Charles Weed: Building Community Through Clay Courts

Meet Charles Weed! Involved with the Minneapolis Community Clay Courts, he is dedicated to fostering community growth. Whether he's playing tennis or cheering others on, Charles is passionate about promoting the game, particularly on clay courts.

What inspired you to become involved with the Minneapolis Community Clay Courts, and what fuels your passion assisting this nonprofit?

Well, to be clear, I started the organization with a few of my good tennis friends. The inspiration evolved from two different catalysts. The first was that as I aged, I noticed that a lot of my tennis friends were fading from the tennis scene. Their game had become too hard on their bodies. One day, I was a guest at Lifetime Fitness Flagship where I saw a bunch of my old buddies playing on the clay courts out there. They had not left the game, they had just left the hard court!  

At the same time, while out at my family house in rural New Hampshire, I met some players who had built their own clay court in a meadow. Those guys were not tennis professionals, but they loved the game enough to find a way to keep playing it well into their 60s. None of them had knee braces! So I got to thinking, could something like that happen in a big city like Minneapolis? Fast forward to today, the answer is yes! 

Since the launch of Minneapolis’s first public clay courts in October 2021, how has the community responded?

The response has been overwhelming! People come to those courts from all over Minnesota and beyond. We had a group come up from Omaha this year! I cannot tell you how many people have approached me to ask "How much does it cost to play here?" I am always happy to answer "Nothing! It's a public park!"

We understand you're collaborating with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board to convert three tennis courts along Minnehaha Creek into clay courts. What motivated you to pursue this specific project?

From the outset, this project has been a close collaboration with the MPRB and the central mission is one of equity. Tennis is obviously important, but allowing all people access to a healthier tennis surface has key. The MPRB and MCCC have signed an agreement whose goal is to build up to five locations across the city to serve Minneapolis's diverse community.  Creekside is our second installment and is on the south side of town.

What advantages do you see in having clay courts compared to traditional hard courts, both for players and the community as a whole?

Community: Taking responsibility for maintaining clay courts and enjoying this unique athletic experience is an excellent civic engagement project. These courts provide an inter-generational gathering space for people with widely varied socioeconomic backgrounds.

Accessibility: With the exception of MCCC locations, clay courts are only available to people with the resources to join private tennis clubs. Our courts are the only clay court facility in the Twin Cities metropolitan area available to everyone for free.

Health: Our courts are softer than traditional asphalt creating a tennis experience that is easier on players' joints, allowing them to continue to play tennis as they age.

Environment:  Clay courts are permeable. Moisture seeps into the court surface rather than running off into storm drains. This helps protect watershed resources and keeps the urban landscape cooler.

Sustainability: Clay courts last forever if properly maintained because the surface does not crack. The quality of MCCC courts will always be as good the first day they opened.

How do you envision the future of clay tennis courts in Minnesota and their impact on communities?

We're taking it one facility (and community) at a time. Every facility needs a community behind it to ensure that it thrives, since it is the community that takes care of the clay. There is no reason that there cannot be many more of these courts if there are local communities that buy into the concept.

What’s next for Charles Weed?

Charles Weed is focused on getting the set of courts built at Minnehaha Creek and needs help to do it.  We would like to have those courts up and running next fall so that we can host the 50th Annual King of the Hill Tournament, which first began in 1975 and was held at the two concrete courts at the Nokomis Community Center. Those courts were demolished last year by the MPRB, so we want to restore its home a few blocks east.