SVGTA, Grassroot team up in Doubles play

The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tennis Association and the Grassroot Tennis Club have teamed up to stage an Under-10 championship later this month as the Second Annual Grassroot Summer Tennis Camp concludes.{{more}}

Making the announcement was President of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tennis Association (SVGTA) Anthony Mc Kenzie, as he spoke at the Opening Ceremony of the camp last Wednesday morning at the Grassroot Tennis Club base, at Murray’s Road.

Mc Kenzie said that his organization has sanctioned the championship, which he said will have a new dimension, as new type of equipment will be used.

The 2011 Summer Camp participants show a large chunk that are under the age of 10.

The camp this year boasts 125 participants, forcing Mc Kenzie to refer to it “as the biggest Tennis Camp this year”.

Mc Kenzie stated that with the interest shown, it means that Tennis is alive and well in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The camp originally catered for 80 participants; however, the numbers eventually exceeded 100.

Head of the Grassroot Tennis set up, Grant Connell told SEARCHLIGHT, although they had said 80, they could not turn away anyone.

“It meant that there would have been forty kids who might not have anything to do for the next three weeks,” Connell reasoned.

Connell said they were also forced to extend the intended hours of 9am to 1pm, to 9am to 3pm.

He said that this was to ensure that each child got his or her full share of Tennis for the day from coaches: Trevor Sam, Onike Spann, Derron Grant, Kyle Albert and Connell himself. The three week camp concludes Friday, July 29.

The annual Summer camp is one of many shades of operations for the Grassroot Tennis Club.

Since its operations, the club has hosted its ongoing Saturday morning programme, which sees participation of about 120 young Tennis players between the age of 5 and 16 years old.

Started with the slogan, “Bring Your Racket and Come”, the club has since been the holder of 150 Head rackets, partly from the club’s funding and from Richard Schaffer of the Mustique Tennis Club.

The club also staged a free stringing course August last and has conducted coaching sessions in Bequia with students with special needs on the island, as well as outreach programmes in North Leeward, Mayreau, Canouan and Union Island.

These go along with the continued training done in collaboration with several primary schools and the School For Children with Special Needs, as Tennis is incorporated in their Physical Education programme.(RT)