The Thanksgivings I have for the completion of my 58th Summer at North Central and the WONDERFUL staff I shared the joys of Teaching and Coaching with on a daily basis. There was a positive outlook all summer and also a respect for Covid which is still in our midst. We were blessed with NO medical problems this summer.
Three Programs made our summer feel special: The new INDY Program bringing 50 new eight and nine year olds to our Tennis Center for a National Junior Tennis and Learning Program that met weekly for 90 minutes of Reading, Life Skills and Tennis and was coordinated by our own Melissa Fitch and a very energetic group of instructors who loved sharing their expertise with this special group of MSD Washington Township students. The attendance was 100% all summer and the INDY Program was totally supported by Patrons and USTA Grants. All participants received new racquets, shirts and a tennis tote to keep educational and athletic gear together. Thanks to everyone who brought success to this program and yes, we will promote this School District Program into the fall and next summer. The new opportunities to promote the growth of Tennis in our community and bring new families to the courts each week was very successful.
Likewise, we added new opportunities for developing players without USTA rankings by promoting Riley Round Robins each week. We held Green-Dot Ball Round Robins for players 12 and under and Orange-Ball Round Robins for 10 and under and offered Red Ball for 8 and under. There was an emphasis on Sportsmanship and the USTA guidelines on Competitive procedures. Round Robins were two hours with trophies for Sportsmanship and Winners. The Round Robins all supported Riley Children’s Foundation. Our thanks to the Central Indiana Tennis Association for accepting entries and sending us the rosters of players. Suggestions for 2022 are welcome from Parents and Players. Round Robin times were 3-5 pm and orange-ball and green-dot had the most participation. I want to THANK the patient Instructors who assisted me in taking scores and monitoring the courts and Melissa Fitch for reporting scores and posting pictures.
The third new Program was a much expanded UTR Program offered every Tuesdays and Thursday to High Performance Players to play matches from 3:30-5 pm. This gave more opportunities for singles competition and opportunities to improve your UTR rating which has become a College Level ranking system. Coach Dan Brunette led this program. This program also had an educational component presented by Dan Brunette and his staff.
