2008 Woodie Awards
SIUE tennis camps underway
Josh McCarty
Issue date: 7/2/08 Section: Sports
IUE's tennis season may still be months away, but the courts were as busy as ever June 23 through 27.
SIUE tennis camps were underway and children of varying ages gained exposure to the sport as well as valuable knowledge of the skills necessary to continue their tennis education.
SIUE head tennis coach Kyler Updyke is in his second year running the camps and sees growth in the popularity of the sport.
"We're going to get bigger and bigger," Updyke said. "It was definitely better than last year. We'll get into the grade schools here in a couple of years, and hopefully get 30 to 40 kids."
The camps were divided into three different age groups, ranging from kindergarten to high school. While different skills were taught to different ages, the overall objective was the same.
"We want to try to get them out here and experience it," Updyke said. "There are so many choices here in town with these camps, we want to get them interested in tennis."
Jill Burroughs of Glen Carbon, the mother of three participants in the camp, Jacob and Joshua, 8, and Jonathan, 5, was pleased with the way the camps were run.
"I didn't think there was anything that needed to be improved," Burroughs said. "I didn't know how it would be coming into it because it's a college, and they can sometimes be not so kid friendly. The ratios were great, and the instructors were great, and they worked very well with the kids."
The instructors included Updyke and several members of the SIUE tennis teams. Freshman Paulo Gonzalez, sophomores Stephanie Clark and Amanda Niebur and junior Jordan Faulkenberg were among the players helping out with the camps.
Updyke said this was a good opportunity for the students to experience being the teachers.
"It will help them out a lot," Updyke said. "I'm sure they'll all be in the same position that I am at some point, and some of them are going into education."
While the camps did serve as a teaching tool for tennis, they also provided the children with an opportunity to get out among their peers, be active and have a good time in the process. During laid-back moments, the campers participated in relay races and balanced tennis balls on the end of their rackets.
Burroughs said she hopes she has some future tennis stars on her hands, but for the time being, it's obvious which part of the sport they enjoy the most.
"They love hitting the ball over the fence," Burroughs said.
SIUE tennis camps were underway and children of varying ages gained exposure to the sport as well as valuable knowledge of the skills necessary to continue their tennis education.
SIUE head tennis coach Kyler Updyke is in his second year running the camps and sees growth in the popularity of the sport.
"We're going to get bigger and bigger," Updyke said. "It was definitely better than last year. We'll get into the grade schools here in a couple of years, and hopefully get 30 to 40 kids."
The camps were divided into three different age groups, ranging from kindergarten to high school. While different skills were taught to different ages, the overall objective was the same.
"We want to try to get them out here and experience it," Updyke said. "There are so many choices here in town with these camps, we want to get them interested in tennis."
Jill Burroughs of Glen Carbon, the mother of three participants in the camp, Jacob and Joshua, 8, and Jonathan, 5, was pleased with the way the camps were run.
"I didn't think there was anything that needed to be improved," Burroughs said. "I didn't know how it would be coming into it because it's a college, and they can sometimes be not so kid friendly. The ratios were great, and the instructors were great, and they worked very well with the kids."
The instructors included Updyke and several members of the SIUE tennis teams. Freshman Paulo Gonzalez, sophomores Stephanie Clark and Amanda Niebur and junior Jordan Faulkenberg were among the players helping out with the camps.
Updyke said this was a good opportunity for the students to experience being the teachers.
"It will help them out a lot," Updyke said. "I'm sure they'll all be in the same position that I am at some point, and some of them are going into education."
While the camps did serve as a teaching tool for tennis, they also provided the children with an opportunity to get out among their peers, be active and have a good time in the process. During laid-back moments, the campers participated in relay races and balanced tennis balls on the end of their rackets.
Burroughs said she hopes she has some future tennis stars on her hands, but for the time being, it's obvious which part of the sport they enjoy the most.
"They love hitting the ball over the fence," Burroughs said.
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