Will Herrington, Campus Carrier staff writer

Michaela Lumpert, Campus Carrier news editor

This year, the United States Tennis Association (UTSA) named the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College the 2019 Outstanding Tennis Facility. The center was chosen out of several highly qualified facilities in the United States for this award.

“There are a lot of different parameters,” said Collin Cadwell, the interim director of the Rome Tennis Center. “They look at quality of facility, program offerings, events held, and the level and quality of all those pieces.”

The facility was originally built as a joint project between the City of Rome and Berry College. Berry gave the land for the project and the facility was built using the Special-Purpose Local-Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) money from the City of Rome. Currently the facility has over 60 tennis courts spread across 30 acres of land.

The size and quality of the facility has put it in a national spotlight. Recently, it was selected to host the United States Tennis Association Girl’s 14 National Tournament. The attention the facility has been getting, has prompted ideas to put a hotel on the property. However, these plans are in early stages of development with no physical contract created.

“My understanding is that is still in process and negotiations to bring a hotel property here” Cadwell said.

The facility also has a tennis management student work program that works in conjunction with the USTA. It offers students an opportunity to gain experience in management and to learn about careers in the tennis industry.

The program is hiring students that have a background in tennis and have management experience.