Yesterday, me and a few other Masters students joined a small group of 3rd year students on a 'field trip' to the Wimbleson courts for a tour. I was really excited, and didnt know that much about the competitions or much about the courts and stadiums and whatnot.
the tour lasted a little over 2 hours, but i could have toured for 4 hours! everything was so interesting to me! And the weather was unbeatable. it was about 60-ish degrees with sun and just perfect for a stroll outside among the courts.
We got to see the outside courts (there are 18!) and inside the Court No. 1, but weren't allowed into the Center Court (the mother of them all) because its strictly for players/during the competition. but we did see the top of the new retractable roof! We also got to look around the museum they have in the 'basement' of the gift shop. its actually full of old rackets, tennis outfits and videos of years and years of the championship final matches. Just watching them got my adrenaline rushing and i nearly could have started jumping and screaming for joy with the winner!!
We also went into the BBC T.V. news room in the new Media building, and the press conference room too, i got my pic taken up on the stand...if only i were up there after a REAL MATCH! :(
The info about the grass courts seemed, to me, the most interesting. First of all, becuase the courts are GRASS, and secondly because of the OCD way that they are cared for. The grass is called 'jessica' since that is the name of the seed used. The grass is very thick and silky to the touch (nicer than a golf course!!), and is cut only 1mm at a time so the grass "doesnt go into shock"..... It is cut at 11mm for matches, and is protected either by electric fences or a 24 hour guard/dog, to keep the foxes from ruining the grass!!
Also, in the winter when the sun is not as high, they use a massive sun lamp for the areas that dont get enough sun, so there are no patchy spots. And they also use a new kind of material/fabric for the tarp to pull over the court when there is rain: it doesnt gain weight when wet, is translucent, lets the sun rays thru, and is breathable for the grass to get O2. COOL!?
So, I am pretty sure I am going to go there in June when the competitions start and try to get a ticket to see a match, even if its only in one of the 'warm up' outdoor courts!
3 comments:
Great pix! I had no idea there were that many courts and I love the topiary. Yes, indeed, sun in England...always a pleasant surprise.
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Ditto on the pix and topiary. The info about "Jessica" was really interesting. I knew they played on grass, but had no idea they were so obsessive-compulsive about the maintenance! Hope you'll be able to attend a match. How exciting!
Aunt Rosaline
I'm so jealous! :o If you get to go to a match in June, do something crazy to get yourself on TV. Good luck getting tickets though--it's not easy. They've needed a retractable roof on centre court.
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