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Winnipeg,
MB (Canstar,
Matt Powers) – Rob Langan has the advantage in his
favour as he hopes to rally Winnipeg youth into
picking up the sport of tennis.
The head pro at the Winnipeg Lawn and Tennis Club
was recently provided with $2,500 in funding from
Tennis Canada to promote the sport in south Winnipeg
as part of the Building Tennis Communities program.
In his position as a community champion, Langan has
been served with the task of making the sport more
affordable and popular amongst kids.
“The program is targeted at the grassroots level, so
we do things like go into schools and promote tennis
and create leagues at community centres and in
school gyms throughout the winter,” Langan said.
What has really allowed the program to flourish is
the introduction of progressive tennis, which uses a
systematic progression of court sizes, balls, and
racquets, to scale the game down to a level
appropriate for five- to 10-year-olds.
“It is now similar to other sports,” said Rob
Bochinski, executive director with Tennis Manitoba.
“In basketball you drop the rims for the kids. (In)
Timbit hockey they are playing across the ice
instead of the full ice.
“That is the same idea here. We are shrinking the
court and giving the kids an easier opportunity to
learn.”
The age-appropriate game uses an oversized,
high-density foam ball which is easier to receive
and control since it travels slower and bounces
lower.
Langan said that since the ball bounces lower it
also gives beginners the opportunity to hone their
technique.
“The idea is to have the kids develop topspin by
hitting the ball at waist height but if they are
playing with a ball that bounces too high it is kind
of like a badminton shot,” Langan said.
“It is also all muscle memory so the more that it
becomes habit the harder it becomes to correct your
stroke.”
Since the beginning of January, Langan has been
lugging around the portable tennis nets and
equipment to elementary schools in areas such as
Lindenwoods, River Heights and Charleswood. So far,
the efforts have paid off.
“In a lot of ways it has really revolutionized how
we teach the game. I’m getting calls from the
teachers of the schools Rob has gone to and they are
placing orders. We have been selling a ton of this
mini-tennis equipment,” Bochinski said.
Langan is currently in the process of establishing a
school tennis league. The hope is that it will
eventually provide youngsters another place to swing
a racquet competitively.
“We want to break the old stigma that you have to be
a part of a country club in order to play the game.
We want to make it more accessible for everyone
beginning at a young age,” he said.
Tennis Manitoba will host an introductory event to
promote the sport on June 6 at Sargent Park Tennis
Centre. The first 500 participants will receive a
free tennis racquet, Bochinski says.
South Winnipeg Community Tennis
Contact Tennis Manitoba
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