Background
For more than 125 years Stockholms Lawntennis Klubb av 1890 has practiced its tennis and also during all this time worked for the conservation of tennis traditions. The Club now feels it is time to make the leap into cyberspace with its own web site. Doing this is entirely consistent with the preservation of traditions. What could be better propaganda for tennis than to expose our values and our Club spirit to a wider audience?
A little about our history can be found below, as well as the practices that have developed over the years and that are a cornerstone of our activities. Our motto … tradition over times … we take very seriously. For example, if someone comes to play with any part of his dress a color other than white, he will immediately be led off court.
An important person in the Club is the Honorary President. He keeps an eye on the Club’s traditions and that practices are followed. The Club is led by ”The New Continued Skillful Management” consisting of Mother, his Little Helper, the Secretary and the Finance Attorney. In addition we have help forces (no less important), namely: the Bard, the Event Manager, the Paparazzo, the Archivist, the Tournament Director and the Master of Ceremonies. Other commissioners contribute to withholding the Club’s skill standard and its traditions.
To the top – mostly in Swedish – you can find more information. Under “Ledamöter” you will find our pseudonyms or alter egos. Based on an ancient tradition, in the election to the Club an extra name and a title are assigned by the Secretary, something the elected has to wear with pride for the rest of his time in the Club.
The information in the Club takes place through annual protocols and letters of information when considered appropriate. The intention is that this information should be written in such a way that it is desired to be read and read again – the collage spirit, see below. This information is very individually oriented. Consequently we have decided to place it under our own tab to the left. However we have placed pictures from our travels over the years, for everyone to look at. This information will be updated as times goes. Here you can also find some basic information about us commissioners.
Having a separate tab for access only by us commissioners requires some further comment. The Club was formed as the first tennis club in Sweden, in 1890, by two engineering students. Those two students were obviously influenced by the passage of collage spirit. This spirit has survived all these years and is a traditional part of communication between us commissioners. Hence the somewhat unusual names, odd practices etc. that we conduct. We feel a responsibility toward earlier members of the Club to preserve this spirit. What we place in our own tab could possibly be considered a bit spectacular for us aged (well) gentlemen (well again) in today’s modern society.
During the year 2011 the Club took an important step in its development. After an initiative from our Honorary President, it was proposed that all membership in Stockholms Lawntennis Klubb av 1890 would be repealed. Instead, new members were to be appointed after a special review by the Club, after which he will be referred to as commissioner. All active and non-active participants of the Club were accepted as commissioners.
In August 2012 we had a club competition against honorable The Queen’s Club in London. This meant playing on grass, something we do not exercise on a daily basis here at home. But we intended to give our dear hosts a tussle and reckoned that all the tradition and experience we have in the Club would be of value and of course decisive. Unfortunately we underestimated both the difficulty of playing on a grass surface and the ability of our hosts. However, we can report that the return game from The Queen’s Club against us two years later took place on our home base indoors and that the order of things was restored.
Club history in shot
The Club was formed in 1890 as the country’s first tennis club of 20 men and 20 ladies. In 1892 the first contest in Stockholm’s tennis history was held in Catherine General Grammar School. Already in 1896 the number of participants in the Club dropped to 20, a number that Club has maintained since, however now without the ladies. In 1913 some of the participants in the Club helped to form Stockholms Allmäna Lawntennis Klubb – SALK. The Club seems over the years to have had varied bases for its activities, but got a new life when Alvikshallen – the home of SALK – was inaugurated in 1937, a place where the Club since has had their training and gatherings. One consequence was that the suburban club – SALK – developed a special relation to us. SALK functionaries at various levels have preferably been elected to the Club. But also other SALK participants can count on a priority basis.
Our history also includes a number of other travels abroad with games on foreign tennis courts. Thus we celebrated our 100th anniversary in New York with the game on Piping Rock, Forest Hills, Flushing Meadows and Westchester Country Club. Our 105-year anniversary took place in East Bourne on the south coast of England, where our grass debut was canceled due to rain. Our 110-year anniversary saw us in Turku and the 115 anniversary we conferred Tallinn our glory. At the 120-year anniversary, we pulled back east and fought against the venerable tennis club in Ekenäs. On Uneven birthdays 1996 and 2002 we played in Mariehamn, Åland, respectively Paphos in Cyprus. In 2008, we played against the former soccer pro Kurre Hamrin and his honorable club in Florence, Circolo de Tennis de Firenze – a delightful experience. The 125-year anniversary goes to the mecca of Swedish tennis – Båstad – with Båstad Tennis Society as hosts.
Practices
Many attempts have over the years been made to give the Club formal statutes. Good proposals have been presented, but always rejected for various reasons. However, certain practices have emerged, currently twelve in number, which have come to be accepted by the Club’s commissioners.
# 1 we shall be around 20 active male commissioners
# 2 continuously develop the social activities in the game of tennis. We are always polite and courteous and nice to hang around with.
# 3 safeguard tennis traditions. We play in white clothes and we play in the Coubertin spirit – namely to participate is more important than winning. Lose as if you won but win as if you are used to winning.
# 6 in good faith negotiate if the ball is outside or inside the line.
# 7 a commissioner that for any reason decides not to play further on court remains in the Club, now as an APA – an honorable acronym which meaning was lost long ago. But recently we have discovered the truth, the whole truth and… APA stands for: After Participation still Attending.
# 8 conduct at least one meeting a year, to which all active commissioners and APAs are invited. At this meeting a meal is served, songs will be sung, and the minutes of the fiscal year presented by the Secretary.
# 9 in connection with the annual meeting – preferably before the same – a doubles tournament will take place. Doubles pairs are organized by the principle ”the best play together with the worst”. This from Båstad well-known ”Hasselquist operated game of order” will be used
# 10 accept and enjoy the alias, or the alter ego, that the Secretary in his wisdom creates.
# 11 a new potential Commissioner will be put on trial at an annual meeting, after which, if he happens to pass the trial, is accepted as a Commissioner. The trial will primarily fix at stake skill, high social competence, and the willingness to actively participate in the Club, connection with the farmers Club SALK and is held by one judge and two attorneys.
#12 safeguard the ball’s logistics on court to increase efficiency in playing. Hasselquist-applied logistics will be used.
#13 our brand – ”1890” – is important to honor and cherish. Our club blazer is a strong part of our identity and may in its new form be exposed in contexts other than tennis, but only in association with suitable clothing in general.
Stockholms Lawntennisklubb av 1890 