WTTA gets grant to bring activity to area elementary schools

FRANKLIN
Before Wednesday, many S.P. Morton Elementary School third graders had never played tennis, much less owned their own racket. Thanks to the Western Tidewater Tennis Association, they were able to do a little of both.

“It was my first time playing tennis,” said Kayden Bailey, 9. “When I first do something, I’m a little scared and anxious.”

Kaydn still tried as did his classmates, thanks to a grant from the Obici Health Care Foundation. WTTA instructor Ken Cussick, President Sheryl Raulston and her daughter Lindsay Raulston were at SPM for a free “Ace Obesity in Schools” program. This marked the first stop of a four-school tour.

The program starts with a book, which the kids received a copy of, “Henry Gets Moving.”

“I think the book is a really good ice breaker,” Cussick said. “The kids get to learn about good habits, such as eating right and moving. And they really dove into the eating part — they could really relate to what the healthy foods and not so healthy foods were.”

After going over the book, Cussick then took the children out and put them through some small things, and then two big things. The small things included bouncing the ball in the air without it hitting the ground and catching the ball in the racket after one bounce.

When he was able to trust them with the small things, he gave them a crack at the big things, which included lining up and returning a serve in two ways. First, they had to return it off of a bounce. And more challenging, they had to go to the net and return a volley before it hit the ground.

“I think it was kind of hard,” said Laney Phillips, 8. “I could not really hit the ball. I’d either miss it, or the ball didn’t come near me.”

Laney admitted that she hadn’t played tennis before, but she added that her older sister, Lillie, does play.

“I think I could get better if I practice with my sister,” said Laney, fully intending to use the free racket and ball that WTTA gave away. “She played during the summer at a camp last year.”

Laney wasn’t the only one that intended to use it.

“I am going to play with it a lot,” said Meya Sweat, 9, who added that bouncing the ball and catching it with the racket was her favorite part. “It was fun.”

“I think it is really cool,” added Gabriel Odelo, 8, about playing tennis. “I think it was really nice of them to give us the rackets.”

Cussick said they were able to give them smaller rackets and foam balls, which can be used to bounce off the house.

“Children need to be able to see some success,” Cussick said. “If you give them bigger rackets, regular balls and put them on a normal court, most of them could not do anything with it and will get frustrated. Tennis isn’t the easiest sport.”

But slowing it all down and shrinking it helps them see what they can accomplish in the sport, Cussick said.

“You have to do it with humor and remember that they are children, sometimes acting like a child yourself,” he said. “And then they can see that it’s actually pretty fun.”

SPM physical education teacher Shawn Denne said it has been wonderful having the WTTA instructors work with his classes.

“I think the biggest thing is that they are exposing a population of kids to an activity that they may have never otherwise had an opportunity to be exposed to,” he said. “And they loved it.”

Plus, it’s not just the clinic, Denne said.

“They get to take it home and play with it,” he said. “With the culture today, anything that can get them away from the computers, internet, video games, and up and outside moving, is beneficial to them.”

Raulston said she’s been excited to work with the schools, and is looking forward to visiting Southampton Academy, Carrsville Elementary and Windsor Elementary. They’ll also be able to offer a free clinic to teachers at these elementary schools, helping them get more active and perhaps influencing the behavior of the students.

“It’s been very rewarding to see first-hand how excited the kids have been about tennis,” she said. “Our mission is to develop and grow tennis in Western Tidewater, and we’ll be able to reach 300 kids thanks to this grant. I hope we can continue this next year.”

Speaking of growth in tennis; by the end of the hour-long class, Kayden no longer looked shy around a tennis ball. He was hitting the ball off of a bounce and also charging up, connecting on the volleys.

“It was a lot of fun,” he said. “We learned how to play tennis and that was cool.”