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COMMUNITY TENNIS DEVELOPMENT [ Continued from page 9 ]<br />
Hayden Nichols (left)<br />
credits sister Lyna with<br />
getting him on the court<br />
and into JTT. �<br />
Whidbey Island <strong>USTA</strong> Jr. Team Tennis is truly a family aff air<br />
[ Continued from page 9 ]<br />
nearly forming an outer ring around the kids. A wave of excitement enveloped me and it<br />
was clear that the six nights of matches we had scheduled over the next three weeks were<br />
going to be a little bit about tennis and a lot about connecting with family and friends.<br />
This past summer was not only my first coordinating a <strong>USTA</strong> Jr. Team Tennis (JTT)<br />
Local League but it was also my first experience with JTT in general. The concept of<br />
JTT was foreign to most people on Whidbey Island and required explanation before<br />
we had buy in. Flyers were passed out at the Whidbey Island High School Girls’ Tennis<br />
practice in May but for the most part, recruiting players was done simply by emailing<br />
and calling people who played tennis.<br />
The Whidbey Island league is organized in a unique fashion. In most JTT leagues, a<br />
team manager and a group of players form their own team and then sign up to be in a<br />
league where they play other teams who have done the same. When it came time to start<br />
the Whidbey Island league, we had all of the kids sign up and then formed the teams<br />
from the pool of players who registered. We strived for balance and tried to account<br />
for skill level and age when deciding who would be placed on which team. However, in<br />
addition to fielding balanced teams, we also tried to group siblings together to help with<br />
ease of scheduling and transportation for families. In the end, balance became more<br />
important and we decided to separate close friends, siblings and cousins. The result was<br />
a bonding amongst all the players.<br />
After the teams were created, four parents stepped up and offered to lead each of<br />
the teams. They were willing to take on the role of Team Manager but were hesitant<br />
because they didn’t really know what was involved in the <strong>com</strong>mitment. After a promise<br />
to support each other and to move forward together, the parent managers flourished.<br />
Among other things, they made an effort to reach out to the players whom they’d just<br />
met, volunteered their time at optional player practices, and brought tennis ball cupcakes<br />
and other goodies for the kids on the last day. Pam Newman, Debbie Raden, Sonya<br />
Simmons Peterson and Nicole Stayskal not only became our volunteer team managers<br />
but they shined as role models and tennis leaders for their own children and others.<br />
Pam Newman was the only manager with experience in tennis <strong>com</strong>petition. Her<br />
seven kids, ranging in age from eight to 23 years, play tennis and together have a collection<br />
of state championship titles. Although her kids are successful on the court, she<br />
30 TENNIS TIMES WINTER 2009/10 � www.pnw.usta.<strong>com</strong><br />
� One of several sets of siblings that participated in JTT on<br />
Whidbey Island from left, Carlie, Kody and Hayley Newman.<br />
� The four players recognized for outstanding sportsmanship<br />
include from left, Claire Hofi us, Nathan Shive, Jessica Carey and<br />
Kalie Stayskal.<br />
and her husband Mike don’t overlook the value tennis provides off the court. They<br />
also appreciate that it keeps their large family together.<br />
“What’s so great is that tennis can be an intergenerational thing; children, siblings,<br />
parents playing on the same court,” explains Pam Newman. “Our family keeps racquets<br />
in the car. An hour here or there, after basketball or baseball practice, they all want<br />
to go play. If we’re traveling, we can find a tennis court almost anywhere. It’s an easy<br />
sport to play as a family.”<br />
Lyna Nichols and her younger brother Hayden also realize the familial ties of the<br />
sport. It was two years ago that I pulled up to the courts one morning and saw Lyna,<br />
then just 14 years old, giving Hayden a few tips on his strokes. It looked like Hayden<br />
had never played before and I remember thinking how kind Lyna was to introduce<br />
her younger brother to a sport that she had just found success in. When I saw them<br />
playing and laughing together during the JTT league this summer, I couldn’t help<br />
but again recognize the unique benefit of tennis, how it brings families together and<br />
creates lasting memories.<br />
In addition to family and team unity, parents, coaches and managers felt it was<br />
really important to stress the importance of sportsmanship and positive attitudes in<br />
the Whidbey Island league. Each week I asked the managers to nominate a player who<br />
exhibited fair play, handled a difficult situation with poise and/or who encouraged<br />
teammates on and off the court. When it came time to nominate a player, they couldn’t<br />
single out a single one. After several requests for a nominee, one of the managers<br />
finally said, “They all had good attitudes. I can’t just think of one who shined above<br />
the others. They all shined!” It was a difficult decision but we did honor the following<br />
four players with Outstanding Sportsmanship: Jessica Carey, Claire Hofius, Nathan<br />
Shive and Kalie Stayskal.<br />
In the end we ended up with four teams and a total of 31 players, 17 of whom were<br />
related to at least one other player in the league. On the final day of the JTT Whidbey<br />
Island League, I looked around the circle and did my best to adequately thank the<br />
captains, players and parents. During the practices and matches that had occurred<br />
over the summer, we all connected and became members of a larger family, our tennis<br />
family. Tennis is indeed a sport for a lifetime and it is also an activity that family and<br />
friends can do together. �