When Jeremy Horwitz joined the Tunstall Bay Community Association 26 years ago, tennis tournaments were a vibrant part of the establishment. “It was just so much fun,” he remembers – he could see the courts from his Tunstall Bay house.
“It had its heyday of amazing tournaments,” remembers Liz Watson, who joined the club in the same era. “People would come and watch – tons of activity.”
Angel memberships
Two and a half decades later, with the courts in disrepair – some courts even moonlighting as boat parking – and the organization’s 50th anniversary looming, the TBCA board decided it was a good time to revitalize the ageing facilities.
But, the board didn’t want to increase membership dues – to take on a capital project the organization couldn’t afford.
So, starting last September, in a matter of three months, Horwitz and a couple of other TBCA members raised $130,000 by selling 12-year “angel” club memberships. (Horwitz spent a lot of time on the phone to accomplish the not insignificant fundraising feat.)
Not only did TBCA manage to build the new tennis courts over the spring, but two new pickleball courts, a new basketball court with foursquare and reworked parking.
“We’ve had some people on the board and volunteers, [who] have just been superhuman in their efforts to get this done quickly,” says Horwitz.
July 1, the new facilities opened (all TBCA facilities are membership only, though there are opportunities for youth tennis clinics for broader Bowen Island youth).
“Once we got the courts done, people started seeing the excitement come back to the club,” says Horwitz. “We’re using these courts now to create community within the broader community of our membership.”
Part of that community building is the inclusion of pickleball – an increasingly popular sport in North America, particularly among seniors. “It’s an incredibly easy, excellent exercise and fun way to meet people,” says Horwitz. “The courts in Vancouver are absolutely jam-packed. You go to Queen Elizabeth Park and it’s a phenomenon to behold how busy the courts are.”
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive, absolutely, incredibly overwhelmingly positive,” he says.
From bunkhouse to tennis cabana
A courtside bunkhouse that dates back to the property’s early days, when it was a Vancouver Sun retreat, got some TLC as well. Over six weeks, Liz Watson and a newer TBCA member and tennis enthusiast led the refurbishing efforts. They fixed up and repainted bunkhouse number eight, now the “tennis cabana,” and the other woman brought in a bunch of memorabilia to make the place a lovely little spot to hang out after a game.
“It’s really, really cute,” says Watson. “It shows what can be done with a bit of paint and quite a bit of volunteer effort.”
“It’s been a really great community project and it just feels so wonderful to get a few people to come together over a few work parties to accomplish things.
“The board had this vision to revitalize the court area and to bring back what used to be a really vibrant and active community hub for tennis,” she says. “We’ve been kind of like cheerleaders along the way, and then this last little bit jumped in to help with some finishing touches.”
Yacht club partnership renewed for 13 more years
Tunstall Bay’s makeover wasn’t confined to courtside. Bowen Island Yacht Club repaired the seaside boat shed it uses for its Learn2Sail program in lieu of rent. The restoration came with a 13-year agreement for shared use of the facility between TBCA and BIYC.
The Learn2Sail program (funded in part by the annual BIYC-hosted Round Bowen Race) sees about 120 kids learning the ropes of sailing every summer.
“We all think it’s an awesome thing for Bowen,” says BIYC commodore Jamie Ogden, noting that especially on the West side of the island, there aren’t a ton of activities for children. “It’s super important to keep it going and see the little smiles on those kids’ faces.”
“[BIYC] came to the table and said, ‘How can we create some certainty for our membership and our partnership with Tunstall,’” explains TBCA president Stephan Pocekovic. “The finished product is fantastic. They’re super happy, the parents and the children are happy.”
For more than just Tunstall Bay
Like at least half of TBCA members, Pocekovic isn’t actually a Tunstall Bay resident. (He lives in Eaglecliff.) It’s the broader community membership that gives TBCA the capacity for well-kept facilities – a symbiotic relationship – says Pocekovic. “It affords [Tunstall Bay] the ability to run their facility at a profit.”
The TBCA includes memberships for those residing outside of the neighbourhood, as well as a court sports-only membership. With membership topped out at about 180 families, there’s currently a waiting list for associate and full memberships. But, membership usually gets flushed through in spring and fall. “Every year, there’s a little bit of attrition with members moving away or members not using the club anymore,” says Pocekovic.
Pocekovic notes there are some who’d like to see the club, which also includes a waterfront clubhouse and swimming pool, and an annual fee of about $568 (there’s also a joining fee), remain boutique and small, and others who’d like to see a little bit more use. The board will look at the data collected from online registrations and usage and see if and when more memberships could be added, indicates Pocekovic.
Pocekovic adds a thanks to municipal employees, Daniel Martin, Greg Cormier and Patrick Graham for their guidance and direction, and a thanks to all of those who put hours and hours of effort into the project.
“We’re a volunteer board,” says Pocekovic. “A lot of us are full-time workers. We have families. We’re raising kids. So for us to come together and share this achievement with our community and with our members is spectacular.”
See more information at tunstallbay.org.
