Community Champions

BUILDING TENNIS COMMUNITIES STRATEGY (BTC) is a collaborative effort between Tennis Canada and Provincial Tennis Organizations to grow the game of tennis in communities throughout Canada. The goal of the BTC Strategy is to bring more people into the game of tennis and to keep them playing for life while facilitating growth and sustainability. For more information about BTC please click here.

Tennis Canada provides funding assistance for the Community Champion(s) for a three year period and after that we work together to find the resources to make sure that tennis continues to contribute to the health of your community.

If you are interested in becoming a community champion in your area, please contact Ivana Jelec, Director of Community Development at ivana@tennisbc.org.  

BC'S COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS!
Community Champions are integral to Tennis Canada's Building Tennis Communities Strategy. The mandate of this program is to grow and sustain the growth of tennis by addressing the needs of communities. We currently have community champions in following communities throughout the province: Salmon Arm, Langley, Cranbrook, Victoria, Kelowna, Rossland/Trail, Whistler/Squamish/Pemberton, Nelson/Catlegar, Penticton, Mayne Island, Coquitlam, and Whitehorse, Yukon.

The following are Community Champions who have been approved by Tennis Canada as leaders who are working to grow tennis via Parks & Recreation, our schools programs, and Community Tennis Assocations. 

Darrell Krell (Langley)

Darrell has been working hard to develop tennis pathways for Langley and has added more tennis lessons for Langley Parks & Recreation. He has also worked as the coordinator for the Tennis BC Schools Program for Langley, working closely with the school district to introduce children to the game of tennis. Darrell is also a member of the Langley City Parks & Recreation Commission, which is responsible for the development and expansion of facilities and services in Langley, and a member of the evaluation committee for the South Fraser Tennis Society.

Doug Rawson (North Okanagan/Shuswap) 

Doug started playing tennis at the age of eight. In 2001, he started to teach tennis. Three years later, he became a Certified Club Pro 1. Doug has been involved in sports, both as a competitor and coach, for most of his life. He also holds a Level 2 Hockey Coach Certificate, is a Certified Alpine Ski Instructor, and has taught Martial Arts (Gung-fu & Kickboxing). Since 1999, he has worked as a Certified Personal Trainer and runs his own business, as well as working in several local gyms.

Dean Gillis (Victoria)

Dean is a former national level player, and recipient of a NCAA university scholarship. He has organized over thirty (30) tournaments, and initiated a number of high profile events, including the $10,000 Labatt's Wood Racquets Tournament. Since January 1, 2005, he has run five (5) tournaments in his region. He is the coordinator of the Cedar Hill Recreation Centre in the district of Saanich, and a Certified Club Pro 2. He is also responsible for organizing the Tennis B.C. South Island League and coordinating the Tennis BC School Program in Greater Victoria. He is one of our valued Community Champions, building tennis communities on Vancouver Island and receiving the Gold Award from Tennis Canada for his initiatives in "growing the game" at Cedar Hill (TDC). Email: gillisd@saanich.ca Cedar Hill Recreation (250) 475-7121

Willie Jung (Kelowna)

    
Willie is a certified Pro Club 1. He has partnered with Kelowna’s Parkinson Recreation Centre to teach tennis programs to both children and adults. He is also our Tennis BC Schools Coordinator, delivering tennis programs to students in his region and making contact with over 1500 children.
Willie is also a dedicated Certified Life Skills Coach.