Junior Program Brought Summer Smiles and New Skills
From the teens at the Advanced Elite workouts as early as 7:30 a.m. to the Pee Wee players as young as 3 years old, the Four Hills courts were jumping with around 110 eager Juniors this summer. With a low teacher to student ratio, many kids developed a love for the game through individual attention mixed with large group activity. Some of the Elite Juniors strengthened their own skills by volunteering time to work with the younger players.
D’Wayne Begay, the head pro at 4 Hills, had several teaching assistants this year including USTA president, Bev Bourguet. Most mornings she was seen working out with the Advanced group prior to teaching the Beginners and Intermediates. D’Wayne frequently challenged the players to navigate intricate obstacle courses or to “leap-frog hop” across the court, and Bev was right in there! James Glacken, coach of the Manzano High School boys’ team, brought amazing energy and enthusiasm to the program as well. His passion for tennis was obvious to all the kids in the clinics this summer. He is a true role model and inspiration to the competitive high school level players he coaches at Manzano.
As is customary, there was a Junior Tennis Party at the pool for all who attended the program. The kids demonstrated some of the drills and games they learned such as ladder-running and Tennis Simon-Says. They also answered questions about the lines on the court and proper scoring. Awards were given as the coaches commented on each individual player’s strengths. The parents were even invited to show their support for their budding stars! Photos were displayed showing all the program levels along with various action shots during lessons. Everyone received a door prize as well as encouragement to continue with tennis as a lifetime sport.
This informative article was submitted by one of the teaching assistants, Laurie Roach. Thanks, Laurie. Good job, D’Wayne, in conducting a very popular program.
