By Greg Ellison

Staff Writer

(Dec. 5, 2019) After decades of involvement with racquet sports in Ocean Pines, Tim McMullen is joining tennis pro Terry Underkoffler as facilities manager for the Manklin Meadows Racquet Sports Complex, with the longtime cohorts looking to enhance efforts to introduce the sport to younger players.

McMullen, who relocated to Ocean Pines 45 years ago, signed on after OPA Operations Director Colby Phillips recently proposed the position.

“My late wife, Mary McMullen, and I started the summer youth program and [later] I was chairman of the recreation committee for several years,” he said.

McMullen was also sold on the opportunity to work in conjunction with Underkoffler after spending the last five seasons as his assistant tennis coach at Worcester Preparatory School.

“Five years ago I started to coach tennis at Worcester Prep with him and I’ve seen firsthand what a phenomenal job he does with instruction,” he said. “The other part of that is for the last two springs Worcester Prep practiced at Ocean Pines.”

Although Underkoffler will retain his title as tennis pro, he does envision the revamped management structure permitting more focus on instructional offerings.

“Basically, what we’re wanting to do is organize our resources that we have onsite already,” he said. “It has a lot of potential and we’re looking to grow and expand it.”

While touting Underkoffler as being certified as an instructor by the United States Tennis Association, McMullen said an increased emphasis would be placed on attracting younger players to sample racquet sports.

“I think you’ll see far more programs for young people in tennis,” he said.

Underkoffler noted youth-oriented seeds are already germinating.

“We’re looking to create a partnership with Camp Ocean Pines and have the kids … come in the racquet center at least once a week,” he said. “We’re trying to get as many kids exposed as possible.”

In addition to weekly camps and clinics for tennis, platform tennis or pickleball, Underkoffler said camp participants could also gain exposure to golf and aquatics instruction.

“Now they’re getting a taste of what our amenities are all about and getting a taste of [what] lifetime sports … can offer for recreation,” he said.

After spending more than four decades as a teacher, Underkoffler has gained insight on channeling youthful exuberance.

“I taught elementary school for 25 years [and] I know kids love playing anything,” he said. “You give them a racquet in their hands … and have them play in games, you’ll get them.”

Before bouncing into tennis instruction, Underkoffler combined his teaching career with coaching soccer.

“I’ve been coaching soccer for over 40-plus years,” he said. “I started a state team Olympic development program that I’ve been involved with for 40 years and I’ve helped get over 10 players to national team level.”

In more recent years, Underkoffler acted on advice from a fellow soccer player and pursued certification to teach tennis.

“I like a new challenge,” he said. “I also knew my days of soccer were winding down, so to speak.”

From his multi-sport purview, Underkoffler appreciates the need to be up to date on modern sports instruction techniques.

“I understand the value of coaching and coaches getting certified,” he said. “I’m a strong believer in if you’re going to teach, you should be certified.”

Underkoffler said while playing experience does provide foundational knowledge, having appropriate athletic instructional certification is not too dissimilar from medical licensures.

“Let me know how your fist colonoscopy goes with somebody that’s not certified,” he said. “There’s something to be said for learning the steps and going through best practices of how they want it taught from the national and regional level.”

While teaching baby steps may yield future champions, bringing in spectator-worthy competition is also underway.

“I’ve already established some good contacts with the USTA Mid-Atlantic region,” he said. “We are looking to bring in some tennis events into our complex.”

While plans are still being set, Underkoffler said the marketing push could nationally ranked and recreational tennis tournaments.

“It will be a mixed variety but generally we’re looking at expanding offerings not only for the people that already … play tennis there, but to draw new people in as well,” he said.

Underkoffler credited the Ocean Pines Pickleball Club with already charting a course to attract visitors from far and wide.

“Our pickleball membership runs two tournaments and they already get people nationally,” he said. “You’re getting people from as far as California, Arizona and places like that to come to Ocean Pines to play pickleball in a tournament. That sport’s exploding.”

To bolster the teaching ranks, and following the example set by Underkoffler, one pickleball advocate followed suit and became certified.

“Linda Horst went out and got her national pickleball certification,” he said. “We’re going to organize [those] strong resources that we already have.”

Underkoffler also noted the involvement of Araceli Popen, who previously introduced “Timeless Tennis” in Ocean Pines after recognizing the half-dozen platform tennis courts at the racquet sports complex would provide an ideal layout.

“She teaches older folks who can’t maybe move as much as they used to and takes them onto a platform court, with a lower compression tennis ball and they play ‘Timeless Tennis,’” he said. “It’s a smaller court [so] the ball doesn’t bounce as hard but they’re still playing tennis.”

Popens extensive tennis resume includes operating free summer clinics in both Dover and Georgetown, Delaware for more than a decade, as well as running a USTA-sanctioned junior tennis tournament for 20 years that was founded by her father. In 2011, Popen was inducted into the Delaware Tennis Hall of Fame.

With a wealth of tennis, platform tennis and pickleball advocates already working to promote racquet sports, the revised management structure should push those efforts to even greater heights, McMullen said.

“We are going to be part of a tremendous time to be a property owner in Ocean Pines,” he said. “I’ve been a property owner since 1974 and I cannot think of any other time that I’ve been more excited about what’s going on in Ocean Pines.”