Jim Newell was 8 years old when he first picked up a tennis racket.

"I was challenged by my older sister, and she did a pretty good job of beating me," said Newell.

Fifty-something years later, he hasn't put that racket down. The game, and what it's done for him, is a part of his life.

"It has a lot of positive features. There's a lot of movement involved. You get a lot of good exercise. It helps your balance. You get a chance to meet and play with a lot of very nice people," said Newell.

Over the years, Jim has done just that as president of the North Country Tennis Association. The club meets a couple times a week for some of that fun and exercise, but also competition, hosting tournaments and other matches.

Throughout COVID-19, the club has been meeting at both Thompson Park and Immaculate Heart Central High School, but both are much too small for those big events.

Typically, those matches, those tournaments, even scholastic section matches, are played at the nearby Watertown High School's 10-court complex.

But over the years, those courts have taken a beating from both years of play and Mother Nature.

"They're a resource for the entire community and have been for a lot of years, but they are kind of wearing," said Newell.

These are so damaged, the nets never went up this summer and the courts have been closed. The city tournament was canceled.

"You've got different craters. Some are deep. Some are more shallow," said Newell.

In addition to holes, there's some 800 feet of cracks, and ground settle has left uneven portions that collect and keep water.

"You've got probabaly an inch to an inch and a half of water pooling here," Newell pointed out. 

So Newell is teaming up with the school and the Northern New York Community Foundation to not only raise awareness of the issue, but also find funding to get the courts fixed. They estimate the cost will be around $100,000.

"It's something that really needs to be upgraded and enhanced so that people can take full advantage of it," said Newell.

To help out, you can contact the Northern New York Community Foundation or Watertown High School's athletic department.