Princeton Racquet Club To Start New Fall Season Amid Coronavirus

PRINCETON, NJ — The Princeton Racquet Club is all set to begin their new fall season on Sep. 8 even as the club is still struggling to bring back all its members, some of whom have decided to stay away for fear of coronavirus.

With its new fall program beginning Sep. 8 to Oct. 28, the club hopes to see all their members back. One of the owners, Colleen Cosgrove, said the successful summer camp from June 6 to Aug. 28, has given them the confidence to handle more members.

When the fall season begins next week, the club will conduct the first seven weeks mostly outdoors. The duo wants to ensure that those who fear coming indoors can enjoy playing in one of the outdoor courts.

“Beginning Sep. 8 to Oct. 28, we plan to run as much tennis classes and court time outside. The indoor courts will be open as well, for when it begins to get dark sooner,” said Cosgrove.

As small business owners, Cosgrove and Judy Vogt felt the impact of the statewide COVID-19 shutdown. But they did something about it.

The duo got the inside of the building painted, replaced a leaking roof and installed a contactless payment method. All this while creating daily tennis videos for their friends and members.

Then on May 22 , the club was allowed to reopened their outdoor courts after Gov. Phil Murphy sanctioned the opening of private tennis clubs. And on June 22, they were able to reopen their indoor courts when the state allowed sports to resume.

Yet, some patrons have not returned to court.

“Tennis is one of the few sports that is safe because it’s non-contact. We’ve taken a lot of measures to make sure we provide our patrons with a safe environment,” said Cosgrove.

The Princeton Racquet Club is popular in the community for its 10 outdoor and six indoor courts, and a large seating area. The club completed 25 years on June 9, but there were no celebrations.

“We had to put everything on hold. Even now we can’t have a celebration with many people. So, we’ll wait,” said Cosgrove.

As two women owning a popular business, Cosgrove and Vogt face their own challenges.

Things were tougher back in 1995, when they first bought their business. “The previous owner was supposed to help provide financing. But then he died, and we had a difficult time getting finances from loan programs,” said Cosgrove.

“We were often referred to as ‘the girls’ by attorneys, insurance agents and town officials. But that’s okay. We don’t get offended. We plow ahead,” she said.

But some challenges remain.

“Even today, certain members will try and push us and test us, because we are women. Once we demonstrate we are firm and can’t be bullied, they take a step back. I don’t know if they would necessarily act like that if we were male owners,” said Cosgrove.

With Murphy recently announcing the reopening of theaters and restaurants, Cosgrove hopes more people feel confident to come back to the tennis court.

Read More Here: Gov. Murphy: NJ Indoor Dining To Resume Amid Coronavirus Crisis

The Princeton Racquet Club is also offering an afternoon minicamp, where children can come in after school, so parents have time to work from home.

In addition to the many instructional clinics for beginners and tournament level adults, the club offers a full range of social and competitive programs to be held outside, such as USTA leagues, singles and doubles match plays. Special events such as Compass Tournaments, Tiebreaker RR, Tencap, Team Fed Cup and Ladder matches will be offered for players looking for a fun competition. They can also participate in game drills and work on their tennis, while improving cardio performance.

For more details on the upcoming programs, click here.

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