During my 20 month stint living and working in Prague, Czech Republic in 2011-2013, there was one element of my American life that I seemed to consistently miss, regardless of the eye-opening adventures I was getting myself into while living in the “Golden City.”
Was it the consistency of the English language? The diverse selection of food items at Wegmans? The familiarity with the area? Well, to an extent, yes. But what I really missed was the excitement, enthusiasm, and healthy amount of unpredictability that comes with organizing, promoting and running 10 and under tennis events.
Shortly before I moved overseas, I successfully organized and directed three 10 and under tournaments complete with smaller racquets, modified court dimensions, lower pressure balls, and of course, a lower pressure atmosphere. You can read about one of these events here:
The energy and enthusiasm in the summer air was contagious.
The players were having fun, the rallies were thoroughly entertaining, the parents were engaged, and most importantly, you could see the sportsmanship and on-court character of these young athletes developing before your very eyes.
Fast forward to 2 years later. My first experience back on the tennis court after returning on May 4, 2013 was a 10 and under tennis clinic organized by the Upper Dublin Township Department of Recreation. I certainly wasn’t eased into it with a small, intimate clinic. There were 8 enthusiastic young kids raring to go by the time I was set up with my foam balls and miniature nets.
As the 10 and under tennis website states that “tennis should be a game before it becomes a sport” and as a coach and organizer, I’ve adopted this mantra. I came prepared with an assortment of fun games and activities for the kids to promote teamwork, concentration, hand eye coordination, and of course, basic fundamentals.
Activities such as the “caterpillar,” where I roll a tennis ball and the students face me and glide so that the ball goes between their legs in a simultaneous, caterpillar-esque formation. “Red light green light” where they race to the net while balancing a ball on their racquet, stopping and going accordingly .Or one of their personal favorites, the “tag game” where they must stay within the court dimensions and play tag, but with one catch; they can’t run. They can gallop, hop, sidestep, skip, etc. but no running. What better way to make footwork fun!
After my first day back on the court in the US, I became immediately excited for the spring and summer ahead. When you make tennis a game before you make it a sport, the enthusiasm is contagious. Thanks for a great “welcome back to the tennis court” session!
