Fame is fleeting — a moment in the sun, and the crowd disperses.
Coastal Point • SAM HARVEY: Twin brother lieutenants Greg and Chris Zielinski, standouts on the U.S. Air Force Academy’s tennis team, stand in front of the ‘wall of fame’ at Sea Colony.
But there’s a wall at the Sea Colony Tennis Center in Bethany Beach where they try to keep those glory days fresh for the athletes who have achieved.
And plenty of success stories have their first chapters at Sea Colony — their “wall of fame” recognizes dozens of Middle States Tennis Sectional Champions, Delaware’s adult and junior state champions and college players.
Tennis program director Dave Marshall “took five” a couple weeks ago, noting some of the standouts — but there are so many. How about Brittany Marshall, Delaware Junior Tennis State Champion 14 and 16, or Jessi Robinson, U.S. Tennis Association (USTA) national champ several times over?
Or Shannon Buck, ranked among the top 20 Division I college players in the country?
Some of the locals might not realize it, but in Sea Colony they have a training ground fit for the most competitive college players — and now and then, even for a pro. Harrington native Kim Schiff dipped a toe in the deep end after four years as No. 1 in singles at Vanderbilt.
No coincidence, Sea Colony receives high marks from various tennis organizations (as evidenced on their own little wall of fame, up in the gallery):
• Tennis Magazine-ranked Top 50 resort, 2002 and 2004;
• Tennis Magazine fourth-best junior program in the country;
• Tennis Resorts Online, among the top 20 resorts nationwide, seven years running; and
• Home training ground for 99 state champs, 41 sectional champs and 10 national champs.
The facilities are extensive, with 18 hard courts and 12 clay courts around the neighborhood. Most of those are lined up around the tennis center itself, which houses four courts plus various locker rooms, a pro shop and other amenities.
It’s come a long way from the days when the tennis center was referred to simply as “the Bubble.” But that’s just what it was, for many years — an inflatable building, which apparently lasted just a few years before suffering some serious damage in a storm.
A second bubble went up, but Sea Colony homeowners agreed to build something a little nicer — the hard-framed tennis center that exists today.
Marshall first came to the tennis center as a young player, back in the bubble days. He’s been director for more than 15 years now, building on the foundations established by past directors (Bobby Hush, Dave Kozlowski).
Sea Colony has actively supported local tennis for many years — Marshall started the Delaware Youth Tennis Foundation, to provide young athletes from the area with some free instruction. There are Oscar Sebastian Memorial Scholarships, awarded for athletic achievement at the high-school level (they’re given out during the local Henlopen Conference tournament, in May) and continued success at the college level.
And starting this year, the organization initiated a new Sea Colony Tennis Scholarship program, in memory of Sea Colony founder Carl Freeman.
Marshall has turned sports-program management into a professional sideline, so players can now find Marshall’s easy – but firm — style of instruction at several local venues. But first and foremost, he’s on the courts at the Sea Colony tennis center.
Walking back toward the pro shop (after describing a few constellations’ worth of standouts), he grabbed a few random players to illustrate just what it was they are teaching.
“Show me where you hit a forehand,” he demanded of one young player, who responded by extending his arm before his body, wrist cocked back. “That’s right,” Marshall nodded, offering a measured dose of praise.
A couple courts along, he called over a foursome, two mixed-doubles working with an instructor at the net. “What have you learned today?” Marshall asked. They’d focused on position, worked on some techniques, the players answered.
“Fundamentals, and play,” Marshall stated. Some programs teach the fundamentals all day long, but don’t match players up for actual game play. Other programs try to match players but don’t help them build tools.
The instructors at Sea Colony teach both sides, Marshall said. And, to judge by the breadth and height of their wall of fame, they seem to be doing it right.
For more information, visit www.tennisadvantage.com on the Internet. But be advised, the Sea Colony wall of fame must be seen firsthand to be truly appreciated.