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Tennis CONNECTS
teachers and
students
By Megan Patterson
Washington State
University student, former
PAST&E employee
I didn’t become involved with
Portland After-School Tennis &
Education (PAST&E) until I came
home this past summer after my
sophomore year at Washington
State University in Pullman,
Wash. When I was offered
the job, I thought it was too good to be true. Working
hands-on with young, underserved students from diverse
backgrounds is important to me.
It is also important to note that I am not a tennis player
and have little experience playing. I was in tennis lessons
when I was in elementary school but not much else besides
that. During court time at PAST&E, I think I learned
just as much as the students did. And of course it was
always a running joke that I would lead the demonstration
one day. I was so nervous!
Luckily you don’t have to be a tennis player to see all
of the benefi ts the sport can provide. Over the summer, I
saw the coordination in ALL of the students improve drastically.
I noticed a lot of the children lose excess weight
over the summer. We started every tennis session with
a warm up around the court and then we moved into
Tennis BRINGS joy to schools and community
By Dr. Larry Horton,
Sweet Home School District Superintendent
Tennis had been virtually nonexistent in Sweet Home, Ore., for a number of years. Of the
six tennis courts that belonged to Sweet Home School District before their removal in 2008,
two had been closed by the district’s liability insurance company and the other four were
very close to closure. After a process of fundraising and construction, we now have four
new tennis courts that were strategically placed so that our junior and senior high schools
can use the courts as part of both schools’ physical education programs. The courts are
also directly across the street from the Boys & Girls Club. This means the Boys &
Girls Club can use the courts as part of their after-school and summer programs.
In addition to the four new courts, we are planning on painting four Quick-
Start Tennis courts at each of our fi ve elementary schools. Fourteen members of
the Sweet Home School District staff in addition to the Boys & Girls Club staff
attended a school tennis in-service training hosted by USTA Pacifi c Northwest
staff. The major focus at this training was to learn how we could bring tennis
into our schools. At the training participants learned introductory games to tennis
and were given tennis curriculum that can be used with their students. They also
received information on the QuickStart Tennis format and tennis equipment that
the kids were able to use immediately.
That core group of teachers is very excited about tennis. The physical education
instructors at both the junior high and the high school are now including tennis into
their spring lesson plans. The Boys & Girls Club is also looking at incorporating
tennis into their spring after-school program as well as their summer program. They,
along with all fi ve Sweet Home School District elementary schools, are including
the QuickStart Tennis format into their physical education programs. I see the
possibility of some day adding a varsity tennis program into our high school and
even friendly competitions at our junior high school and between our elementary
schools. The smiles of the students say it all: Tennis is fun!
Tennis is a sport that can be taught at all grade levels and to all ability levels.
It is a life-long sport that can be played by all ages. Ultimately, that is what I
want every student in the Sweet Home School District to know. Tennis is a sport
which they can play for the rest of their lives with family and with friends. It is a
healthy activity that is affordable and can truly provide joy and the opportunity for
quality family time. I plan on tennis being a regular part of our students’ physical
education programs every year. �
For more on Sweet Home’s new tennis courts, please turn to page 15.
an exercise we call “Up’s” where we balanced and then bounced
foam balls on our racquets. It’s fun to think back on the progression
of the children. By the end of the eight-week session we had all
of the participants on mini nets, hitting foam balls back and forth.
Psychologically, I saw each child’s confi dence increase. Every
day they were more excited for the group game or for their own
private time with the tennis coach. Individual attention was what
each child wanted and it was awesome to be able to provide that.
Sometimes a student’s frustration would get in the way of sportsmanship
and they would be asked to go chill out on the bench and talk
[ Continued on page 31 ]
www.pnw.usta.com � WINTER 2009/10 TENNIS TIMES
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