Regular Season Nov 21, 2009
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"Would it be beneficial to have more participation in the high school tennis teams? If so, what can school coaches do to recruit more players to play for their high school teams?"
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Richard Cotton
Eastern High School Boys' and Girls' Tennis |
 | Yes, I have coached high school tennis for 36 years and would love to see more participation. First, public schools need tennis courts. Most public high school teams have to rely on the parks system. The number of courts is limited and their availability to us is also limited. Second, public and private high school teams need to be separated into different divisions. The private schools play on a level that is far above the level of play of most public school teams, therefore there are few positive rewards for public high school teams. |
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Anita Dillman
Louisville Male Girls' Tennis |
 | Tennis is a great sport for students of all abilities. We offered an open house this year for incoming freshmen with all of the sports and activities they could participate. The girls instituted a "No Cut" policy this year and as a result, we have 27 girls on the team. Of course the girls are of differing abilities and it takes a lot of time to manage that many girls. There are some middle school teams, and middle school is a great time for the kids to get involved. It would make them ready for a competitive high school season. As I see it, the difficulty is that many of the public schools do not have access to courts on their campus. I had several girls drop out because they did not have transportation. We are at a distinct disadvantage when playing some of the private schools. USTA has been helpful in getting new kids into the sport, but sometimes communicating with the public is not easy. To be successful, kids need to get some kind of instruction at accessible neighborhood courts. |
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Andrew Hoffer
South Oldham Girls' Tennis |
 | I am not as concerned with participation in high school tennis. I am concerned with the time spent playing tennis in the off season. I have 20 girls on my team and I don't think more than three of them ever pick up a racquet between seasons. It is very hard to improve from the beginning of practice to the beginning of matches due to students' schedules and a lack of practice space. If students would play all year, we could improve as a team from year to year. |
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