Week 12 Recap from Tompkins

For class this week, he team was part of the Tompkins Houses Block party!

The streets were closed off, providing us with the perfect space to play tennis. Neighbors hosted barbecues, played games, and invited a DJ to play music throughout the day.

Our tennis team set up class in the middle of the street. All kids in the community were invited to play tennis with us. Many did join or stayed to watch.

We started with drills at four stations: Forehand, Backhand, Volley, and a Surprise Station. Players had to jump from one station to the next keeping them moving and keeping their skills sharp. This format was also a great way to give the other community players a chance to hit. We then played a variety of other games from musical racquets to relay races to tennis caterpillar. 

Overall, it was a great day and many residents in the neighborhood who had not heard of KCTL were excited to learn about us and are hoping to enroll their children for the next season. 

Week 11 Recap from Sumner

We have a new tennis court (but its appearance is a surprise, hence the photo in this post)!

On Saturday, our group marked the important occasion by playing full court tennis against each other, which was a first at Sumner. We had four students and two volunteers (great job, Mike and Adam!) who paired up to play Champion of the Court for almost an hour. That was the first time our entire group played points against each other at Sumner, given the varying levels of abilities and ages.

Two of our youngest players experienced dramatic improvement over the course of one hour. Both girls, Nilda and Annahlis, bravely stepped up to play points with older players. Their confidence grew each time they made contact with the ball and they both surprised their opponents by hitting several winners.

We also practiced giving each other positive support when a player lost interest, felt discouraged or intimidated. All four Sumner students who participated on Saturday walked off the court with renewed confidence and enjoyment for the game.

It was an excellent day to mark an important moment for Sumner Tennis Club.

Week 10 Recap from Jackie Robinson

Saturday, August 5 at Jackie Robinson was a questionable day for tennis that ended up working out just perfectly in the end. Due to the weather, the site staff waited 15 minutes after the hour to begin, allowing more students to arrive. 

The students and volunteers began with a warm up of sprints, butt kicks, high knees, frog jumps, and side steps.

The class was then broken out into three courts according to skill, which ranged from beginner to intermediate. Team Jackie Robinson worked on the basics (forehand, backhand, and volleys) with a few games in between.

Educational Coordinators Christine and Michael led a great lesson where students used their artistic skills to design a puzzle piece with pictures that illustrated some of their interests or favorite things. 

The players ended with a game of tennis baseball, or Breakout, with the intermediate group and a game of Tennis Freeze Tag with the beginners.

Overall it was a rewarding experience for all participants!

Week 8 Recap from Lafayette Gardens

Class at Lafayette Gardens this hot, sunny weekend started with a warm-up led by one of our volunteers. Once finished, students were divided into groups in preparation for play.

The more advanced students headed over to the handball courts where they hit against there wall to practice control and good form in preparation for Davis Cup matchplay.

Another group of advanced students were sent to the nets were they volleyed two-on-two. The kids were reminded to maintain strong communication with their partners, as they will in the upcoming Davis Cup doubles tournament.

Our newest students gathered to learn the basics of forehand and backhand stroke, while our intermediate students worked on agility, stamina, and footwork drills at the fitness station.

The groups rotated about three times before everyone came together for the off court lesson.

LG's Educational Coordinator, Ari, led a discussion about Davis Cup during the off-court portion. The kids shared and learned information about their tournament country, Brazil, and were reminded about the importance of good sportsmanship in competitive events.

The students ate snacks and hydrated as they listened before eagerly breaking away for their favorite end of class game, Scramble, a form of tennis volleyball.

Week 6 Recap from Sumner

Sumner was full of milestones and fun on Saturday, July 8.

Because of the heat, we had activities in the shade to rehydrate, refuel, and create. Some students made their own breeze in between tennis activities by skating around the court on their scooter and snake board. Others got together and jumped with a long rope while our Sumner artistic crew created a tennis racquet art exhibit with sidewalk chalk .Shonda led the group in a timely conversation about healthy and peaceful ways to handle bullying. 

Our focus this week was learning about the importance of the “first step” in tennis. We warmed up with the "caterpillar" game to practice our split step and then we progressed to eye foot coordination games by rolling balls between students’ legs with their backs turned. As soon as they saw the ball rolling (or thrown over their head!), they sprinted to see how quickly they could catch up to grab it.

Every week, Sumner’s footwork skills get better and better because students are recognizing first-hand how much better they play when they stay on their toes and react quickly to the ball.

Our rallies are also getting longer! Mike’s court reached 34 hits in a row and Lauren’s court reached 18 in a row. Adam was instrumental in maintaining students' enthusiasm and focus during the games and coaching great volley technique.

All of our volunteers are bringing students’ tennis to new levels each week and it’s an honor to be a part of the development at Sumner tennis club!

Week 5 Recap from Marcy

Rain attempts to hold us back every weekend, but we can’t be stopped. We were lucky to enjoy a few hours of learning in the sun before a storm.

We started off warming up with various stretches. We added a footwork and split step combination, which the kids enjoyed and will create good muscle memory for them on the court. 
 
From there, the players broke off into groups and worked their way through various stations: Ladder, Relay Race/Hand-Eye Coordination, Volleys, Groundstrokes, and King of the Court. 

In the off-court session. Gary asked the students various questions about what they would do in certain situations. For example: "What would you do if you saw someone doing the wrong thing?" Everyone wrote down their answers working with each other and volunteers. Some shared with the group at large. Thanks Gary for engaging the kids and sharing your own thoughts and experiences with them!
 
Next, everyone moved to the Main Court for a game of Breakout led by Will. Our winner was Javai for the second time this season. 
 
At the end of the session, we all huddled up and thanked all the participants for a successful day!

Week 4 Recap from Lafayette Gardens

After a two-week hiatus from tennis due to rain, KCTL celebrated Family Day this past Saturday at Lafayette Gardens and the four other sites. At Lafayette Gardens, the students began classes by introducing their special guests. As a warm up, all played "Pacman" on lines drawn on the blacktop. Two students were deemed Pacmen. If they tagged another player, the tagged then became a Pacman as well.

After three rounds of Pacman, students were then divided into groups and hit the courts where they worked on their forehands and backhands. As they rotated, some students played Tennis Foursquare, a game where players lose the use of an arm or leg for each tennis ball missed.

During the off court session, students got to know one of LG's volunteers, Mark, a little better while he sat in the "Hot Seat." Students asked questions and learned how long Mark has played tennis and what lessons from tennis he's been able to transfer into his life off the court.

Afterwards, everyone came together to play a game of group tennis called Scramble. Class ended with everyone coming into the middle and cheering on Lafayette Gardens.