Off-Court Talk: Back to School

Our off-court talk at Marcy was all about the upcoming 2014-2015 school year—now just around the corner for our students. Gary began the discussion with an announcement and a question: “One month from today, you will go back to school. How do you feel now that summer is almost over?” The question received mixed responses. Some kids were enthusiastic, while others were disappointed. The latter group didn’t shock us; we remember how happy they were to have begun summer vacation a few months ago.

After the reminder that summer’s freedom is officially slipping away, we moved into expectations for the upcoming school year. How will this year be different than the last? Advancing to a higher grade means the work will be a bit difficult, they said. At the same time, they remembered that they’ll get to reunite with both old and new friends upon returning to school. This heightened everyone’s excitement and led more to express that they’re now looking forward to the school year.

The conversation ended with questions about favorite subjects and future careers. We learned that Marcy has a few aspiring scientists, media professionals and artists!

Off-Court Talk: Fitness & Nutrition

This week for our off-court talk, we focused on Fitness & Nutrition. We discussed what are healthy foods, and what is consider not healthy for them. We also talked about how many meals per day we should eat each, and how the size of the portions we eat also matters in maintaining good health. We talked about the effects drinking plenty of water verses drinking countless cans of soda or sugary juices, and how water with every meal helps their complexion and helps cleanse their body. We discussed hydration verses dehydration and the effects of each. At Tompkins, we provided bananas and carrots to the students as part of the discussion on nutrition--as well as hummus, which many of the students were willing to try!

Regarding the Fitness discussion, we found out that many of our students are very active in one way or another... many mentioned that they exercise with family members and play other sports. This topic was one that the students really enjoyed expressing their views about, so much, that we'll likely revisit it again next week.

Week 11: A Little Bit of Everything

From Tompkins:

Tompkins had a great turn out this week. To warm up we ran relay races and tried out a new obstacle course with jumping jacks, figure eights (for footwork) and ball bounces (for racket control.) We opted to split the kids up into two groups--boys and girls. One group worked on backhands and forehands while the other group worked on proper volley form (punching the ball, stepping towards the net), then they switched. At the end of the day, everyone joined up together and the kids played rounds of King/Queen of the Court against themselves with a volunteer feeding.

From Marcy:

It was another play date for Marcy this week with Sumner Tennis Club joining them at the Marcy tennis court. The two teams rotated through the five stations per usual. Volleys at Station 1--we focused on emphasizing proper movement and form and kept the pace quick so the kids had to keep moving. Station 2 was a kid-favorite: Beat the Pro where students rally against a volunteer. Station 3 was the obstacle course where kids worked on footwork and general fitness. On the main court (Station 4), students worked on hitting balls with movement--baseline stroke, approach shot, volley with an emphasis on split-step and side steps. Station 5 was the off-court discussion. This week's topic was on nutrition. Read more about the off-court talk in Thursday's post.

Off-Court Talk: The Environment

Our Off-Court discussion this week was about the Environment/Recycling. We talked about ways we can help protect the environment, and we discussed recycling.

We asked our students what they knew about the subject recycling... many of them knew a lot about recycling! We discussed the 3Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle. We discussed littering and the harmful effects it has on the environment. We talked about how the trees and plants help the environment by producing clean oxygen. I asked our students what they knew about landfills. Most of the older students knew what a landfill was.

We talked about air pollution. Mainly about how all the cars in NYC pollute the air, and what we could do to reduce air pollution. Our kids stated that walking was a great way to reduce air pollution (and a great way to stay in shape!) or to ride a bike or travel using mass transit.

We're asking all of the students to bring in an item that was recyclable and one that isn't. Lafayette Garden students can bring their items to Candice and Marcy students can bring their items to Gary. A prize for the winner will be determined by Michael.

Week 10: Playing Tennis Together

From Lafayette Gardens:

Saturday's play date between Marcy and Lafayette Gardens was so much fun! It was exciting to see our LG kids interacting with the Marcy kids on the newly renovated Marcy court. At times I was even taken aback by how much they've learned--their tennis skills are definitely improving! The turn out was perfect and tons of parents were watching. Looking forward to more playing time together in the future.

Off-Court Talk: Our Future

Saturday’s off-court discussion at Marcy called for a bit more creativity than usual. Gary posed the question, “How do you see the world in 25 years?” to kick off the conversation.

Of course, there are no objectively right or wrong answers, so the students were inspired to use their imaginations. The kids made a number of fun predictions about what human life will be like in 25 years--mostly related to technology. For instance, the kids expect that by 2039, hovercraft cars and vacuum tube trains will be our primary modes of travel, while gas-powered cars and existing modes of public transit will become obsolete. They also anticipate robots assisting with human beings’ daily functions and tasks, providing a great benefit to mankind.

In addition to their expectations for technological advancement, the students brought up some more meaningful ideas about life 25 years away. For one, they were confident that a woman will be—or will already have been—President of the United States by 2039, and pointed to some of our female volunteers as possible candidates. They also spoke of their hope for environmental improvements. People will have to change their habits now, the kids said, if we want to enjoy a clean and beautiful environment in the future.

All in all, the Marcy students expressed desire that our future world will be a better place. More importantly, they touched upon an important reality: While we can’t possibly guess all the little details of the distant future, we can modify our current actions to shape the big picture into something positive.

Week 9: Playing at the Net aka How to Volley

From Marcy

This week our focus was on introduction to Volleys/Footwork. Station 1) was used to introduce the proper technique and stance. Station 2) was the volley & catch station. Station 3) was footwork and agility. Station 4) on the Main Court put into play all the skills taught at the other three stations. Station 5) was the off court discussion group.

From Tompkins

This week, we had a lower turnout of kids than normal, but it gave us an opportunity for the volunteers to work one-one-one with a kid. First, we taught them how to volley--to step up to the net and hit the ball over with a quick "punch" rather than a full stroke like a forehand or backhand. The kids took to it immediately and really enjoyed the practice. After having them hit forehand and backhand volleys, the kids chose a volunteer to partner up with and we played a modified version of King/Queen of the Court, where the winning team played up to the net and responded with volleys.