By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

PELHAM – Dozens of high school tennis players from across the state of Alabama gathered at the Pelham Racquet Club from Friday, Jan. 31 to Tuesday, Feb. 4 to compete in the seventh annual Frostbite Invitational tournament.

The tournament serves as the opener to the tennis season, with 16 teams from around the state coming together to start the season on the court.

This year’s winners of the event were Vestavia Hills in the girls division and Mountain Brook in the boys division. Other teams included in the competition include Pelham, Hoover, Spain Park, Helena and more.

Chaney Mills, the director of Pelham Racquet Club, shared what she loves about the Frostbite Invitational and hosting the event.

“We always love hosting the Frostbite,” Mills said. “This year we had a little bit of rain which caused a delay, but we did get to finish the tournament. What we love about the Frostbite is we get to see a lot of the local juniors in one place at the same time. It also gives them a great opportunity to play teams they don’t normally play in the season.”

Mills also emphasized that the event is a true team effort, with collaboration from various Pelham entities to make it happen.

“We give a lot of credit to Pelham City Schools and the coaches,” Mills said. “This event is important to them, and they have become an awesome partner over the years. We are also thankful for the city of Pelham and the help they provide. We had the (Pelham) PD get some drone footage and having our communications department onsite really increased the engagement for the event, especially with the rain delay.”

The event also serves as great exposure for both the teams involved and the Pelham Racquet Club itself, according to Mills.

“There are a lot of local teams that play in this and a lot of traveling teams,” Mills said. “The exposure is great on both sides of that coin. We have awesome coaches at our academy led by Head Pro Ryen Valentine. So, this is a good event to get people out to the club and see what we are all about. Also, we host a lot of junior tournaments that have players from the area, the state, the south and the country, so we see familiar faces even with the out-of-town schools.”

Mills concluded by stating that the right mixture of vision and execution is what sets the Frostbite Invitational apart from other tournaments in the state.

“I think the coaches had an awesome vision and had a great idea to host at the very first eligible weekend and give tennis players an opportunity to get a lot of playing time in,” Mills said. “I think our facility is one of the best in the state that has a lot of space to make for great viewing. It is a great piece of property that is made for large events. Our staff keeps the facility in top shape along with good customer service, and I think it is just the right combination of all of us that makes it right.”

For more information on the Pelham Racquet Club and its various activities, visit Pelhamracquetclub.com.