In my elementary school P.E. classes I recall shooting hoops, kicking soccer balls and throwing footballs, but never did we play tennis — the sport I had practically learned at birth.
No, I didn’t come out of the womb swinging a racket, but with two tennis coaches for parents, I can’t remember a time in which I didn’t play. I had access to outdoor and indoor courts any time I wanted, could have as many tennis rackets and shoes as my heart desired, and had the ability and financial means to travel to tennis tournaments across the region. All these things I took for granted, and so I didn’t understand why we didn’t play tennis in P.E.
Of course, there’s a practical reason why tennis wasn’t introduced in my P.E. class. Most public elementary schools don’t have their own courts, and tennis is difficult to play in a gym. In addition, the average class size in public primary schools is about 20 students, which is too large to run a successful tennis clinic under one gym teacher.
But perhaps the hidden reason was that tennis has for centuries been seen as too elite and too expensive to be an all-American sport. To some extent this is true. Tennis is mostly confined to country clubs and prep schools, and we believe that one must be able to afford private lessons, expensive rackets and tournament fees to become a successful player. So why bother introducing tennis in P.E. classes — particularly in low-income public schools where the students come from disadvantaged backgrounds — if those children will never be able to afford the opportunity to pursue the sport?
It is precisely these long-held stereotypes about tennis that is preventing it from becoming more widely played and more affordable for everyone.
This week, MyTennisLessons had the opportunity to introduce tennis to an elementary school in our area. The majority of children in this school were persons of color and of low socioeconomic status, and a great number of them were special needs or spoke English as a second language. Sadly, it was not surprising to me that of the hundreds of students we talked to, only a few recognized names like “Roger Federer” and “Andy Roddick,” and just as few raised their hands when we asked the question, “Has anyone heard of tennis?” Yet the moment we demonstrated how to play, their eyes lit up, watching the ball move quickly back and forth between our rackets. They cheered us on, hanging in suspense, because despite the fact that we were playing half-heartedly on a miniature court — we were, to them, some of the greatest tennis players in the world.
After the demo, we passed out rackets and taught the kids how bounce and balance a ball on their strings because there’s only so much you can do in a compact gym with classes as large as 60 students. Yet they were thrilled to hold those rackets, and we were thrilled for them. We left the school 30 rackets, a QuickStart net and several balls, in the hopes that these students would play tennis in gym class again.
We need to have tennis programs like this in public elementary schools because it is a sport that can be enjoyed by everyone and should be accessible to everyone. Tennis can be played by people of all ages and athletic abilities; it is incredibly social; and it’s also great way to stay physically fit. There are programs across the country that bring tennis into elementary schools or offer tennis as an affordable after-school activity, but we need more. The more children who want to play tennis, the more accessible and affordable this sport can become.
MyTennisLessons operates on the premise that tennis instruction shouldn’t break the bank and shouldn’t be confined to a private racket club. We offer tennis lessons at range of prices and public court locations, yet I will openly admit that we are still not affordable and accessible for everyone. But we’re getting there.
I truly believe that tennis is not a dying sport in America that can only be enjoyed by an elite few. But it is up to those of us who play and love tennis to help share it with others. You may have access to courts any time you want, as many tennis rackets as your heart desires and the financial means to travel to tennis tournaments across the country, but so many do not.
So as a challenge to you this month, I ask that you do something to introduce a child to tennis. Volunteer as part of Try Tennis Free; donate rackets or balls to an elementary school; offer a local tennis camp or clinic a scholarship to pay for one child to participate. There are many things you can do to spread the joy of tennis to others. Perhaps one day a child who picked up a tennis racket in their P.E. class will play on the courts of Wimbledon.
