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 works together to find the resources to make sure that tennis continues to contribute to the health of the community.

If you are interested in becoming a community champion in your area, please contact Lenka Moravcova, Director of Community Development at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  

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/Castlegar, Penticton, Mayne Island, Salt Spring Island, Summerland, Prince George, Coquitlam, Kimberley 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 Associations: 

Marianne Banman (Salt Spring Island) 
Marianne was born and raised in the Fraser Valley and now lives on Salt Spring Island. Fitness, outdoor recreation and tennis are an integral part of Marianne’s daily life.  She brings many years of teaching experience and a genuine depth as an athlete to her role as Tennis Instructor and BC Community Champion. Marianne has been a Tennis Canada Certified Instructor for the past 7 years. She currently works for the Gulf Islands School District and coaches private and community tennis to juniors and adults. Marianne runs many ‘try tennis’ events (such as Groovy Girlz and Boys) and solid ‘learn and play’ events for both, children and adults. She also runs Tennis BC's EZ Play and Rookie Tour event.

Chill Yin Lee (Tri-Cities)
Chill has started playing tennis when he was 11 years old. Through tennis he has created and maintained life long friendships that positively influenced his life. Chill has played in many tennis tournaments at a 4.5 level and has coached and coordinated a variety of tennis programs through tennis clubs, schools, and municipalities. As a Community Champion, he wants to give back to a sport that has treated him so well. Chill offers quality tennis programs and camps at public tennis courts and schools in the Tri-Cities throughout the year.

Stacy Lewis (Whitehorse,Yukon)
Growing up with tennis pro as her father, Stacy has been playing tennis since she was 5. She played competitively in high school in Bellingham, Washington, and in the USTA PNW junior tournaments. She now lives in Whitehorse, Yukon, and works full-time for a law firm in Washington, DC. In 2007, Stacy started Tennis Yukon, and is currently the President and one of the Tennis Instructors. With four certified Instructors and the City of Whitehorse Parks and Recreation Department, Tennis Yukon offers junior and adult programming year-round. Tennis Yukon recently partnered up with the local ElderActive/Golden Age Society to provide mini-tennis to seniors as a weekly activity. Another partnership includes a local after-school program, the Skookum Jim Friendship Centre to provide tennis as a component of their diabetes awareness program.

Doug Holmes (Summerland)
Doug Holmes has worked for 20 years as a journalist, writer and business consultant in Paris, London, Bucharest and Hong Kong before settling with his family in Summerland. Junior tennis programs were non-existent in the community, so Doug, together with co-community champion Reid Jenkins, started the Lakeshore Racquets junior tennis club in 2007 and obtained his Instructor’s certification along the way. In two years, the club has introduced about 40 children to the game. Additional junior and adult programs are planned under the BTC strategy, including introductory tennis lessons for Summerland Parks and Recreation.

Ricardo Alberto Leiva (Prince George) More information coming soon 

Adrian Gowing (Mayne Island) More information coming soon

Robert Bettauer (Penticton/South Okanagan) More information coming soon

David Bellm (Kimberley) More information coming soon

Graduated Community Champions:

Doug Rawson (North Okanagan/Shuswap) 
Doug has been involved in sports, both as a competitor and a coach for most of his life. He has coached hockey, downhill skiing and martial arts over the years. Doug is a certified personal trainer as well.  He began teaching tennis in 2002 and became a Club Pro 1 coach in 2004. He has been involved in the Building Tennis Strategy as a community champion for the past 6 years working on getting new courts in Salmon Arm and Enderby as well as working with Parks and Rec. in several communities running spring and summer programs. Doug also delivers Tennis BC's  schools programs in School District 83 and 22 and is the Director and the Club Pro at the Salmon Arm Tennis Club where he runs lesson and junior programs.

Dean Gillis (Victoria)
Dean is a former national level player, and recipient of a NCAA university scholarship. He has organized over thirty tournaments, and initiated a number of high profile events, including the $10,000 Labatt's Wood Racquets Tournament. He is the Racquet Sport Coordinator and Regional Coach at the Cedar Hill Recreation Centre in the district of Saanich, and a Certified Club Pro 2 Coach. He is also responsible for organizing the Tennis BC South Island League and coordinating the Tennis BC School Programs in Greater Victoria. 

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

Kirk Paterson (Whistler/Squamish/Pemberton)
Kirk grew up in Toronto and started playing tennis at the age of 9. He spent endless hours of his youth hanging out at his local community club - North York Tennis Club. He played competitively in OTA tournaments and for the University of Toronto Tennis Team. His passion for all sports - particularly outdoor activities, led him to relocate to Whistler in 2000. He currently coaches snowboarding in the winter at Whistler-Blackcomb and tennis year round at the Whistler Racquet Club. Kirk has organized community and schools tennis programs in the Sea to Sky corridor for several years. Kirk is a certified Coach 2. 

Darrell Krell (Langley)
Darrell has workedhard on developing 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 a member of the Langley City Parks & Recreation Commission, which is responsible for the development and expansion of facilities and services in the community.  

West Martin (W. Kootenays: Nelson/Castlegar)

Paul De Villiers (Rossland/Trail)