our team for assistance of any kind. We are here to help!

Sincerely,

Claude Okin
President and Chief Executive Officer
SPORTIME Clubs

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, October 13, 2023
www.nyc.gov/parks

NYC PARKS & SPORTIME UNVEIL UPGRADES AT POOR RICHARD’S PLAYGROUND
Reconstruction project added new kids’ instructional tennis courts, refurbished basketball courts and play area

NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue and Sportime were joined by Community Board 11, local schoolchildren, and community members today to unveil the newly revamped Poor Richard’s Playground in East Harlem.

A reconstruction project of more than $1.4 million, funded by Sportime, created five new “red ball” kid-sized tennis courts, which will be used to introduce young children to the sport. It also included full asphalt replacement of the playground’s multipurpose play areas and repainting of the site’s basketball courts, as well as replacement of backboards and nets. New fencing, benches, and a water fountain were also added.

Read the full release

The puppies ruled the courts at the Puppies and Pickleball Party at SPORTIME Port Washington, Sunday, October 15th. Players from across the Island came to dink, smash, drive and may have, body bagged a few players on our new 12 dedicated courts, to support the North Shore Animal League of America. Our visiting puppies officially dubbed Pickles and Smash showed their appreciation with wagging tails. 

A pioneer of the no-kill movement, North Shore Animal League America continues to lead the way with the development of national and international programs that increase adoptions and raise awareness about the plight of homeless animals. To find out more or to donate or adopt a furry friend, please visit:  https://www.animalleague.org/

This fantastic event was such a great way to celebrate the opening of our 12 brand new, climate-controlled, indoor pickleball courts, making SPORTIME Randall's Island the largest indoor pickleball facility in New York City. The spirit of competition, sportsmanship and camaraderie was incredible and we look forward to hosting this amazing annual event again in 2024!

Winner's List

Mens Doubles 4.0+ : $1010 Prize Money Event

1st place

• Dean Papakonstantis
• Nick Stone

2nd place

• Eric Landau
• Xiao Han

3rd place

• James Lin
• James Peng

Mens Doubles: 3.0 To 3.5

1st place

• Dennis DaCosta
• Rex Herzberg

2nd place

• nicholas asaro
• Richard Asaro

3rd place

• Brian Suazo
• Jan Lei Saret

Mens Doubles: 3.5 To 4.0

1st Place

• Schuyler Yost
• Ben Rudnitsky

2nd place

• Matthew Kramer
• Logan Kramer

3rd place

• Rostislav Rar
• Uladzimir Ryzhko

Mens Doubles: 4.0

1st place

• Jason Seidenberg
• Jordan Engel

2nd place

• Marco DiAddezio
• Thomas Hoyt

3rd place

• Kevin Schwenzfeier
• Adam Schwenzfeier

Mixed Doubles 4.0+ : $1010 Prize Money Event

1st place

• Laura Zhang
• Len Yang

2nd place

• Noelle Ramirez
• Eric Landau

3rd place

• Lindsey Thoeng
• Taylor Stockton

Mixed Doubles: 3.0 To 3.5

1st place

• Susan Choo
• John Immello

2nd place

• Sarah Madriaga
• Brian Suazo

3rd place

• Kaitlyn Caicedo
• Rains Jordan

Mixed Doubles: 3.5 To 4.0

1st place

• Alexa Hurtado
• Derek Schear

2nd place

• Olenka Olesnycky
• Phuc Nguyen

3rd place

• Kathya Preciado
• Dustin Soliven

Womens Doubles 4.0+ : $1010 Prize Money Event

1st place

• Stephanie Bramer
• Jessica Hendry

2nd place

• Van Soawesome Nguyen
• Lindsey Thoeng

3rd place

• Noelle Ramirez
• Kathryn Taylor

Womens Doubles: 3.0 To 3.5

1st place

• Jennifer Walsh
• Rose Gardner

2nd place

• marie Devica caliboso
• Sarah Madriaga

3rd place

• Linda Vonderlieth
• Dawn Angermaier

Womens Doubles: 3.5 To 4.0

1st place

• Yael Yonah
• Danielle Goldwert

2nd place

• Helen Bernstein
• Karyn Pek

3rd place

• Elisabeth Alter
• Liliana Sholly

SPORTIME Clubs and Hornig Capital Partners Partner to Develop Pickleball Facilities throughout the Northeast, to be Operated Under the Brand SPORTIME Pickleball  
For Immediate Release - New York, October 2, 2023: SPORTIME Clubs and Hornig Capital Partners announced today that they have signed a partnership agreement to establish a new company, SPORTIME Pickleball, LLC, that will develop and operate state-of-the-art, standalone, pickleball facilities in the tri-state area under the SPORTIME brand. The joint venture is a collaboration of SPORTIME Clubs, the largest and most sophisticated operator of racket sports facilities and programs in the Northeast, including the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, and Hornig Capital Partners, a NY-based real estate development company with a track record of success in developing value added properties. 

SPORTIME Pickleball is currently preparing to offer a limited $14 million tranche of founding partner equity to qualified investors, and has executed a long-term lease for a site under development in Armonk, NY, scheduled to open in 2024. SPORTIME Pickleball is currently negotiating 8 lease transactions on Long Island and in Westchester, Connecticut, New Jersey and NYC, with the goal of having more than a dozen dedicated pickleball centers in operation by the end of 2027. Claude Okin, President & CEO of Sportime Clubs, explains, “for SPORTIME, this is a natural expansion of our business and allows us to utilize existing talent and expertise across racket sports lines. There are inexperienced pickleball start-ups everywhere at the moment, but we plan to leverage our 35-year advantage to offer the best pickleball facilities and programs and to acquire dominant market share in the geographies where we do business and nearby.”

SPORTIME Pickleball will operate dedicated indoor and outdoor pickleball sites throughout the Northeast, and expects to become the dominant pickleball club operator in the area and beyond, leveraging SPORTIME’s existing infrastructure, which already includes 70 pickleball courts, management and programming expertise and player database of more than 30,000 active members/players. SPORTIME recently opened the largest indoor pickleball facility in New York State at their Port Washington facility, consisting of 12 dedicated courts. Each SPORTIME Pickleball location will feature 10-20 state-of-the-art pickleball courts that will be available for social and competitive open play sessions, court-time rentals, tournaments, clinics, instruction, and private events. Some locations will feature restaurant and event spaces, which will be operated by food and beverage partners. 

“We are continuing to see terrific growth in all racket sports, but especially in the unprecedented boom of pickleball. In response, SPORTIME is committed to bringing world-class pickleball facilities to our markets and beyond,” explained Okin. “Our goal in pickleball, as in tennis, is to develop lifelong and committed players, who choose SPORTIME Pickleball locations to enjoy best-in-class facilities, instructional programs, customer care and amenities. We plan to grow our pickleball capacity as quickly as possible, and we are launching this new undertaking with the team at Hornig Capital Partners, who are experts in real estate development and planning.” 

Daren Hornig, Managing Partner of Hornig Capital Partners shared, “I am thrilled to be partnering with SPORTIME to help to build a business around a sport that I love, in markets that I know very well. My role is to source the best locations and to negotiate the best possible leases or acquisitions for our growing network of dedicated pickleball clubs.” Hornig added, “It is very exciting to be participating in this joint venture with SPORTIME Clubs, as they represent the gold standard of excellence in racket sports facilities and programs in the Northeast. The pickleball boom is bringing more people to the court every day, and SPORTIME Pickleball will be providing high quality facilities and programs for our communities to embrace and enjoy.”

For more information, email info@SportimePickleball.com. 

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About SPORTIME Clubs  
Since 1994, SPORTIME has been proud to operate the finest tennis and sports facilities in New York State. SPORTIME’s 15 club locations most recently expanded to include the iconic Port Washington Tennis Academy, now SPORTIME Port Washington. SPORTIME currently offers 194 indoor and outdoor tennis courts and 70 pickleball courts, as well as rinks, turf, camps, gyms and more, at sites across Long Island, in NYC, in Westchester and in the NY Capital Region. SPORTIME clubs are state-of-the-art, yet affordable, and feature the best tennis, sports and fitness facilities and programs, including the John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) and SPORTIME Volleyball Club (VBC). SPORTIME clubs serve individuals of every age and athletic ability, 365 days a year. Learn more: www.sportimeny.com. 

About Hornig Capital Partners  
Based in New York, Hornig Capital Partners LLC (HCP) is a privately held real estate investment and development firm specializing in value-added opportunities throughout the United States. Led by Daren Hornig, a real estate industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience, HCP pursues purchases of fee simple interest assets, as well as select joint venture structures, with capital appreciation opportunities and risk-adjusted returns. HCP also invests in assets for long-term property appreciation and to effectively recapitalize existing properties with owners to maximize returns. In the past ten years, HCP has successfully closed on more than $1 billion worth of property and development projects. Most recently, HCP purchased the iconic Port Washington Tennis Academy and successfully leased and partnered with Sportime Clubs to create the SPORTIME Port Washington, featuring over 200,000 square feet of tennis and pickleball courts and amenities; the largest racket sports center on Long Island. 
 

Welcome you to the 2023-2024 Indoor Tennis and Pickleball Season at SPORTIME Kings Park! It's time to grab those rackets and paddles, lace up your sneakers, and get ready for an exciting season that we promise will be filled with learning, competition and fun!

We have made some changes and improvements to our facility that we hope you will all enjoy, as shared below:

Player Functional Fitness/Stretching Area
Opening October 1st, this new space, formerly our group exercise room, has been designed to help our junior players to get stronger and faster and to stay in peak physical condition, and to provide our adult players with a dedicated area to stretch and warm-up prior to their lessons, programs or matches. The space is now equipped with a selection of cardio equipment, including a treadmill, stationary bike, and elliptical, as well as with resistance bands, jump ropes and stretching mats, all to assist you in your fitness journey,  to help get you ready before going on-court and to prevent injuries. Available hours will be posted and may vary based on scheduled programs and training sessions.

Parent/Player Lounge
After 25 years providing community members with our boutique fitness club, our gym was repurposed this past summer to provide much needed activity spaces, and more fun, for our summer campers.

Now, during the indoor season, the space will provide a dedicated lounge and social area for parents, players and guests. Scheduled to open on or before November 1st, our Parent/Player Lounge can be enjoyed before or after programs or matches: a place to recharge, and, especially for parents, from which to watch all of the action taking place on-court, which will be broadcast on large flat-screen monitors located throughout the lounge. We invite you all to take advantage of this great new amenity.

We also just completed a pre-season reconditioning and resurfacing of our 4 har-tru, soft-surface,  tennis courts, which are now playing better than ever! We hope that you are already enjoying them, along with our hard courts and pickleball courts, but if not, the season is just getting started and we look forward to welcoming you.

If you have any questions or need any assistance, please don’t hesitate to let us know. We are always here to help.

See you on the courts!

Dear Members, Players and Parents:

With fall almost here, we hope that the back-to-school season is going well for all of you. We are very excited to announce that our indoor court buildings, which have been closed for renovation and modernization since the fire, reopened to members this week.

Our #1 goal was to have our indoor courts available for the start of the indoor season, when temperatures get colder and the daylight hours diminish. Thanks to the very hard work of our SPORTIME Engineering Department, led by Pat Nappo, and some wonderful contractors, we have achieved that goal, with indoor courts open for play!

We want you all to be aware of the status of the renovation, the current guidelines for the safe use of the facility and the anticipated timeline for additional phases of the reopening. As you access tennis courts 1-4, and our 5 new, dedicated, pickleball courts, please bear in mind that the restoration and reconstruction of the facility is ongoing, as the structural damage from the fire was severe and required reconstructing entire sections of the building with new steel and concrete. While that work is all done now, there are still a few months of finish work remaining until we are operating at 100% and until normal traffic patterns can be restored.

Accordingly, please note the current procedures in place for SPORTIME facility usage:

• The main entrance to the club lobby will remain closed at this time. Only contractors have access. The targeted timeline for the reopening of the main entrance and lobby is mid to late October.
• Until then, Members/Players must continue to enter through the Fitness Center, behind the office trailer in the parking lot.
  The reception desk will remain in the Fitness Center until the main lobby is ready; from which location you can access the Gym, the Daycare, the Bubbled Tennis Courts, and the new Pickleball Courts.
• To access indoor tennis courts 1-4, please use the door on the outside of that building to the left of the main entrance. In other words, once you check in at reception and confirm that your court assignment is on courts 1-4, you will need to exit the fitness center and walk outside to the side-door entrance to court 1-4. This will only be necessary for another month or so, but this guideline must be followed for your safety.
• Private lesson and clinic participants must meet your Coaches at the reception desk in the Fitness Center and go with your coaches to your assigned courts.
  Tennis and pickleball seasonal contract and open court-time players, please check in at the reception desk every time you play, as court assignments may change daily or weekly, depending on the on-court access needed by the contractors to complete various installations. Again, it should only be a month or a little longer until these inconveniences are a thing of the past.
• Bathrooms currently available for use are located in the Fitness Center, in the pool house building near the outdoor tennis courts, and in a mobile trailer outside of the indoor court 1-4 entrance. We cannot wait to unveil our beautiful, modern locker rooms in the months to come, with our target date for member/player access sometime in November.
  New blue backdrop curtains for indoor tennis courts 1-4 are scheduled to arrive October 7th and will be installed immediately. We are temporarily installing blue tarps to cover and protect the new insulation and to allow for better visibility and tracking of the ball.  
• Water bottle refill stations are located downstairs in the Fitness Center and outside next to the pool house.
• We ask that members refrain from going to the second floor of the Fitness Center, which is now the permanent location of our Daycare Center.
• Spectating from the lobby is not yet available, and we request that any on-court spectating be cleared in advance with your tennis coach. Coaches will try and be flexible to accommodate parents or guardians on-court for our youngest students, or for players with special needs or circumstances. However, if too many parents/guests congregate on-court, it becomes difficult for the players and coaches to run effective, professional programming, so we ask that parents please support us over the coming weeks by being on-court with your players only when absolutely necessary.

If you have any concerns about your court-time, programs, or more, please contact Sarah Sharpe at ssharpe@sportimeny.com or call the club at 518-356-0100. We can help you to reschedule any missed contract dates or sessions, or to schedule them on the outdoor courts.

We are looking forward to seeing you soon and to welcoming you all back to the new and improved SPORTIME Schenectady!

Sincerely,

The SPORTIME Schenectady Team

For Immediate Release - New York, August 23, 2023: SPORTIME Randall’s Island, New York City’s  premiere tennis facility, is adding 12 indoor pickleball courts this fall and to kick off this exciting effort, in partnership with NYC Pickleball, set to host the largest indoor pickleball tournament in New York for the 1010 WINS Inaugural Pickleball Tournament.

New York’s leader for news and information, 1010 WINS is set to hold their inaugural Pickleball Tournament, in partnership with SPORTIME and NYC Pickleball, at SPORTIME Randall’s Island brand new indoor pickleball courts September 30, 2023. This event, in partnership with SPORTIME and NYC Pickleball, will be one of the biggest indoor pickleball events in Manhattan this year.

Cash prizes of $1010 will be awarded to the top players in each division of competition, including men’s doubles, mixed doubles, and women’s doubles. 90-minute pre-tournament clinic for beginner and advanced beginner levels.

Raffles, Giveaways, Sponsor Booths and more:
CasaMigos Tequila, The Good Feet Store, NYC Pain, LifeVac, E-Boost Energy, Amazon Hub, NY Institute of Technology, Rothman Orthopedics

Details
What:  1010 WINS Pickleball Tournament 
When:   Saturday, September 30th
Where:  SPORTIME Randall’s Island, NYC - SportimeNY.com/NYC
Registration Opens: Wednesday, August 23rd
Registration closes:  September 26rd
More Info:  www.1010WINS.com/pickleball
For tournament entry fees, schedules and more:  https://pickleballbrackets.com/ptd.aspx?eid=653AED75-DE49-4BA1-9DE0-3BBA2B772DE5 

SPORTIME Randall’s Island is located at 1 Randall’s Island, NY. For more information, visit  www.SportimeNY.com/Manhattan or to communicate with a member of our Pickleball team, email  pickleballnyc@sportimeny.com.  

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About SPORTIME Pickleball 
As New York State’s leader for tennis and racket sports, SPORTIME has been excited to welcome the fastest  growing sport in the Country, pickleball, to our clubs, and to apply our 35 years of experience and expertise in  racket sports and multi-sport programming and coaching, and in club management, to this fast growing market  segment. SPORTIME clubs currently offer 50 pickleball courts at 8 SPORTIME facilities, already making us one  of the largest pickleball providers in New York State. SPORTIME’s newest club, SPORTIME Port Washington, will  feature a renovated 12-court pickleball facility, the largest pickleball center on Long Island. We are planning the  addition of more than 100 additional pickleball courts at new and existing SPORTIME locations in the next two to  three years, including the 12 courts in NYC at SPORTIME Randall’s Island.  

About SPORTIME Clubs 
Since 1994, SPORTIME has been proud to operate the finest tennis and sports facilities in New York State.  SPORTIME’s 15 club locations, most recently expanded to include the iconic Port Washington Tennis Academy,  now SPORTIME Port Washington, currently offer 194 indoor and outdoor tennis courts and 50 pickleball courts,  as well as rinks, turf, camps, gyms and more, at sites across Long Island, in NYC, in Westchester and in the NY  Capital Region. SPORTIME clubs are state-of-the-art, yet affordable, and feature the best tennis, sports and  fitness facilities and programs, including the John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) and SPORTIME Volleyball  Club (VBC). SPORTIME clubs serve individuals of every age and athletic ability, 365 days a year. Learn more:  www.sportimeny.com.
 

SPORTIME continued our commitment to the growth of Pickleball by hosting an IPTPA training certification workshop at our tennis and pickleball facility in Port Washington, NY.

20 tennis coaches, many of them international, from 7 different SPORTIME locations, participated in the 9 hour training session, designed to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge to introduce and teach Pickleball to beginner and advanced beginner players. With 50 pickleball courts currently and 17 more on the way by October, we are positioning ourselves to be a true leader in this growing industry.

If you are interested in a career in Pickleball with SPORTIME, please click here for open opportunities.

For Immediate Release - New York, July 26, 2023: The club where legends John McEnroe, Patrick McEnroe, Vitas Gerulaitis, Mary Carillo and Tracy Austin, among others, trained as juniors now part of the SPORTIME Clubs Family of Racket Sport Facilities

SPORTIME, the New York area’s most substantial operator of state-of-the-art racket sports facilities, today announced that a $7 million renovation and modernization of the former Port Washington Tennis Academy, which launched the careers of John McEnroe, his brother Patrick McEnroe, who Co-Directs the John McEnroe Tennis Academy and serves as President of both the Johnny Mac Tennis Project charity and the International tennis Hall of Fame, Vitas Gerulaitis, Tracy Austin and other legends. The facility will now be rebranded SPORTIME Port Washington and will be the Long Island home of The John McEnroe Tennis Academy.

“Our new Port Washington facility has been a part of American tennis history on every level, and a part of the history of the McEnroe family. We are proud to be able to make this restorative investment and to return this iconic facility to elite status,” said SPORTIME CEO Claude Okin. “Bringing the Port Washington facility into the SPORTIME family of clubs, and bringing Johnny Mac back to Port, along with the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, will truly link the past with the future in Port Washington. Our belief is that our investment and expanded commitment on Long Island will be great for local players and families, and for the racket sports business here.”  

“The Port Washington Tennis Academy, now SPORTIME Port Washington, is a special New York place that is part of tennis history, and was a big part of my life and my brothers’ lives when we were training as juniors, " said tennis legend John McEnroe. “I am thrilled to be able to expand my Academy to Port Washington, a full circle moment for me. I look forward to supporting and mentoring a new generation of talented and motivated young players there, and across the tri-state area.”

Upon completion of the facility renovations, currently underway, SPORTIME Port Washington will provide SPORTIME members and guests, and John McEnroe Tennis Academy students, with 7 beautiful soft-surface, Har-Tru tennis courts, 6 new hard-surface tennis courts and 12 new, dedicated, pickleball courts in their own building. These upgrades, along with countless others, and with SPORTIME’s introduction of John McEnroe Tennis Academy programming, will make SPORTIME Port Washington a premier destination for adult and junior tennis and pickleball on Long Island.

Scheduled to be completed by September 2023, SPORTIME’s $7 million dollar + facility improvement project will include the following:

• New or refurbished roofs for all buildings
• New court building interiors with upgraded insulation in all buildings
• New and improved court lighting in all buildings
• Upgraded locker rooms
• New, easily accessible bathroom locations, in addition to the locker rooms, near courts and dining areas
• New HVAC systems serving the entire facility - all court buildings will now be air-conditioned, providing comfortable temperatures and dehumidification year-round
• Conversion of 6 existing Har-Tru courts to 6 new, cushioned, oversized hard courts, so that our future John McEnroe Tennis Academy stars, and adult players, can play, train and compete on both surfaces

The John McEnroe Tennis Academy now has its second Long Island location at SPORTIME Port Washington, 100 Harbor Road, Port Washington, NY.  For more information, visit www.SportimeNY.com/portwashington.

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About the John McEnroe Tennis Academy
In September 2010, tennis legend John McEnroe and SPORTIME partnered to launch the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, in John’s hometown of New York City, at the SPORTIME Randall's Island Tennis Center in Manhattan. SPORTIME Randall's Island is SPORTIME’s flagship location, and the flagship location of the Academy. In September 2012, JMTA expanded to SPORTIME Lake Isle, an 8-court, state-of-the-art, year-round facility in lower Westchester, and to SPORTIME Syosset in central Long Island, an 11-court indoor facility that has long served as SPORTIME’s high performance training center on Long Island. In 2013, JMTA Summer Tennis Training was added in the Hamptons, at SPORTIME Amagansett, SPORTIME’s 34-court, seasonal, outdoor tennis facility in the Town of East Hampton. With the satellite locations, the JMTA brand is currently featured at 4 sites with a total of 77 tennis courts, serving approximately 1,500 players annually and, as of September 2023, will be featured at 5 sites with a total of 96 courts, serving more than 2,000 players annually. Learn more: www.sportimeny.com/jmta.

John's passion and belief is that great players can be developed in urban and suburban settings, while still having the opportunity to live at home, pursue their educational goals, and participate in a variety of extracurricular activities. The Academy works to recruit the most talented and the most highly motivated young athletes in the New York Metropolitan area and beyond. Inspired by the vision and presence of Johnny Mac, under the guidance of JMTA Managing Director, Bennett Schlansky, executed daily by Co-Directors Patrick McEnroe and Lawrence Kleger, and featuring an international staff of tennis, athletic training and performance directors and coaches, JMTA delivers a complete on and off-court training program, and develops complete players. JMTA includes off-court athletic training, mental toughness, video analytics, educational seminars, college placement assistance and more, designed to assure the best possible outcome for elite junior players, and for other committed players striving to be the best that they can be. JMTA’s youngest students, who train with red and orange balls on 36’ and 60’ courts, participate in cutting-edge Mac Red and Mac Orange programs designed by world-renowned U-10 visionary Mike Barrell, now SPORTIME’s Executive Director of Tennis, and executed by SPORTIME/JMTA’s expert U-10 directors and coaches.

About SPORTIME Clubs
Since 1994, SPORTIME has been proud to operate the finest tennis and sports facilities in New York State. SPORTIME’s 15 club locations, most recently expanded to include the iconic Port Washington Tennis Academy, now SPORTIME Port Washington, currently offer 194 indoor and outdoor tennis courts and 62 pickleball courts, as well as rinks, turf, camps, gyms and more, at sites across Long Island, in NYC, in Westchester and in the NY Capital Region. SPORTIME clubs are state-of-the-art, yet affordable, and feature the best tennis, sports and fitness facilities and programs, including the John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) and SPORTIME Volleyball Club (VBC). SPORTIME clubs serve individuals of every age and athletic ability, 365 days a year. Learn more: www.sportimeny.com.

A New York native, Lisa has excelled at a variety of sports, including pickleball, paddleball, tennis, softball and paddle tennis. Lisa is a member of the Paddleball Hall of Fame, but, a few years ago she shifted her focus to playing and teaching pickleball exclusively, and she has achieved great success in prestigious tournaments across the Tri-State area and nationwide. As a Professional Pickleball Registry certified pickleball coach, Lisa enjoys introducing newcomers to the game and helping players of all ages and levels improve and compete. Lisa is a devoted ambassador for the sport, and SPORTIME is excited to have her at the helm of pickleball at its flagship facility in NYC!

SPORTIME Randall’s Island is in the final stages of a facility expansion, which includes the addition of 10 new tennis courts, making the 30-court facility one of the largest in the world. In an effort to respond to the unprecedented growth of pickleball, and to welcome NYC pickleball players, SPORTIME will retrofit five of its bubbled, hard-surface, tennis courts, so that those courts can also provide 12 hybrid pickleball courts, which will be available for pickleball players to enjoy seven days a week.  

“Pickleball is a natural expansion of our racket sports business in NYC and at our clubs across New York State, and we are thrilled to be bringing the first large-scale, indoor, pickleball facility to NYC,” explains SPORTIME CEO & President, Claude Okin. “Our goal is to welcome thousands of NYC’s most committed picklers during the indoor season, so that they can keep playing all year and experience the best-in-class facilities, programs and amenities that SPORTIME has to offer!” Added Okin, “With the unveiling of our $45 million expansion project at Randall’s Island this fall, and the addition of pickleball, SPORTIME hopes to be the go-to destination for racket sports players of all ages and abilities to learn and enjoy our lifetime sports.”  

Pickleball players of all levels will have the opportunity to improve their games, to join social and competitive, level-based group play, to rent courts seasonally or by the hour, and to enjoy a host of special events and tournaments throughout the year. SPORTIME tennis and pickleball members enjoy great benefits, including 7-day advanced court-time reservations, member pricing on lessons and events and access to SPORTIME Pickleball programming.  

Contact Lisa by emailing lscotti@sportimeny.com or calling (212) 427-6150.

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SPORTIME Randall’s Island, the NYC home of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, is in the final stages of a $45 million expansion that will make the 30-court facility the largest indoor tennis club and training facility in NYC and in the world.   In an effort to accommodate unprecedented demand from millions of NYC pickleball enthusiasts, SPORTIME will retrofit 5 of its bubbled hard-surface tennis courts so that those courts can also provide 12, oversized, hybrid pickleball courts, which will be available for pickleball players to enjoy 7 days a week at designated times.  

Players of all levels will have the opportunity to learn the game of pickleball and to improve their games, to join social and level based group play, to rent courts seasonally or by the hour, and to enjoy a host of special events and tournaments throughout the year. SPORTIME tennis and pickleball members will enjoy great pickleball benefits, including 7-day advanced court-time booking privileges, member pricing on lessons and events and access to SPORTIME pickleball programming.    

SPORTIME Randall’s Island is located at 1 Randall’s Island, in Manhattan.  For more information, visit www.SportimeNY.com/Manhattan. To communicate with a member of our Pickleball team, email pickleballnyc@sportimeny.com.  

By Jared Schwartz
Published July 30, 2023, 7:30 a.m. ET

Randall’s Island is transforming into a beacon for the country’s fastest-growing sport.

Sportime Randall’s Island, one of the top tennis facilities in New York City and the flagship home of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, is undergoing a dramatic transformation to add 12 indoor pickleball courts, The Post has learned.

McEnroe and his brother, Patrick, are involved in the project, partners with Sportime CEO Claude Okin.

Usually an outdoor sport, pickleball play has resulted in growing noise complaints across the city and limits on the time of year it can be played. The new courts will be the first indoor pickleball facility of its size in New York City.

Read article >

We are excited to announce that we will be offering Pickleball this Summer at both of our SPORTIME Westchester clubs! SPORTIME offers pickleball players and enthusiasts of all levels the opportunity to learn, compete, or just play for fun at two locations. SPORTIME Lake Isle offers 4 hybrid pickleball courts on soft-surface, Har-Tru, courts and SPORTIME Harbor Island offers 4 oversized pickleball courts on a dedicated hard-court surface.

As most of you are likely aware, Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in history. Its amazing popularity is due to its easy accessibility and its appeal to players of all ages and skill levels. At social levels, pickleball is easy to learn and enjoy quickly - at more advanced levels, its fast pace and strategic play is highly energetic and competitive. Click here to view our full pickleball menu for the 2023 Summer Season and get in on the craze that is sweeping the Nation!

We look forward to seeing you on the courts soon. Please scroll down for more info, and always feel free to reach out with any questions or for personal assistance – we are here to help!

Contact:

Jonny Fintak
Pickleball Coach
SPORTIME Westchester
jfintak@sportimeny.com 

New York, June 15, 202:  SPORTIME Randall’s Island, New York City’s premiere tennis facility, to add 12 indoor pickleball courts this fall. Pickleball court-time rentals, instructional clinics, social and level-rated open play sessions, tournaments, events and more to be on the menu at SPORTIME for the millions of City residents who have become part of the pickleball craze!

SPORTIME Randall’s Island, the NYC home of the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, is in the final stages of a $45 million expansion that will make the 30-court facility the largest indoor tennis club and training facility in NYC and in the world.   In an effort to accommodate unprecedented demand from millions of NYC pickleball enthusiasts, SPORTIME will retrofit 5 of its bubbled hard-surface tennis courts so that those courts can also provide 12, oversized, hybrid pickleball courts, which will be available for pickleball players to enjoy 7 days a week at designated times.  

Players of all levels will have the opportunity to learn the game of pickleball and to improve their games, to join social and level based group play, to rent courts seasonally or by the hour, and to enjoy a host of special events and tournaments throughout the year. SPORTIME tennis and pickleball members will enjoy great pickleball benefits, including 7-day advanced court-time booking privileges, member pricing on lessons and events and access to SPORTIME pickleball programming.     

SPORTIME Randall’s Island is located at 1 Randall’s Island, in Manhattan.  For more information, visit www.SportimeNY.com/Manhattan. To communicate with a member of our Pickleball team, email pickleballnyc@sportimeny.com.  

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About the John McEnroe Tennis Academy
As New York State’s leader for tennis and racket sports, SPORTIME has been excited to welcome the fastest growing sport in the Country, pickleball, to our clubs, and to apply our 35 years of experience and expertise in racket sports and multi-sport programming and coaching, and in club management, to this fast growing market segment. SPORTIME clubs currently offer 50 pickleball courts at 7 SPORTIME facilities, already making us one of the largest pickleball providers in New York State. SPORTIME’s newest club, SPORTIME Port Washington, will feature a renovated 12-court pickleball facility, the largest pickleball center on Long Island. We are planning the addition of 50-100 additional pickleball courts at new and existing SPORTIME locations in the next two to three years, including 12 courts in NYC at SPORTIME Randall’s Island.

John's passion and belief is that great players can be developed in urban and suburban settings, while still having the opportunity to live at home, pursue their educational goals, and participate in a variety of sports and extracurricular activities. The Academy works to recruit the most talented and the most highly motivated young athletes in the New York Metropolitan area and beyond. Inspired by the vision and presence of Johnny Mac, under the guidance of JMTA Managing Director, Bennett Schlansky, executed daily by Co-Directors Patrick McEnroe and Lawrence Kleger, and featuring an international staff of tennis, athletic training and performance directors and coaches, JMTA delivers a complete on and off-court training program, including mental toughness, sports vision training, video analytics and more, designed to assure the best possible outcome for serious junior players. JMTA’s youngest students, who train with red and orange balls on 36’ and 60’ courts, participate in cutting-edge Mac Red and Mac Orange programs designed by world-renowned U-10 visionary Mike Barrell, now SPORTIME’s Executive Director of Tennis, and executed by SPORTIME/JMTA’s expert U-10 directors and coaches.        

About SPORTIME Clubs
Since 1994, SPORTIME has been proud to operate the finest tennis and sports facilities in New York State. SPORTIME’s 15 club locations, most recently expanded to include the iconic Port Washington Tennis Academy, now SPORTIME Port Washington, currently offer 188 indoor and outdoor tennis courts and over 50 pickleball courts, as well as rinks, turf, camps, gyms and more, at sites across Long Island, in NYC, in Westchester and in the NY Capital Region. SPORTIME clubs are state-of-the-art, yet affordable, and feature the best tennis, sports and fitness facilities and programs, including the John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) and SPORTIME Volleyball Club (VBC). SPORTIME clubs serve individuals of every age and athletic ability, 365 days a year. Learn more: www.sportimeny.com.

For Immediate Release - New York, June 15, 2023: The iconic Port Washington Tennis Academy is now part of the SPORTIME family of clubs. After a $7 million + renovation, currently underway, the new SPORTIME Port Washington will become a John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) location and the largest indoor pickleball club on Long Island.
MAC is Back!

American tennis legend, and New York icon, John McEnroe, who spent many years as a junior training and playing at the Port Washington Tennis Academy, along with his brother Patrick McEnroe, Vitas Gerulaitis, Tracy Austin and other legends, will return to the facility this fall to kickoff the dawn of a new area, as the John McEnroe Tennis Academy launches at the newly renovated SPORTIME Port Washington.

Upon completion of the facility renovations, currently underway, SPORTIME Port Washington will provide SPORTIME members and guests, and JMTA students, with 7 beautiful soft-surface, Har-Tru tennis courts, 6 new hard-surface tennis courts and 12 new, dedicated, pickleball courts in their own building. These upgrades, along with countless others, and with SPORTIME’s introduction of John McEnroe Tennis Academy programming, will make SPORTIME Port Washington a premier destination for adult and junior tennis and pickleball on Long Island.

Scheduled to be completed by September 2023, SPORTIME’s $7 million dollar + facility improvement project will include the following:

• New or refurbished roofs for all buildings
• New court building interiors with upgraded insulation in all three buildings
• New and improved court lighting in all three buildings
• Upgraded locker rooms
• New, easily accessible bathroom locations, in addition to the locker rooms, near courts and dining areas
• New HVAC systems serving the entire facility - all court buildings will now be air-conditioned, providing comfortable temperatures and dehumidification year-round
• Conversion of 6 existing Har-Tru courts to 6 new, cushioned, oversized hard courts, so that our future John McEnroe Tennis Academy stars, and adult players, can play, train and compete on both surfaces   

“The Port Washington Tennis Academy, now Sportime Port Washington, is a special New York place that is part of tennis history, and was a big part of my and my brothers’ lives when we were training as juniors, " said tennis legend John McEnroe. “I am thrilled to be able to bring my Academy to the same location, a full circle moment for me. I look forward to supporting and mentoring a new generation of talented and motivated young players from across the tri-state area.”

JMTA Long Island is located at SPORTIME Port Washington, 100 Harbor Road, Port Washington, NY.  For more information, visit www.SportimeNY.com/portwashington 

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About the John McEnroe Tennis Academy
In September 2010, tennis legend John McEnroe and SPORTIME partnered to launch the John McEnroe Tennis Academy, in John’s hometown of New York City, at the SPORTIME Randall's Island Tennis Center in Manhattan. SPORTIME Randall's Island is SPORTIME’s flagship location, and the flagship location of the Academy. In September 2012, JMTA expanded to SPORTIME Lake Isle, an 8-court, state-of-the-art, year-round facility in lower Westchester, and to SPORTIME Syosset in central Long Island, an 11-court indoor facility that has long served as SPORTIME’s high performance training center on Long Island. In 2013, JMTA Summer Tennis Training was added in the Hamptons, at SPORTIME Amagansett, SPORTIME’s 34-court, seasonal, outdoor tennis facility in the Town of East Hampton. With the satellite locations, the JMTA brand is currently featured at 4 sites with a total of 77 tennis courts, serving approximately 1,500 players annually and, as of September 2023, will be featured at 5 sites with a total of 96 courts, serving more than 2,000 players annually. Learn more: www.sportimeny.com/jmta.

John's passion and belief is that great players can be developed in urban and suburban settings, while still having the opportunity to live at home, pursue their educational goals, and participate in a variety of extracurricular activities. The Academy works to recruit the most talented and the most highly motivated young athletes in the New York Metropolitan area and beyond. Inspired by the vision and presence of Johnny Mac, under the guidance of JMTA Managing Director, Bennett Schlansky, executed daily by Co-Directors Patrick McEnroe and Lawrence Kleger, and featuring an international staff of tennis, athletic training and performance directors and coaches, JMTA delivers a complete on and off-court training program, and develops complete players. JMTA includes off-court athletic training, mental toughness, video analytics, educational seminars, college placement assistance and more, designed to assure the best possible outcome for elite junior players, and for other committed players striving to be the best that they can be. JMTA’s youngest students, who train with red and orange balls on 36’ and 60’ courts, participate in cutting-edge Mac Red and Mac Orange programs designed by world-renowned U-10 visionary Mike Barrell, now SPORTIME’s Executive Director of Tennis, and executed by SPORTIME/JMTA’s expert U-10 directors and coaches.

About SPORTIME Clubs
Since 1994, SPORTIME has been proud to operate the finest tennis and sports facilities in New York State. SPORTIME’s 15 club locations, most recently expanded to include the iconic Port Washington Tennis Academy, now SPORTIME Port Washington, currently offer 188 indoor and outdoor tennis courts and over 50 pickleball courts, as well as rinks, turf, camps, gyms and more, at sites across Long Island, in NYC, in Westchester and in the NY Capital Region. SPORTIME clubs are state-of-the-art, yet affordable, and feature the best tennis, sports and fitness facilities and programs, including the John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) and SPORTIME Volleyball Club (VBC). SPORTIME clubs serve individuals of every age and athletic ability, 365 days a year. Learn more: www.sportimeny.com.

SPORTIME Hempstead Lake's were packed with Dinkers and Droppers from across the island at our 1st Mega Clinic. What started as a beginner clinic quickly become more of an ex-Tennis players guide to stop doing what they are used to doing.  Driving the ball, power hitting is not the name of the game in Pickle and it is truly a humbling experience.

The focus to stop and slow your roll on the court is easier said than done. Beginners probably did better than the Intermediates did since there is no need to undo bad habits on the court. The day began with precautionary tales why you should keep the ball low. Any intermediate pickleballer knows how tasty those donuts are.

Overall a successful day and smiles all around. Drills then point games and king/queen of the court. Play and instruction was lively and we can't wait to do it again. To find out more about SPORTIME's Pickleball Clinics, Tournaments and Parties, visit www.sportimeny.com/pickleball and click on EVENTS.

SPORTIME SCHENECTADY PICKLEBALL ARE YOU READY? 
As most of you are likely aware, Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in history and appeals to players of all ages and skill levels. At recreational levels, pickleball is easy to learn and enjoy quickly. At more advanced levels, its fast pace and strategic play is intense and competitive. SPORTIME offers pickleball players and enthusiasts of all levels the opportunity to learn, compete, or just play for fun!

We are very excited to announce that, as part of our current reconstruction project, now well underway, SPORTIME Schenectady will be converting our former 2-court tennis building into a 5-court Pickleball Center. Our new pickleball facility will offer dedicated, indoor, pickleball courts by late Summer 2023!

Our indoor pickleball courts will feature permanent nets and lines and a professional-grade playing surface. Four of the courts will be regulation size, with courtside viewing and seating, and our "stadium" court will be oversized, with bleacher seating, to accommodate tournaments and special events. The pickleball center will be heated, air-conditioned and dehumidified for year-round playing comfort, with ultra-bright LED lighting customized to the layout of the courts.

Our newly reconstructed lobby will offer excellent viewing on both the ground floor and mezzanine levels. A new, expanded, upstairs lounge, overlooking the pickleball courts will provide the ideal setting for team meetings, parties, or just to socialize before and/or after play.

SPORTIME Pickleball will offer daily, level-rated open play sessions and clinics, along with open-time and seasonal court rentals, private lessons, league play, tournaments, special events and parties, and so much more! A detailed schedule of our Pickleball programs and activities will be shared soon, but members/players can secure your seasonal contract time today.

If you are ready to get in on the action, but don’t have a pickleball rating yet, we will make best efforts to place you with the appropriate groups and then adjust as needed. To get ready for the grand opening, please click on this player profile form link, and complete the form, which will help us to recommend the best pickleball classes, open play sessions and more, just for you.

Click here to view our full pickleball menu for the 2023-2024 indoor season and get in on the craze that is sweeping the Nation! We look forward to seeing you on the courts soon, and always feel free to reach out with any questions or for personal assistance – we are here to help!

The courts were rocking with more than just pickleball! The Warriors of Rock (WOR) performed live the music from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Click here to view the event.

It was great to see many of you over the beautiful holiday weekend. Summer is here!

I am writing to share that this coming Saturday night, June 3rd, Hana and I are being honored by the wonderful, local organization, the Retreat, at their annual All Against Abuse Gala Benefit. The Retreat is a volunteer-founded, not-for-profit, social service agency, in its fourth decade providing critically needed, 24-hour, emergency help and shelter, along with counseling and legal services, to victims of domestic and relationship violence. SPORTIME is proud to have been a friend and supporter of the Retreat since its inception.

Hana and I both feel a bit embarrassed about receiving this honor, as well as totally undeserving. Our support of the Retreat has been heartfelt, not at all about personal recognition, and really the least we can do. Not to mention that longtime SPORTIME members like Steve Bergerson, and others, have inspired us with their dedication as Retreat Board Members. The work that the Retreat does is really so important and essential.

Last year, SPORTIME member, Markie Hancock, also a Retreat Board Member, made a wonderful documentary film about the founding of the Retreat, and the work that it does, titled "The Power of Community: How One Town Stood Against Domestic Violence", which was featured at the Hamptons International Film Festival. The above is all to say, although we have had flyers and invitations to the event prominently displayed at the club, we have maybe been a little too quiet about it. The Gala is taking place next Saturday evening, from 6pm-8pm, at The Church, in Sag Harbor. You can read more about it by clicking here. and you can also access a terrific silent auction, with lots of great local items, and more, by clicking here.

For those of you who are going to be around next weekend, and who may not have been aware of the event, or for those who have not yet committed, please consider joining us in Sag Harbor next Saturday at 6pm for cocktails, delicious food, great conversation, and more, to support The Retreat. If you are unable to be a last-minute guest or sponsor, then please bid or give.

Thank you so much for anything you can do, and hope to see you there.

Sincerely,
Claude & Hana