Posted by: Janet Uren
Summer is over, and forecasters are predicting a warm autumn with the sudden onset of abnormally cold weather in November. So, brace yourself!
How Canadians do love their summers. As always, it has been an extremely busy season at the Ottawa Tennis Club (OTC), with some 1,500 members using the tennis courts, many hundreds of young adults thronging the sand courts every evening, neighbourhood fans flocking into The Cameron to listen to music on Sunday evenings, swimmers fleeing to the pool to escape record temperatures and 800 summer campers arriving, mostly from the local community, to have fun and to learn new skills.
The club’s official closing will take place after Thanksgiving. Now, however, as the days shorten and club volunteers turn out to plant bulbs and ready the garden for winter, it’s time to wrap up and to celebrate the summer that was. On October 5, OTC invites members and neighbours alike to a celebration of its 144th season. On that day, the club will be buzzing both with activity and hospitality.
Members will gather in the morning for an end-of-the-year brunch, followed by the Davis Cup doubles tournament. For this whimsical event, every pair of competitors will take up the flag of a different country – they get to choose – and will fight it out for the “world” crown on the tennis courts. The board of directors will also be showing their mettle in a special governors’ exhibition game. In the afternoon, parents and Junior members will join forces for a Family Mixer round robin.
Following the morning tournaments, everyone – members and neighbours alike – are invited to enjoy a barbeque noon to 1:30 pm with $5 hamburgers and other summer fare. After lunch, there will be trivia games and lawn sports for the pleasure of all. Johnny, who has been turning out such delicious fare at the Courtside Café all summer, will be baking mouth-watering pizzas for supper.
OTC could not function without the wholehearted support of a large community of volunteers, and the end-of-season celebration gives us a chance to single out those whose hard work has made the 2025 season the success it was. On October 5, the club will be recognizing 25- and 35-year members. It will also be presenting the Dave Fleming Volunteer Spirit Award, a biennial award for the member who best lives up to the club values of respect, inclusiveness, honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, volunteerism, and fun. Dave Fleming, whose name is honoured in the award, grew up on Ossington Avenue. He has been a member of the club for 60 years, serving as president for ten plus years, and he epitomizes those club values.
“If winter comes, can spring be far behind?” as the poet says. Many of us are already planning next year. Members are hurrying to buy their Early Bird memberships (now on sale), so that they have something to look forward to during the cold months. As well, plans are in place to take the Clubhouse through into the next phase of its long-term renovation. This fall’s project involves the rebuilding and renewal of the upstairs balcony, as well as the laser grading of some of the courts to achieve perfect smoothness and slope.
Be sure to mark your calendars – October 5, noon to 1:30 pm – and come celebrate the summer that was.
Janet Uren is a professional writer who lives in Ottawa.
Featured in the October 2025 OSCAR.