Oak Brook Bath & Tennis Club A Tennis Player’s Dream

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If you love to play tennis, consider the Oak Brook Bath & Tennis Club, at 800 Oak Brook Road.

To start with, the club offers Har-Tru clay courts, which are known for several features. They are easier on your body. They help you develop an all-around court game because you can get to more balls. They are environmentally friendly. And at Oak Brook, there are eight individual tennis courts, laid out for a private, luxurious feeling.

Then there is an annual family fee for the club of $1500, which includes all the tennis you and your family would want to play.
Finally, there is Jim Lezatte, Head Tennis Professional. He oversees tennis operations, setting court times, and maintaining the courts. He runs men, women, and co-ed programs. Above all, he teaches tennis.

Lezatte has led the tennis program at OBBTC since 2019. His name is familiar throughout south-central DuPage County. For 21 years prior, he was a professional coach at the Hinsdale Racquet Club.

 


“My interest was sparked by watching Andre Agassi and the passion he had for the game.”

-JIM LEZATTE, OAK BROOK BATH & TENNIS PRO COACH


 

He is a US Professional Tennis Registry member and has a Safe Place certification. Hinsdale Magazine Group interviewed Lazette and several tennis players who are members who have taken lessons from Jim. They ranged in age from 6 to their 70s, and they praised his teaching techniques and his enthusiasm for the game.

Karen Mosquera and Lloyd Schooley, both of Oak Brook, had been away from the game for a while. Each commented that his way of understanding your situation and giving you just the right instruction quickly translated to better play and enjoying the game again Manish Shah, also of Oak Brook, said, “Jim’s enthusiasm got 16 of us signed up for doubles matches on a regular basis”.

Jordan Murphy, Sports Core Manager, and a player herself said, “Person after person raves about his lessons, and how excited they are to play the game.” Elayna Lindstrom came to the courts and saw how Jim treated everyone and said, “This is where I want to be. He makes you love the game.” Her husband and two sons have since joined.

Darshika Chhabra followed Jim when he came from Hinsdale Racquet Club to Oak Brook. She said, “Coach Jim is both a mentor and friend to my three boys”. Her youngest, Vishnu said, “He pushes me to my limits, but he is a nice person and I know he has my best interests at heart.”

Jim said: “I am passionate about the game of tennis. My interest was sparked by watching Andre Agassi and the passion Agassi had for the game. My favorite aspect of coaching is the instant a player understands what is being taught and they can see it click.” ■

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Kristina and Matthew Bailey began reading books to their son, Owen when he was six months old— they haven’t stopped.
Owen turned 4 in June and recently received an award from the Clarendon Hills Public Library for having had 1,000 books read to him before starting kindergarten.

The library’s 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge is one of a few reading challenge programs offered in Clarendon Hills, where the Bailey family has lived for the past 2 1/2 years.
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“He’s always been really into books,” Bailey said. “He had a natural interest in books at nine months old. That’s when COVID started, and he didn’t get out much, so reading books to him worked out very well. He’s a naturally curious kid, and imagination-building is important. The reading allows him to learn and explore new things, and he really wants to learn to read now.”

Krista Devlin, the Clarendon Hills library’s youth services librarian, said there’s a specific reason The Friends of the Library-sponsored 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge was started in 2022.

“Reading aloud to a child is one of the best ways to help develop important early literacy skills, which will prepare them for kindergarten,” Devlin said. “It is also a great way to bond with your child and to encourage a love of reading.”

Devlin said Owen was the second child to reach the challenge of having 1,000 books read to him before starting kindergarten. He was awarded a certificate, a crown, and his picture was taken to recognize his accomplishment.

Bailey, who said she is “a big reader,” said her family usually goes to the library once a week. Reading three books each night to Owen, along with a book before nap time, is the household normal.

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Oak Brook Bath & Tennis Club A Tennis Player’s Dream