LTA ARTICLE: how a North Devon racket and fitness centre reached the heart of its community

ARC have recently been featured on the LTA website as a case study for inclusivity and volunteering opportunities. The article delves into all the amazing community opportunities, partnerships and events our staff and volunteers have worked to create over the recent months and years.

We are incredibly proud to be seen as a leading light within our community and this is certainly something we will continue to work and grow.

Read the full article here:

“Located on Devon’s North Coast, Atlantic Racquet Centre (ARC) are defining what it really means to be a sports centre at the heart of the community…”

ARC Success in Vernon Weaver

Rupert George, Lewie Parker, Tom Vinall, Alex Grigg, Sally Rana, Lottie Koval, Nicole Wickett, Anoushka Lynd

2023 saw the return of the Vernon Weaver competition after a 4 year break due to Covid. The event was held at ARC for the first time and marked the 40th Anniversary of the tournament which sees the League Winners from East Devon, Plymouth, Exeter and North Devon compete against each other in both Ladies and Mens Tennis.

The men lost the toss and played outside. A strong David Lloyd team beat Budleigh 3-1 whilst ARC defeated the Devonshire 3-1.

In the Ladies event a lengthy battle took place between the Devonshire and David Lloyd with the latter coming out on top 3-1 after winning both Championship tiebreaks.  ARC gained their place in the Final by  defeating  Sidmouth  4-0.

The finals did not disappoint. Great tennis was on display in the Men’s event. ARC came out on top beating David Lloyd 3-1 with ARC 1st pair of Lewie Parker and Rupert George unbeaten all day without dropping a set.  In a high standard Ladies final. ARC  also went on to win, beating David Lloyd by one set.

Standings for Sunday Night Winter League

Updated standings for Sunday Night Winter League as of 27th March:

Calling all Girls...!

We are launching a set of new tennis courses specially for girls to get them playing and enjoying tennis! There are sessions for all ages between 4 and 16years old and designed to ensure girls have an enjoyable and positive experience. The 6-week course will include coaching, a tennis racket and set of balls, a t-shirt and wristbands and access to a fun, sociable tennis community. The courses are just £35 per person and are starting after the Easter holidays.

These are open for booking, click the buttons below to get signed up…

Easter Holiday Camps are open for booking

Tennis & Badminton Activity Camps

3rd-5th April & 10th-12th April

Our popular Holiday Tennis & Badminton Camp is a fun-filled 3-day activity week that’s overflowing with great games, serious skills, terrific teamwork, and continuous competition! Whether you are booking them in for a half-day, a full day or all 3 days they’re bound to come home absolutely exhausted and with huge smiles on their faces! The large age group is split down the middle depending on who’s attending each session meaning the older kids get to style it out together whilst the younger ones are kept bouncing!  We provide all the equipment so just send them along with trainers and a drink. If they’re doing the full day they’ll need a packed lunch to eat in our supervised lunch break at 12pm. If you have any questions at all or special requirement don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Book on to: 
a Half-Day,
a Whole Day,
a Full 3 Days.

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Mini Red Camps - Tuesday 4th & 11th April

Our classic Mini Red Camp is a super fun filled hour of games, skills work and competition. As well as playing lots of Tennis, your child will play loads of exciting games aimed at improving their co-ordination, balance and agility whilst having loads of fun.

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Invitational Performance Camps - 6th & 13th April

Our junior and mini performance camps are intensive 2-hour training sessions aimed at some of our most advanced players in both mini tennis age groups and yellow ball. The session is invitation only and will include strength and conditioning work, speed work, intensive drills, focused 1:1 coach time and match play.

Current Standings in Sunday Night Winter League

As of 14th Feb, these are the latest standings and scores from our Sunday Night Winter League. I will look to update these each week.

Family Cup 2023

The Family Cup tournament recently held at ARC was an uplifting event that brought together nine pairs of players. The tournament was played on Mini Tennis courts, and the players used sponge balls to showcase their skills and techniques.

The players were all enthusiastic about the event, and it was great to see them coming together to bond and enjoy a day of friendly competition. Each pair competed in eight matches, and every player was cheering on their own, creating a wonderful and supportive atmosphere.

The players' commitment and passion were inspiring, and it was evident that they had all put in a lot of effort to prepare for the tournament. The competitive spirit on display was a testament to their dedication and love for the game, and it made the event a resounding success.

At the end of the tournament, one pair emerged victorious, with Dan and Rudi taking home the coveted Family Cup trophy with Jayden and Oscar being the runners up! However, every family had something to be proud of, having had a great day out playing tennis and enjoying time with their loved ones.

The next Family Cup tournament will be held in September, and we're excited to see even more players come together to play and compete in this fun-filled event.

Half Term Adult Coaching Sessions - What's on (and What's not!)

Our regular coaching programs take a break next week for half term, but there is still plenty going on at ARC during this week. Here’s a quick summary of what’s going ahead…

Tennis

• Clubplay Sessions - Tuesday & Friday 7-9pm, Wednesday 10am-12pm

• Practice & Play - Wednesday ONLY 1-3pm

• Adult Doubles Clinic - Thursday 7-9pm

Badminton

• No-Strings - Wednesday 2-4.30pm, Thursday 7-9pm

• Clubplay Session - Friday 7-9pm

Table Tennis

• Bat & Chat - Wednesday 2-4.30pm

Fitness Classes

• All classes during the week going ahead as normal

• Weightlifting - 8-9am Saturday 18th (No other classes on Saturday 18th Feb*)

• Functional Fitness - 10am Sunday 19th

*There will be no drop in sessions, coaching or classes for any sport on Saturday 18th Feb (except a Mini Badminton make up session with Alistair, and Weightlifting class with Lottie M) due to a staff training day.

All the above sessions can be booked via Team up (payment is required at time of booking).

Impressive Results from our First Nutrition Workshop

In January ARC ran it’s first series of Nutrition workshops to help members learn about, and improve their eating habits. The four sessions were run by guest Nutrition Coaches, Frazer and Rachel McArdell each Wednesday evening throughout the month.

The sessions themselves were full of great tips, helpful advice and lots of ‘myth-busting’ science with clear, easy guidelines for the participants to follow. We also had a Facebook group to share recipes and for members to support each other and ask questions of the coaches.

Here’s what one of the attendees had to say:

“The course has been awesome, it’s really made me change up some of my eating habits, which weren’t bad but I’ve definitely needed to make some adjustments. I’ve felt so good through Jan... I’ve had more energy, focus and motivation which has resulted in me not only feeling great but it’s allowed me to really thrive in my work as I run my own business. I’ve also been sleeping really well, averaging 9 hours a night!”

— Kellie Simpson

There is no doubt the course made a real difference to the participants. On average the group lost 2.5kg over the four week period, and 3cm off their waist. It shows what can be achieved with the right help!

“The nutrition course was informative without being too in-depth - the take aways were clear, very achievable and really helped me to understand what our body’s need. Frazer and Rachel were knowledgeable, friendly and very supportive. I look forward to the next one maybe on sports nutrition!”

— Attendee

The course focused on the importance of making good food choices, helping participants identify healthy options and alternatives to sugary and processed foods. Portion sizes were also discussed, and the coaches provides some handy tips for quickly and easily planning meals and their make-up.

Frazer and Rachel talked about good hydration, exercise and physical activity that best supports health and fat loss. These tips really paid off, with everyone losing weight and feeling better as a result of their better nutrition.

“This was a very friendly, supportive and engaged group of like-minded people all wanting to understand more about the relationship between health, exercise, nutrition and hydration. Highly informative and enjoyable weekly group that I would truly recommend.
One negative......only 4 weeks.”

— Attendee

We will certainly be aiming to put on more nutrition courses in the coming months. If this is something you would be interested in, please drop us an email so we can inform you of the dates once confirmed. Future courses will also include a sports nutrition workshop to help you fuel your workouts and racquet sports.

Half Term Tennis & Badminton Activity Camp

Our popular Holiday Tennis & Badminton Camp is a fun-filled 3-day activity week that’s overflowing with great games, serious skills, terrific teamwork, and continuous competition! Whether you are booking them in for a half-day, a full day or all 3 days they’re bound to come home absolutely exhausted and with huge smiles on their faces!

The large age group is split down the middle depending on who’s attending each session meaning the older kids get to style it out together whilst the younger ones are kept bouncing!  We provide all the equipment so just send them along with trainers and a drink. If they’re doing the full day they’ll need a packed lunch to eat in our supervised lunch break at 12pm. If you have any questions at all or special requirement don’t hesitate to get in touch.

SPRING HALF TERM - 13th-15th Feb

ARC Fitness 1st Birthday!

ARC Fitness is one year old today and what a year it’s been! We have the best members, staff, volunteers and coaches that make the gym such a fun and friendly place to be everyday. Thank you all!

It’s been great to see everyone working out, socialising, competing, having fun, moving better and of course becoming stronger and fitter this year.

Here’s to the next

ARC Awards Evening

On Saturday 26th November, ARC held our annual awards Evening. Over 140 people came along to the event, creating a fantastic atmosphere. Throughout the evening, we celebrated over 50 awards and achievements across tennis, badminton and fitness.

Towards the end of the evening we recognised our special award winners and nominees. These included our most improved players for tennis, badminton, fitness and table tennis. The award for the most improved adult and junior with a disability is always a highlight of the evening, and this year these honours went to Randa Gobara and Haiden Kellow.

The team of the Year was awarded to our Ladies Badminton team from 2021 who were put into a men’s league due to lack of ladies entries and still managed to finish mid-table.

Our Community Partner of the Year was the Northam Care Trust for their contributions to people with mental and physical disabilities in Bideford.

Finally Ella Wilson was our Staff Member of the Year for her fantastic dedication and hard work and Simon Trapnell was awarded Volunteer of the Year in recognition of his contributions to ARC’s maintaince team.

Join our Free Nutrition Seminar

Nutrition is an important and often overlooked part of sport, health and fitness and I think it will be a great offering to both racquet and gym members, giving them some key education about how to eat for health, weight loss and fitness.

ARC members Frazer and Rachel McArdell (whom some of you will know) are going to be delivering the seminars and running the course as guest coaches. Here’s a little more about Frazer…

(Frazer is from a professional rugby coach and playing background (Singapore Men’s Head Coach, Scotland age grade, Gloucester Academy) with a passion for winning and education. He has a Degree in sports science, a Masters in sports coaching and holds a Precision Nutrition coaching qualification. Frazer is well positioned to give you the knowledge and science needed to eat to your goals but also the coaching skills to make it work for your individual needs.)

The seminar and New Year’s course will be free to all staff and coaches, and we encourage you to get involved as it will set a great example for members to follow. It should also be really useful for when we advise or speak to members/clients about lifestyle or nutritional matters.

FREE SEMINAR – Thursday 8th December 6:30-7:30pm, at ARC mezzanine area.

The one-hour seminar will be offered out to all members as a way to introduce key topics relating to nutrition including;

• What makes a good nutrition plan?

• What are calories?

• The difference between food groups, macro & micro nutrients and how these count towards your daily intakes

• How many calories do you need to lose weight, gain weight, be healthy, perform best for a sport?

• What is hydration and are you hydrated?

The seminar will close with an introduction and early sign up to the New Year’s Nutritional Course – Eat: Clean & Lean…

NEW YEARS NUTRITIONAL COURSE – EAT; Clean & Lean,  January 2023

• Cost is £39.99 to members

The course schedule is 

• Tuesday 3rd Jan 2023 – Weigh In (confidential & optional)

• Wednesday 4th Jan – Seminar 1, 7-8pm

• Wednesday 11th Jan – Seminar 2, 7-8pm

• Wednesday 18th Jan – Seminar 3, 7-8pm

• Wednesday 25th Jan – Seminar 4, 7-8pm

• Tuesday 3rd February – Weigh Out

Additionally, there will be a Facebook group created to post recipes and meals, keep in touch with Frazer and Rachel and other members as well as share the process.

• To support the course there will be an exercise goal of achieving 10,000 steps a day and 3 or more workout, activity or sport sessions a week.

ARC Men's A win North Devon Tennis League

Our Men’s A team topped the North Devon Tennis league in 2022, winning Division 1, making it a league ‘clean sweep’ for our club after the Ladies A team success. 

Men’s league Results 

The ARC Men’s A team led by Lewie Parker had a great season, winning Division 1 by a comfortable margin of 54 points.  Lewie won an incredible 23 of the 24 rubbers he played in, closely supported by Alex Grigg who won 17 of his 18 matches.   ARC B and C teams captained by Tom Farnell and Alex Wingent respectively also gave a really good account of themselves, finishing in 4th and 7th place.  Matt Johns and Matt Daniel were the B team aces, playing 12 matches between them and winning most of them.  The C’s held onto avoid relegation, keeping 3 ARC teams in Division 1 for next season.   Ian Leonard played an important role for them, winning 6 matches throughout the year. 

 ARC D and ARC E played in division 2 this season, coming 3rd and 5th respectively.  Simon Trapnell led the D’s in a strong campaign, with himself, Dave Thresher and Mark Clayton all winning 18 matches for their team along the way.  Kullervo captained the E’s, and again led from the front alongside Martyn Beer, winning 18 rubbers between them. 

Our F team captained by Matt Farley played in Division 3, coming home in 3rd behind Tarka C.  Neil Darnley and Richard Jones showed up the most, playing 36 matches between them and winning 19 of those encounters.  Finally, ARC G team ably led by Erol Eales toiled hard to finish the season in 6th place in Division 4.  Erol played in a monumental 18 games, whilst Jonathan McNeil starred for the team, winning half of the games he played in. 

Make sure you come along to our ARC Awards night on 26th November at 7pm to help us congratulate our fantastic league teams and celebrate many more successes for Atlantic Racquet Centre this year. 

ARC Winter Open 2022

This was held at the end of October indoors and was a great success. 80 different people entered a variety of events and competition was fierce during the week. Both weekends and 4 evenings were used and competitors were aged from 15 upwards. This tournament is an annual event in the ARC Calendar so please reserve the date for next year! (Last week in October)

The Men’s Singles Winner was ARC’s Lewie Parker, completing his hat trick of ARC wins this year. (Summer Open and ARC Club Championships being the other two) Sam Laidler from Malvern (last year’s winner was the runner up. Well done to Shakira from Bournemouth who is 15, this is her 3rd win in Grade 4 tournaments at ARC but congratulations also to Niamh Ramsay from ARC playing in her first Ladies Singles event as Runner Up.

The Mens’ Doubles title went to a pair from Ivybridge and Somerset – Jon Doel and Frankie King, they beat Matt Johns and Billy Pearce in a fast hitting final.

The Mixed final saw some of the “older players” competing against each other and after a closely fought match, Teresa Poole and Gerald Sussex beat Marian Vinall and Mark Clayton.

Vets’ Mens Doubles opened the tournament with 8 pairs and it was great to see Martyn Beer and Phil Yabsley picking up the title by defeating Gerald Sussex and John Norman in a Championship tiebreak.

The closest event of the week was the Vets Ladies Doubles where 3 pairs came out on top with 3 wins each, after a long round robin of 4 matches each. It had to be left to the computer to decide the winners, based on win and loss % of games. Congratulations go to Helen Beer and Lynne Wiseman Cooke, with Debbie Chaffe and Sara Milburn 2nd and Denise and Marian wishing they had won one more game!! The moral of this event is remember every game counts!!

The Ladies Doubles title was retained by Mother and Daughter Denise and Lottie Koval in a championship tiebreak.

The Mixed Vets’ was the largest event of the week and played on the final day and everyone felt the necessity to play as many tiebreaks as possible! After just under 7 hours of play the Winners were Andy Koval & Janet Sanders who beat Andrew and Ali Swinton from Ilfracombe in the final.

It was a great week and lots of fun was had by everyone who entered. Next ARC Adult Tournament is the usual weeklong in May with events for all categories including juniors. See you there.

Marian

ARC Ladies A team reigns victorious!!

Sally, Nicole and Captain Lottie collecting their trophies for winning the League, Cup and Houldsworth Cup in 2022!

2022 was another fantastic year for ARC in the North Devon Tennis League. Our Ladies A team conquered the North Devon Tennis League, winning both Division 1 and the Knockout Cup competition!

Ladies’ league results 

Our ARC A team led by Captain Lottie Koval defended their Ladies Division 1 title by a clear 60 points over their nearest rivals Rock Park A.  They won an incredible 92% of their sets played throughout the season.  Sally Rana stood out amongst the A team players, winning an incredible 17 of her 18 matches played across the season.  Nicole Wickett, Anoushka Lynd, Martha MacDonald and Hannah Miller all made regular appearances for the team, each contributing to their amazing success. Our A’s also won the Knockout Cup this season and the Mixed Doubles Houldsworth Cup, making it an stunning Treble winning year for the team and their captain!

In the same league, our ARC B’s finished in a very creditable 6th place, avoiding relegation in a division where they were the only ‘B’ team amongst a sea of A’s!  Captain Marian Vinall held things together beautifully during some tough matches whilst Cath Andrews really stepped up, playing 8 matches for her team. 

Our ARC C and D teams were playing in Division 2 this season.  ARC C, captained by Lorraine Clements, finished 2nd to Ilfracombe B with a 75% set win rate.  Zoe Green, Debbie Chaffe and Sarah Powell were the superstars of their team, playing 58 rubbers between them, winning 38 of them.  Our D team also managed to avoid automatic relegation with an impressive 7th place finish just ahead of Woolsery A and only 3 points behind Tarka B team, with captain Fantastic, Sally Ferguson turning out for 24 rubbers over the summer. 

In Division 3 ARC was once again represented by our E team ladies and their skipper, Tish Shere.  They did really well, finishing in 5th place, which is actually this team’s best ever result in this league!  Fiona White was ever present for the E’s, playing in 12 rubbers and winning 3 despite coming back from a nasty injury at the beginning of the year. 

Make sure you come along to our ARC Awards night on 26th November at 7pm to help us congratulate our fantastic league teams and celebrate many more successes for Atlantic Racquet Centre this year. 

Next week we’ll post a review of the men’s season…

ARC Awards Evening 2022

We’re excited to announce that the annual ARC Awards Evening will be taking place on Saturday 26th November from 7pm – 8pm in our upstairs future Café space. The evening will see the winners crowned in various categories including Most Improved Athlete in Fitness, Badminton, Table Tennis, Tennis & Disability Sport along with Volunteer of the Year and many more. The evening will also form the presentation ceremony for the ARC Club Championships, Junior Boost Leaderboards, North Devon Tennis & Badminton League victors and various other events which took place during 2022.   

Please do come along for an hour to have a drink and celebrate the many successes of our members during the year. Who knows – perhaps you’ll win an award! The evening will also include an exclusive glimpse at our brand new Squash courts ahead of their anticipating opening in early 2023 so its well worth coming along to support.

We’ll look forward to seeing you all there.  

By Tom Vinall, General Manager