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Our tennis hot shots

January 27th, 2012

by Sarah Martin

Tennis players young and old are welcome and nurtured at the Bridgewater Tennis Club, with competition and coaching programs available to suit everyone.

The club kick-started the MLC Tennis Hot Shots program last year which has been specifically created for children aged 10 and under.

The program is supported by the International Tennis Federation as well as Tennis Australia, and it uses modified equipment that suits youngsters.

During instruction large, low-compression balls, portable nets and reduced court sizes are used.

Bridgewater Tennis Club President Barry McFadyen, said that the program is well supported throughout the world.

"It is sponsored at a level you wouldn't believe and has just about every international player involved," Barry said.

"When tournaments are on there are special sessions with children."

The Hot Shots program at Bridgewater stared after the club got involved in the Active After-School Communities (AASC) program at local primary schools, which is sponsored by the Australian Sports Commission.

Barry saw that there was a need to create a link from the after-school program into clubs, and the Hot Shots program offered a way to do it.

"I undertook a lot of training, both online and in attendance at the Office of Sport and Recreation at Brooklyn Park, all of which was provided free," Barry said.

"We then had to purchase quite a lot of equipment to suit the program and luckily we were successful in getting a grant from the Australian Sports Commission which covered most of that cost."

About 20 childen are involved in the Bridgewater program, which is held on Thursday afternoons during school terms.

"The children have a great time, learn new skills, get active and gain confidence," he said.

"The equipment ensures that they are able to play to the best of their ability and to learn the game at their own pace."

Parents are also heavily involved in the training sessions.

"Mums and Dads were initially surprised that they weren't just watching or dropping the kids off," Barry said.

"I get them involved in all of the fun and the skills sessions. They are as involved as their child, but not necessarily always with their own child," he said.

"The parents have been very positive about it - they say that they are learning so much about the different movement skills and see the improvements in their kids' skills and attitudes. The best thing is that when the children leave the court they have skills that can be supported at home."

Barry recently received the South Australian 5 Star Community Coach Award for his involvement in the Active After-School Communities program.

"I am hoping that the club can use the award to create opportunities for our junior coaches to get more involved in the program," he said.

Junior coaches Sasa Schultz and Chloe Bartel are involved in the club's mentor program which supports their development. They also receive training provided by Tennis Australia and the Office of Sport and Recreation.

"The training that they are getting is just brilliant," Barry said.

"It is not just about the game of tennis but also how to behave, control and plan. It sets them up with life skills, including leadership and helps them understand the responsibility that they have in working with children."

The club has recently upgraded its Synpave court surface and built new clubrooms which offer much better facilities to members and spectators.

"We have built a huge new building that has a store room, change room and a main area with a servery and cafe," Barry said.

"Importantly we have included a high pitched shelter the length of the building that allows spectator access."

"Previously we only had a tiny shed that had been here about 30 years and a couple of small tin shelters that offered very little protection from the elements."

The development area was funded largely by grants received through the AHC, Tennis Australia and the Office of Recreation and Sport.

The tennis and netball clubs met the balance of the costs from a fund that had been collected from club members through the last 15 years of operation.

Students from Heathfield High School were involved in the construction of the shed through the Doorways 2 Construction program in collaboration with the contractor Shed Master.

This involvement benefited the club in reduced labour costs, and offered the students the opportunity to get some hands-on experience.

John Norris a member of the Bridgewater club since 1975 is happy with the new facilities.

"It has been a long time coming and is fantastic to have something more modern and easier to use," John said.

"It is so much better than an old shed that's been there for 80 years or so."

John participates in the night competition at the club, which is he said is a very popular time to play.

"It suits people who work, or have commitments on their weekends that they would rather not give up for an afternoon of tennis - it's very fun and social."

The Bridgewater Tennis Club also plans to run Family Fun Nights on Thursday evenings in Term 1 from 6-8pm and also has teams in the traditional Saturday competition.

The contact number of all enquiries about the competition and coaching is 0404 413 019.

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