When students arrive on campus every day, they are greeted by a brand-new $40 million gym. But just a short walk away, the tennis courts are cracked, overgrown with weeds, and patched with fabric instead of paint.
“I guarantee you there’s no other facility in Burlingame High School that looked as bad as the tennis courts did on our day one,” head girls’ and boys’ tennis coach Doug Stone said, describing his reaction on the first day of the season.
According to junior and player Ali Endicott, the tennis courts needed resurfacing since gym reconstruction began in 2023, and their condition has only worsened. When gym construction began, maintenance placed three portables on the set of four tennis courts closest to the football field, which took one of the eight total courts out of use.
A second court is unplayable because a fence was added during the gym reconstruction to separate the portable classrooms from the courts. Sophomore and player Ella Vuong said the fence forces her to stay more aware of her surroundings to avoid injury.
“On multiple occasions, I’ve almost ran into the fence if I’ve tried to get a ball,” Vuong said.
With only six usable courts, the team can no longer host Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) or Central Coast Section (CCS) playoff matches, which require seven courts. However, they are still able to host home league matches.
Athletic Director John Philipopoulos said the original plan was to resurface the courts after gym construction, once the portables could be removed. However, the portables have stayed in place and been converted into classrooms to accommodate increased enrollment. For Stone, the portable classrooms not only block his view of half the courts but have also drawn complaints from opposing coaches.
“They are challenged playing their teams here, because not only are the courts potentially dangerous with the way they are currently, they cannot coach their teams to the ability that they would like to,” Stone said.
Stone added that the poor court conditions are causing tennis balls to wear out by the end of the first set. Typically, the tennis balls last a full match, but players must now play with low-quality balls as their match progresses.
“By the end of the second set, there’s nothing left to them, and if they have to play a third set tie break, they’re playing balls that should have been tossed out,” Stone said.
Due to the ongoing issues with the courts, junior and player Shea Mulready said she thinks the school prioritizes more popular sports over tennis.
“A lot of people care about football and whatnot, but I think that tennis is really an amazing sport, and they should definitely give it more thought and attention and care,” Mulready said.
Despite differing opinions, Philipopoulos said he values the Burlingame tennis program. According to Philipopoulos, he and others had initially recommended placing the portables on the softball field instead.
“I know for a fact that I don’t, and our administration, we don’t minimize the contributions and the importance of boys’ and girls’ tennis here at BHS,” Philipopoulos said.
On Wednesday, Sept. 10, Stone met with Principal Jen Fong and Philipopoulos to discuss future plans for the courts. According to Stone, the portables have a strong chance of removal after this school year. While the timing of the resurfacing and other court improvements is still undecided, he said that if the courts are resurfaced this year, the work would be scheduled between the girls’ and boys’ seasons. In addition, Stone hopes for a broader plan to upgrade the entire facility, including necessary changes to the nets, net posts, screens, and fences.
“We’re leaning towards getting the resurfacing done, because at least it’s a step in the right direction,” Stone said.
He and administrators aim to bring the facility up to standard within about a year, but he said neither he nor the administration is satisfied with the lack of a clear plan.
“We need to figure out what the plan is and try to drive it,” Stone said. “And as far as a greater plan is concerned, nothing is happening until these portables get removed.”
