Meet the Cordell Family!
It's no secret that the Cordell's love tennis, but why? We spoke to them to find out more about what tennis has done for them.The Cordell family can often be found at the Bury Knowle hub either playing tennis, chatting to familiar faces or enjoying a sweet treat from the café!
Alongside playing tennis at Bury Knowle, the Cordell’s frequently enjoy a game or two at our other courts across Oxford, with Florence Park being a popular choice because their favourite coach José is often there!
Our team have got to know Noah, 15, his mum Maura and his dad Chris through their regular visits to the hub, even before it was open. They were first brought to Bury Knowle for Noah’s weekly coaching sessions before construction of the hub began, and as the build progressed Noah’s genuine excitement for what was to come led to many fascinating conversations. It was lovely to see others taking an interest in the process!
The Cordell’s have since become loyal and friendly faces at the hub and café, prompting us to ask them if they would be happy to chat more about the role of tennis in their lives. They very kindly agreed to join us for a coffee to allow us to gain more of an insight into the impact that tennis and the hub have had on them.
Why tennis?
It’s no secret that the Cordell family love tennis – almost as much as we do! After lockdown, when the demand for tennis was at an all-time high, the Cordell’s showed their dedication to the sport by staying up until midnight to book the courts when the new slots were released. Top fans!
Maura first started coming to tennis coaching over 10 years ago in our cardio tennis classes, designed for fitness, fun and getting a sweat on! Her love for tennis grew even further during covid when she was between jobs, as the extra time allowed her to join in on mid-week daytime sessions. Chris similarly lives and breathes tennis. On top of regular matches and rallies with friends, he gets involved in many of our coaching sessions – what better way to keep fit and healthy doing something you love!
It’s safe to say that Noah is a tennis fanatic. He definitely knows more about tennis than your average 15-year-old, spanning everything from court surfaces, to being a walking fact-file on his idol Rafael Nadal. The Cordell’s have even been to the Rafael Nadal Tennis Academy in Mallorca! Through analysing numerous YouTube videos, Noah worked out which court Nadal often practices on so they could really relish the experience and play on that very court! Noah’s mum told us that he prefers tennis over
other sports because he thrives when he’s out and about, and he enjoys the fact that it’s just him and the ball.
Why the Bury Knowle hub?
Although the Cordell’s often travel down to Bury Knowle for a tennis session, these aren’t their closest courts, it’s the whole hub that brings them here. Over summer, they met up with friends for a fun, affordable day out in the park, enjoying a host of activities. They first entertained themselves with some cricket and football in the park, followed by a venture into Bury Knowle’s playground, a play about on the MUGA at the hub, and tennis, of course. There was also a special mention of our delicious whippy ice creams, which are always a family favourite on a summer’s day.
At the time of meeting, Noah was particularly excited about the new floodlights coming to the hub and was counting down the days until their installation, eager to be able to play tennis into the evening. Since then, we have completed the installation of Tweener floodlights on 2 out of 3 of our tennis courts, making the courts bookable until 10pm all year round. We’re glad to have provided a solution to the shorter winter days and early sunsets being an obstacle to enjoying the game!
What does tennis do for you?
Tennis has helped the Cordell family find focus and enjoyment in their busy lifestyles. We discussed how being able to play tennis is such a gift because it’s a lifelong sport; everyone from tots to seniors can get involved. It’s continually rewarding because you gain enjoyment and satisfaction from improving your skills and play week on week.
Noah finds tennis a useful means to help manage his ADHD as he is very energetic, according to his mum, so being able to channel this through a sport the whole family can get involved in has been somewhat transformative.
We would love to hear about what brings you to the hub so if you’ve got a story you'd like to share, please email us at hello@courtside.uk.