FHS tennis team holds court at McFee Park

Wendy SmithFarragut, Our Town Outdoors, The Farragut Insider

It feels good to open new park facilities, even in the frosty month of February. The Farragut Parks & Rec Department was thrilled to finally open most of McFee Park Phase 3 last week, including walk trails, restrooms, a basketball court and four tennis courts that can be converted to pickleball courts.

The organization most excited about these new facilities (except for the Parks & Rec Department) is the Farragut High School tennis team. This will be the first time the team has had dedicated practice courts. It will also be the first season under tennis coach Gordon Cassity.

Coach Gordon Cassity

Cassity was tapped to coach the team last November by FHS Athletic Director Donald Dodgen. Cassity is retired but works weekends at Cedar Bluff Racquet Club, where several members of the FHS tennis team practice during the winter months. He has a special connection with one member of the team ‒ his granddaughter, Riley. Both of Cassity’s children graduated from Farragut High School.

His high school coaching days began in 1963 in Boyd County, Kentucky, where he worked with football, baseball and basketball teams. Tennis wasn’t on his radar at the time.

“I wasn’t a tennis player until I started law school,” he says. He went on to play for and coach several U.S.T.A. teams.

Before the new courts at McFee Park opened, Cassity thought he’d have to limit his team to 10 boys and 10 girls due to a lack of accessible practice courts. Now, he plans to have a junior varsity team in addition to his varsity team of 20. The teams will alternate practicing on two of the courts after school on weekdays. (Two courts will be dedicated pickleball courts through June 30; after that date, court use will be reevaluated.)

Cassity is looking forward to using the beautiful new courts, but he’s also hopeful that plans to add two more courts at McFee Park will move forward.

“If there were two more courts, we could play matches. Next year, 11 high school teams will play in the invitational tournament. It would be good for the area to have a tournament like that here.”

He’s optimistic about the team’s chances of making it to this year’s “Spring Fling” State Championship. He’ll have help from assistant coach Lindsey Stimets.

He already knows several members of the team from his work at the racquet club, where he unofficially recruits new families who are moving to the area.

“I always tell them, you can go to any school in Knox County and be an athlete for four years, or you can go to Farragut and be an Admiral for life.”

McFee Park is open from dawn to 10 p.m. The Great Lawn remains closed to the public; visitors should stay off this area so the new sod can grow. Tennis and pickleball courts are available for reservations from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Reservation details can be found at farragutparksandrec.org/tennis.

Town of Farragut marketing and public relations coordinator Wendy Smith is your reliable Farragut insider.

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