For so many of our NWTO members, tennis is an integral part of our lives.  Tennis provides us with a network of friends; it helps us stay healthy as we age, and it gives us a way to burn off excess energy or frustration in other aspects of our lives.  So what would we do if we thought that access to year-round tennis would no longer be part of our lives? 

 For one answer, meet NWTO life member, Alexis Packer, from Ashland, Oregon.  Alexis grew up in New York, earning degrees from the University of Hartford and NYU before beginning her career in the Health Education field.  Looking for a change at age 31, Alexis took the LSATs and earned her law degree in Los Angeles. She then took a break year in New Zealand and studied the art of weaving.  After returning, she became and remains an estate planning attorney in Ashland, Oregon.

 Through all these changes in life and career, Alexis played tennis on and off becoming an avid player and fan.  Fast forward to 2016 when the local tennis and fitness club where Alexis played announced it was closing because it could not run profitably.  Alexis, along with many others in her area, kept hoping a buyer would be found soon as much of the club fell into disrepair.  Finally, Alexis stepped up and purchased the club to “save it for the community.”

 If you haven’t seen Alexis at a tournament very often, she says she really has two full-time jobs--as an attorney and now as the owner and rejuvenator of a tennis club.  She totally replaced the four tennis courts as well as the swimming and fitness areas inside and the landscaping outside. When Alexis reopened the club, about 315 members rejoined;  that number grew to about 450.  This past year has been very difficult with forced closures for Covid-19 restrictions–closed for two months last spring, open June to November with smaller numbers, closed until early February–so Alexis moved to a “Pay per Play” model so members would not be charged when play was unavailable.

NWTO salutes Alexis for her contributions of time and money to keep the option to play tennis alive in her community.  We hope that the Covid vaccine will once again make it possible for Alexis’ Ashland Tennis and Fitness Club to return to full capacity freeing up time for her to enjoy the camaraderie of fellow NWTO members at an upcoming tournament.