Ever since C. Shane Johnson “caught the tennis bug” as a teenager in Polk County, he’s devoted much of his time to the game he loves. These days, his goal is to help other people find that same spark.
Johnson, Plant City’s official tennis pro, has been with the Plant City Tennis Center for all of the nearly 12 years it’s existed behind Ellis-Methvin Park. He believes that, while the city’s tennis scene has come a long way since 2006, there’s always room for it to keep growing.
“The more people you expose to it, the better it is,” Johnson said.
The tennis center was conceptualized in 2003, one year after the city and Hillsborough County purchased the 46-acre parcel that is now Ellis-Methvin Park, and construction began in 2004. Johnson came aboard in November 2005, leaving his post as tennis pro for the city of Winter Haven to work closer to his home. The initial eight courts were completed in 2006 and the center officially opened its doors on April 1 that year.
Since then, two more clay courts have been added to accommodate USTA play, which has a strong presence at the center. Between USTA and A League of Our Own Tennis (ALOT), the center is home to nine competitive teams. The center also has 42 members and offers walk-up play for a fee depending on the time of day.
As a teacher, Johnson’s view on the sport is that it’s something that should appeal to a broad audience because people can continue playing for decades if they wish.
“You’re not playing baseball or football at 40 years old. It’s not happening,” Johnson said. “But you can play good, competitive tennis at that age and your body’s not in shambles at that point. I teach for it to be a sport of a lifetime.”
Growing up, Johnson always wanted to try the sport but never had access to it. Lake Alfred didn’t have any courts he could play on. When he got to Auburndale High School, Johnson and his cousin would walk to the courts down the street from the campus and play. He joined the tennis team at 16, played under Bill Heath while at Webber International University and worked in Winter Haven as the city’s assistant pro before his promotion.
An advantage of having a fully-equipped tennis center is the access to clay courts, Johnson said. Though hard-court play has traditionally been most popular in America, he encourages people to try their hand at playing on the clay courts for both skill and health reasons.
“The health benefit as far as your joints, your body — clay court is much better,” Johnson said. “Especially as you mature. It helps with your step. With the younger people, it teaches you how to develop different strategies.”
Clay courts are a staple of competitive play and Hillsborough County facilities have many of them. Plant City’s open courts on Dort Street and the tennis area at Walden Lake, the only available facilities in town before the tennis center open, have hard courts.
“We’re not at a disadvantage playing on a hard court and then having to go play against players on a clay court,” Johnson said.
He also praises the social aspect of tennis. Johnson said he enjoys teaching a sport that is so popular throughout the world it can allow people to connect when they otherwise wouldn’t.
“No matter if you go off to college, wherever you go, there are people that play tennis,” he said. “It’s a very social sport and you can always meet people all over the world, you take your rackets and you can go find a competitive match at your level at any stage and age of your life.”
The center offers classes year-round for singles and doubles players, individuals and families of all skill levels. Players can be as young as 4 years old to take lessons. Anyone interested in learning more can call the center at 813-707-7485.