New Doubles League at Prospect Park Tennis Center

Sure signs of winter in Brooklyn: Barren tree branches, holiday lighting on major thoroughfares, and a puffy white bubble rising from the Prospect Park Tennis Center.

The Marshmallow Man-esque bubble is back for another season, along with the classes, group lessons, and leagues that have become a staple at the Parade Ground courts.  But this winter, the 11-court center has added an evening doubles league for the first time.

The Thursday night league is catered to intermediate to advanced players.  It runs from 9 to 11 p.m. every week except for holidays and its first session started in early November and will run for twelve weeks until another session starts in January.  In early May, the bubble – which is made of semi-translucent coated fabric – will be removed for the spring and summer seasons.

"People were interested in playing doubles in the evening, so it's another bit of programming that we've added," said Paul Campbell, the center's director.

Administrators also hope the doubles league draws female participants, who are relatively scarce in the evening singles leagues.

"These leagues are open to men and women, but they're predominantly male – that's just the way it's worked out," said Paul Curtin, one of the center's head pros.  "The idea was to create a doubles league that hopefully will encourage more women to come out."

Perhaps the biggest advantage of the doubles league is that it enables twice as many players on the courts as the singles league, whose waiting list is notoriously long.  Depending on whether the league uses five or six courts – which allow either 20 or 24 players – that's either 10 or 12 additional opportunities for people to play. 

That's important considering the relative dearth of indoor tennis courts in Brooklyn, especially those that charge reasonable prices.  Tennis clubs have been closing throughout New York City for more than a decade, and the recent economic downturn has made the prices of private clubs more prohibitive than ever for many.  (The Center's prices are reasonable, especially so by the standards of tennis.  The doubles league charges $480 for twelve weeks.  Court time is two hours.)

Francesca Maxime, a Windsor Terrace resident, said she couldn't get into the singles league.  "That's been full for some time, so when they asked me to play doubles, I was enthusiastic about it," she said.

Maxime, who moved to Brooklyn from Pensacola, Florida in June of 2009, credited the doubles league with helping her feel more tied to her adopted home.  "Being new to New York, the people I play with have become an extended community," she said.

Adam White, a Park Slope resident who lives on Fourth Avenue, said, "Singles is obviously a very individual sport.  With doubles, it's much more of a social game."

Like many participants in the doubles league, White, 46, is middle-aged.  For people in this age group, White said doubles has other advantages.

"With doubles, you really don't have to be all that mobile or physically fit," he said.  "You can have all these aches and pains and have problems with your back, knees, and hips.  But as long as you hit the ball with good technique, you can be a really respectable doubles player."

For information about the Thursday night league, email league director Alan Edelstein at aedelstein@prospectpark.org.  Enrollment for the first 12-week session is closed, but the second session – beginning in January – is open.