The Credit One Charleston Open, North America’s largest women’s-only professional tennis event, returns to Daniel Island from March 28-April 5, having just won the WTA 500 Tournament of the Year for the fourth consecutive year.
You don’t reach such lofty heights without the hard work of dedicated staff and volunteers. But much of that labor happens behind-the-scenes or out of view, so we’re spotlighting a couple of the unsung tournament heroes who have helped make COCO such a perennial success.
Keeper of Courts
Rob Eppelsheimer, who serves as facilities director for LTP Tennis’ Daniel Island and Mount Pleasant locations, has worked at COCO for 26 years. He oversees the merchandise retail tents, the preparation of all tournament courts and court maintenance. Eppelsheimer initially started in November 2000 and has been involved since the tournament first moved to Charleston from Hilton Head in April 2001. “I was here when it was a big dirt hole,” mused Eppelsheimer.
He said their team kicks into high gear for the tournament around Jan. 1. When it’s time to prep the courts for the matches, he said the Stadium Court is a “different beast.”
To get Stadium Court ready each year, they perform what’s called a ‘court lift,’ which entails removing 50 tons of material and bringing in 50 tons of new material, explained Eppelsheimer. They then use a tractor to spread the material with a laser-grader to give the court surface the proper pitch. Next, they condition the material with wire brooms to spread it out thinner and use a 1,200-pound roller – just like a Zamboni in hockey – and move over the material repeatedly until they achieve the proper firmness. They use tape for the lines, which are secured with 2,000 sixteen-penny nails that are roughly three inches in length. Finally, the nets go on, and local pros use the court and provide Eppelsheimer feedback to ensure the court feels right.
For clay court maintenance they have both an above irrigation system and a sub-irrigation system called HyQ with bladders underneath the court surface with PVC liners that are connected to a solenoid water valve. Har-Tru installed the underground irrigation system, which allows them to set the pressure and the water exactly where they want it. “That’s what keeps our courts nice and green,” said Eppelsheimer.
The other clay courts used for tournament play get what’s called a “top dressing.” They remove all the top surface and not the base – all the sliding material – and then lay two tons of material and retape the courts and they are ready to go. “It’s the same thing, just less intense,” he said.
Eppelsheimer has a seven-man crew who help with maintenance during the tournament, some of whom have been with him 15 years. He assigns them to oversee a particular clay court and keep it groomed. Additionally, COCO has 20 volunteers on court maintenance, typically about three per court. Some of these volunteers have assisted with maintenance for 15 years as well. “A lot of people come back and help me, which makes my job easier,” said Eppelsheimer. He also enjoys the camaraderie of the full-time staff. “They are really fun company to be around.”
King of Strings
Kin Roseborough, a retired tennis coach who serves as a racket technician at LTP Mount Pleasant Tennis Academy and works with professional tennis players, has been stringing rackets at COCO since 2013. When he started, they would string around 375 rackets over the course of a tournament, but now their team of three strings about 600. “The stringing numbers have grown tremendously,” noted Roseborough.
It’s pretty much a non-stop affair. Players drop off their rackets, and the stringers have them ready by day’s end. “We string all day,” he said. Roseborough added that players typically have their own strings and there is a lot of variety in string tension requests, which are a personal preference. “Whatever the players ask for, we’re going to do.”
Their talented team has strung rackets for professional tennis players at the biggest tournaments in the sport. Roseborough has strung rackets at the US Open, and another fellow stringer worked at this year’s Australian Open. “We’ve got a group of guys who’ve strung regularly at pro tournaments,” he said.
Of course, there are times during a match when you need to restring a player’s racket immediately, and his team can string a racket in 12 to 14 minutes when required.
Like Eppelsheimer, Roseborough loves the camaraderie. “For me, I enjoy being part of a team for an event like the Charleston Open,” he reflected. “That dynamic of sharing things we’ve learned over the years working with players. It’s cool to be part of a team preparing the event.”
By Colin McCandless
Leave a Reply