Tennis in the Parks League for Kids (Tulsa, OK)
Goal: Get kids on the courts and playing matches quickly
Leader/Advocate Organization: City of Tulsa Park & Recreation Department
Introduction: Practice may make perfect, but it’s the thrill of competition that really sparks a child’s love of sports. That’s the no-nonsense approach to tennis taken by the City of Tulsa Park & Recreation Department, the imaginative group behind the Tennis in the Parks League, a program designed to get kids on the courts and playing matches quickly. "Don’t get me wrong; we practice fundamentals and teach the rules of the game," says Mindy Paschal, Grants and Youth Tennis Coordinator for the City of Tulsa Park & Recreation Department. "But we also know that kids learn by doing. And by actually participating in matches, they"ll have fun, learn the necessary skills, and want to continue playing tennis for years to come."
Open to boys and girls ages 6 to 18, the Tennis in the Parks League caters to beginning players, many of whom have never swung a racquet. The League starts in June and is offered at six public parks throughout the Tulsa area. Each location has a head coach and support staff that schedule twice-a-week practices in June and once-a-week practices in July. Matches begin in July and are held on three successive Saturdays at the University of Tulsa Harwell Tennis Courts. On match days, players are divided into the following five divisions for singles and optional doubles:
- 8-and-under (mixed singles, matches are played on a mini court with a foam ball that is larger than a regulation size tennis ball)
- 10-and-under (mixed singles, matches are played on a mini court with a regulation tennis ball)
- 12-and-under (mixed singles, full court with a regulation tennis ball)
- 14-and-under (boys singles and girls singles)
- 18-and-under (boys singles and girls singles)
- USTA Missouri Valley Grant (May 2004) for $1,000 to hire USPTA-certified coach to help launch the Tennis in the Parks League.
- USTA Oklahoma District Grant (May 2004) for $500 to purchase balls and racquets for participants of the Tennis in the Parks League.
- The Tulsa Area Tennis Association (May 2005) donated $5,000, which was matched by a private donation from John Henzel, to resurface the six tennis courts at Hicks Park (one of six public facilities that hosts the Tennis in the Parks League).
- The USTA Missouri Valley Section arranged for John Cayton, a USTA National Development Coach Trainer, to host a Development Coach Workshop for 32 participants (February 2005). Ten staffers from the City of Tulsa Park & Recreation Department attended and were reimbursed $385 for their travel expenses.
- USTA Oklahoma District Grant (April 2005) for $370 to purchase training balls, teaching aids, and practice mini courts.
- The USTA and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) paid for Grants and Youth Tennis Coordinator Mindy Paschal to attend the 2006 NRPA/USTA Community Tennis Development Workshop. Says Paschal, "I came back from the workshop really excited by what I learned and motivated to introduce more kids to the healthy, lifelong sport of tennis. Without a doubt, the grant funding and advice we received were instrumental in developing our successful Tennis in the Parks program.&/quot
Match days feature a single-elimination bracket-style tournament, but the focus is always on fun. And while first, second, third, and fourth place ribbons are awarded in each division, all other players receive participation ribbons. It’s this type of fair and all-inclusive approach that’s helped make the Tennis in the Parks League so successful, says Doug Hennigan, one of the program’s head coaches. "You can just see the excitement in everyone’s eyes come match day," says Hennigan, whose 9-year-old daughter, Angela, participates in the program. "Kids are eager to play against each other and use the skills they learned in practice. And because everyone was rewarded for their efforts (with ribbons), kids left feeling good about themselves regardless of the final outcome."
Another bonus: The league is low-cost. In fact, the $40 registration fee covers six weeks of tennis practice, match play, team T-shirts, ribbons, and assorted gifts (such as water bottles and USTA sweatbands). Two of the participating parks—Chamberlain Park and Lacy Park—draw many kids from underserved populations and, therefore, charge just $5 for the program. "We want to give all kids a chance to experience the great sport of tennis," Paschal says.
History: It all started with a swimming pool. Looking to keep kids fit and cool during the Oklahoma summer swelter, the City of Tulsa Park & Recreation Department launched the aptly named Splash of Tennis program in the late 1990s. The itinerary was simple: Kids receive basic tennis instruction for an hour, and then go swimming to cool off. Simple enough, but Mindy Paschal and her colleagues saw a much bigger opportunity here.
"I noticed immediately that tennis appealed to all of the kids, not just the natural athletes," Pascal remembers. "There were kids out there who never took to baseball or basketball, but here they were swinging a racquet, laughing, and having fun. Suddenly a light bulb went on: Tennis doesn’t discriminate against body size; it’s a sport that everyone can play, and it’s a sport that pushes your body and your mind."
Following this epiphany, Paschal and others at the City of Tulsa Park & Recreation Department decided to develop a more comprehensive junior tennis program. After much discussion and research, they decided to rip a page from Little League Baseball’s playbook and create a tennis league that offered both practice and match play. The result: The Tennis in the Parks League was born.
Launched in 2004, the Tennis in the Parks League drew 40 kids. Participation nearly doubled in 2005, thanks to returning players and a positive buzz among parents. In the summer of 2006, the Tennis in the Parks League served 87 kids across six public parks. "We keep attracting more kids," Paschal says. "It’s further proof that if you get kids playing matches early, they’ll want to stick with tennis."
Grants and Training Obtained to Fund the Program:Lesson/Words of Wisdom:
From Grants and Youth Tennis Coordinator Mindy Paschal: "Emphasize to kids and parents that matches are actually part of practice and not that big a deal. By having kids play in tournament-style matches, you’re giving them the opportunity to extend the skills learned in practice to real-life game play, where they have to think quickly on their feet and adjust to different strategies. The only way kids really learn how to play any sport is to actually play the game, so stress having fun over winning. If they’re having fun, they’ll want to keep playing—and keep learning!"
From Coach Doug Hennigan: "Practice gives kids a necessary understanding of tennis and a sturdy foundation, but it’s match-play that gives them a love for the game. It’s been my experience with junior players that if you offer just a couple of months of tennis lessons, they’ll lose interest and you’ll lose players. But if you offer a program that combines tennis instruction with matches, then you’re giving kids something to look forward to. You’ll notice how they’re more motivated during practices; they focus more because they want to get better and use these skills to compete in upcoming matches. At the last match of the season, kids kept coming up to me and saying, ’I’m gonna keep playing. I love this sport!’ To me, that’s the best compliment a tennis coach could ever get."
Contact Information:
City of Tulsa Park and Recreation Department
Tennis in the Parks League
Attn: Mindy Paschal, grants and youth tennis coordinator
1710 West Charles Page Blvd.
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74127
Telephone: 918-596-2530
E-mail: mindypaschal@cityoftulsa.org