Terry Smith has hit the ground running as the new president of the All Bermuda Tennis Club.

Smith, the resident professional at the WER Joell Tennis Stadium, was elected as the president of the ABTC at a special general meeting last week.

Also a well-known tennis administrator, certified teaching professional, Bermuda Lawn Tennis Association former president and national coach, Smith was elected to lead a five-member executive committee that includes Grant Smith as vice-president, Charmaine Thomas as treasurer, secretary Larry Samuels and Major Barrett Dill, the assistant secretary, all selected by a unanimous vote.

Smith has a vision to revive the club during his term as president, including increasing membership and developing young players. During his acceptance speech he outlined the objectives of the ABTC for the next two years.

“Foremost among them will be a focus on growing the club to and beyond its former prominence, through a membership drive and youth development,” said Smith, who implored club members to take responsibility for recruiting new members, especially family and youth players.

“All Bermuda is one of the clubs on the Island, it operates out of the WER Tennis Stadium and is affiliated with the governing body, the BLTA,” Smith said. “All Bermuda is one of the longest-running clubs but had dropped off, there was no real executive in place.

“Once I came back in the area and knew they were kind of struggling I decided I was going to be the catalyst to bring them back together. We had a steering committee that was getting people out, getting them playing and getting them interested and we decided to have a special meeting.”

In an effort to grow membership, the club will establish a membership subcommittee and build a calendar of events to revive interest among its members and attract new players. The club has also established a social committee led by Natasha Burrows-Smith with the assistance of Janeka Fishenden and Denton Leader.

The ABTC was founded in 1959, boasting a legacy of being the stepping stone for many of the Island’s former tennis champions.

“What I want to do in my first year is grow the club by trying to get back some of the old membership as well as growing it from the youth perspective and looking for sustainability,” Smith said.

“That was one of biggest problems, that there were a lot of older people and no real junior membership.”

For more information, e-mail abtc1959@gmail.com