By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
Last month, Alolo Tennis reopened for business after closing its doors in March due to COVID-19.
Located at 2851 Fenner Rd., the indoor tennis facility offers lessons, clinics and court rentals for juniors and adults. ALOLO also demos, sells and services all major brands of tennis racquets and gear.
Alolo Owner/Director of Tennis Brian Galle started the business — named after his daughters, Alex and Logann — in Oct. 2018.
Galle moved from his hometown of Utica to the Syracuse area in 1997 and to Cazenovia in 2015.
“I wanted to bring my expertise here to Cazenovia and build our future in the community,” said Galle. “We loved the Caz area, school system and athletic program, so our family moved here and built a house. We took three years to build the barn and begin the business.”
Galle has been involved in tennis for 30 years — as a college player, a United States Professional Tennis Association teaching professional, a racquet stringer, a territory manager for Wilson, and now a family business owner.
In college, Galle was a top 20 nationally ranked player in both singles and doubles.
He has since taught all levels of players and run large-scale events with touring professionals.
Alolo Tennis officially reopened on July 6 and is now offering private lessons, clinics with a maximum of six clients, camps with a limit of eight players, and court rentals for open play.
“[We] have gradually been building the business back up . . .” Galle said. “Our clients are our family. The majority of them are juniors so we do everything in our power to keep them safe. We take great pride in having a comfortable place for people to have sport and recreation in their life, even if it’s only for an hour or so per week. We believe that is so important for physical and mental well being.”
Galle noted that while Alolo has always maintained a clean facility, he has increased the frequency and thoroughness of the daily cleanings/sanitizations and implemented additional safety protocols in light of the pandemic.
“Tennis is one of the safest activities that you can do during this pandemic,” he said. “We have hand sanitizer upon entrance or exit from the court, posters and arrows in every spot necessary, [and] chairs and other items are all separated by at least six feet with a clear path so clients do not have to cross paths upon arriving or leaving.”
According to Galle, all instructors wear face coverings whenever they are within six feet of clients. They also sanitize anything their clients touch, keep players from getting too close during lessons, and ensure that anyone entering the facility is wearing a mask.
The pandemic has also forced the instructors to adapt the way they teach and interact with clients.
“We have had to [stop working] with some of the youngest players as social distancing simply isn’t possible for them to understand,” Galle said. “Any activity where we couldn’t guarantee the safety of a child in our setting isn’t being done right now. We miss the youngest ones for many reasons but are happy knowing that they are safe.”
For more information on Alolo Tennis, email [email protected] or call 315-870-0405.
