CLINIC HELD FOR TOWNSHIP CHILDREN DURING JUNIOR CHALLENGE 11-13th October We were able to organize a clinic for children in the four Townships in and around Benoni where the IC Rod Laver junior challenge was being held. We invited children from Daveyton, Tembisa, Katlehong and Vosloorus to attend along with their coaches and 35 in all took part. For the little ones and those just starting out, we had four Play and Stay courts going throughout the day. For the more advanced children they were put through physical training exercises followed by coaching and then doing more drills. The ages varied from some as young as 7 to 14. To add to the occasion we managed to get some of the coaches to the teams taking part in the junior challenge as well as some of the players to assist and this aspect really meant a lot to the players who could see the advances that are taking place within our development programme. Lunch was kindly supplied by Nandos (chicken and chips) and in the evening we hosted a braai for both the Development kids and the players and coaches. The enthusiasm shown by the children, especially the younger ones, was a joy to see and at times we wondered if we could ever get them off the court!! Some showed remarkable skill for such a young age and it gives us a lot of hope for the future. As we said during the day “The Next Gen looks promising here.” With the right coaching and plans in place for their progress, then these young players could be gracing a bigger stage of tennis court in the years to come. It also gave the local coaches the chance to see children from other Townships and not just those from their own area. The coaches, Dundee, Michael, Thabang and Desiree worked the children through a number of new and varied drills. This was especially true when the coaches were involved the children from outside their own Township. It is through initiatives such as this that we will see the growth in the quality of play in the children and encourage them to enhance new ways of playing and thus improve their tennis.
