Week 2 Recap from Marcy

It was a beautiful day at Marcy Playground for our second session of the summer. It was new Site Leader Rob's first Saturday session ever with KCTL and it was a memorable one.

We started off on the Main Court by warming up through various dynamic stretches. The kids loved the “butt kicks” the best.

From there, the players broke off into groups and worked their way through various stations: fitness, relay races, background groundstrokes, rallying, and match play on the main court.

In today’s Education Session, Gary had the volunteers and children “playing” a game of Hello Bingo! Everyone got to know each other on a deeper level finding out common interests they shared. Thanks, Gary!

Next, everyone moved to the Main Court for a game of Breakout led by Brandon. Kyle was our runner-up. Our winner was Javai.

At the end of the session, we all huddled up and thanked everyone for their contribution to a successful day! Then, a volunteer from each station gave a Shout Out to one special player who exemplified KCTL attributes:

• Ladder Station: Nour  

• Relay Station: Zachary

• Backhand Station: Miabella

• Hitting Station: Liz

• Main Court: Jovani

Summer Season Opener 2017

Our students, their families, and volunteers made strong showings at all sites for our Saturday, June 3 Summer Season Opener.

Lessons prioritized the technicalities of tennis footwork, forehand groundstrokes, and background groundstrokes. Youth participants ranged vastly in levels of experience. Some students were completely new to the sport and required close instruction, while others retained impressive muscle memory from the Winter Season at Pratt that ended just two months ago. The majority of participants, though, had not played with KCTL since 2016 and were eager to grab their racquets and resume their game.

The off-court discussions were all about introductions and setting expectations. Students and volunteers introduced themselves to one another and learned about the structure of the season. This year, the educational portions of class will heavily incorporate lessons in STEM. Additionally, each student received a punchcard that their Educational Coordinator will use to track their attendance. When students reach certain benchmarks in classes attended, they will receive prizes. The off-court sessions wrapped up with surveys about expectations for what students hope to accomplish in the next four months.

Site staff and volunteers alike are excited to help the kids advance with deeper tennis knowledge like mental toughness, learning how to score, being positive with each other, serving, and agility. Here's to another great season!

Recap: Winter Season Opener

We welcomed our students back to the tennis courts—indoors!—on Saturday, February 4 at Pratt Institute to commence our first Winter Tennis Season.

Both sessions—ages 9 and under and ages 10 and up—were a lot of fun and very successful. The students were thrilled to be back on the court and were especially happy about the new facility.

The classes began with reviews of basic tennis skills and social norms or tennis etiquette. Led by staff members Lucca and Ari, we reinforced expectations for grips, stances, and swing patterns. The skills recap was helpful for the kids' adjustment to a new tennis surface. Unlike an outdoor tennis court or blacktop, the ball bounces lower on an indoor court, so we emphasized the importance of early swing preparation and bending the knees for groundstrokes. Social norms for the kids include hugging their racquets when they aren't hitting and practicing safety when others are on the court.

After getting a feel for the new, challenging tennis surface, we moved onto rotating stations with fast-paced tennis drills. And, of course, we wrapped up with a game of Breakout at the very end of each session.

View more photos from the Winter Season Opener on Facebook.

Week 14 Recap from Tompkins

After a missed class in observance of Labor Day Weekend, Team Tompkins returned to the court on Saturday, September 10 for Academy Day. The goal for each student was to transition from a First Grader to a Ph.D. graduate by successfully performing a specific tennis skill at each station, which represented a grade level.

The skill for each grade level became increasingly difficult throughout the game. We were proud to see that a high number of students made it beyond Eighth Grade and into High School! Even better, two of our students performed well enough to be "accepted" into College! Site Leader Tina said she could sense the frustration when it took some students significantly longer than others complete certain grades. On the bright side, though, no one ever gave up, which was very inspirational to Tina.

For the off-court discussion, Tompkins hosted a volunteer guest speaker, Jerald, who spoke to the students about police-community relations. He wanted to know how the kids felt about the police and what they would like to ask them if they had the chance.

Jerald then revealed that there would be a police meet-and-greet at the upcoming Jamboree Tournament and encouraged the students to ask the questions proposed in class. A big part of his presentation was to help the students to see the police as friends and protectors instead of foes.

Week 12 Recap from Sumner

Sumner students were excited to be back on court after having last class off due to extreme heat.

Class began with the students and volunteers running a few laps around the court and some careful stretching. Afterwards, the students were divided into two groups based on skill level and age. 

The stations of the week were Fitness and Rallying. At Fitness, the kids jump roped, practiced sit-ups and push-ups, and competed in a ladder challenge. The Rallying station took a "beat the pro" format; the children played out points against Mike, a volunteer.

In the off-court session, the students completed individual surveys about grit and resilience to reinforce the concepts and to help the organization's leaders assess their learning.

After off-court, Sumner concluded with their favorite games: Champs and Challengers, followed by Breakout.

Week 10: Recap from Lafayette Gardens

After winning Davis Cup on July 30, Lafayette Gardens participants were eager to return to regular class on August 6, after previously missing tennis on July 23 for a weather-related cancellation.

At Lafayette Gardens, with ominous grey skies, the class began with just a few students, but others trickled in as the sun began to shine. To warm up students ran a couple of laps around the playground followed by student led stretches. Shortly afterwards, they were divided by ability/age and were assigned different stations.

Stations included learning and practicing serving, forehand and backhand drills with footwork, champion of the court, and volleying.

During the off-court break, Ari, the Educational Coordinator, had volunteers demonstrate good and bad behaviors while on the court and had the students explain why the behaviors were either effective or ineffective. When finished, students were back on the court for a fun game of breakout--it never gets old!--before thanking one of the instructors who was leaving for the summer. 

#NothingTopsTennis: Tennis Balls to Think About Thinking

At Jackie Robinson, Educational Coordinator Christine led a session about cognitive awareness or, more simply, "thinking about thinking."

Much like how the students at Marcy learned about the concept—divided into pairs with only one member given a tennis ball—Jackie Robinson's empty-handed players were instructed to get the bright yellow sphere from their partners in 30 seconds by "any means necessary." With the exception making physical violence totally off-limits, no further rules were given.

Many of the children ended up chasing each other around the tennis courts. They recouped and Christine had them share how they tried to obtain the ball and discuss which methods worked best.

After some conversation, Christine finally asked who simply requested the ball from their partner, rather than trying to grab it out of his or her hands. To her delight, many did in fact "ask" for the ball, indicating a high level of cognitive awareness.

Following the tennis ball activity, Christine noticed how one of Jackie Robinson's most energetic students, Joey, has shown maturity and cognitive development—particularly in his "assistant coaching" stints. When he helped Michele organize the class, Christine asked, "Joey, how did you get all the kids to follow you? Did you shout?"  

"No, I just asked them individually," he responded proudly.