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University of Massachusets Athletics
Behind The Masses • UMass Tennis Blog • Entry #11
October 31, 2019 | Tennis
Jodie Annie Lawrence-Taylor details the team's recent tennis clinic
THURS., OCT. 31 • ENTRY NO. 11
This past weekend, we hosted the first UMass Tennis Clinic on the Mullins Centre Tennis Courts. It was a great opportunity for us to reach out to the local community and continue getting to know everybody that so passionately supports our programme. Having been forced to postpone the event because Janja Kovacevic was selected for the ITA All-American Championships, we were unsure how many people would attend and how successful the day would be, but thankfully, we were pleasantly surprised.
It did not look good in the beginning. The fog was thick as we all made our way to the courts and we immediately knew that the elements would not be on our side today; Jasmin Tripathy put our situation into words best when she said, "Will the courts be wet? I don't know. You can't see them!". As the fog began to lift, we were greeted by the sight of our courts covered in puddles. Now, with only half-an-hour until the clinic was scheduled to begin, many teams would have either delayed or postponed the event once again, but not us! We like to think of ourselves as a persistent team and so a little bit of water was not going to stop us. To the shed we marched, each grabbing a squeegee or a broom to try and speed up the drying process, before heading back out and attacking the puddles with vigour. As people began to arrive, they volunteered to join the drying effort too, showing us once again just how caring and dedicated our supporters are.
It took a little longer than we had hoped but eventually the water cleared and we were able to begin the tennis. We started off with some basket feeding so we could see everyone's experience and reduce the risk of injury as one side of the court continued to dry. A great range of experience was on show as ex-college players mixed with people who had never picked up a racket before, really helping to create an engaging and welcoming atmosphere; everybody was supporting one another, shouting words of encouragement and advice if needed. It was incredible to be a part of and many of us were left in awe of the ability displayed. More experienced players quickly settled into their groove, despite not playing as frequently as they used to, and definitely put our tennis to the test. Newer player amazed us with their work ethic and fast learning as they went from hitting their first tennis ball, to rallying, to playing points all in one session! Part of me is glad that they didn't play tennis before the clinic as if they had, I'm not sure my place on this team would be safe…
After the basket feeding, serves were the next thing on our list to tackle. Coach JC placed cones throughout the boxes with prizes hidden underneath which you could win by knocking them down. Serving was interesting. I won't lie, we had a great laugh trying to teach people to serve and quickly discovering that tennis coaching is probably not in our future; just because you're not a bad player doesn't mean you have any idea how to coach guys! I think a special mention is required for our three newbies, Emily, Rachel and Temma, for putting up with our awful advice. They somehow worked it out themselves and became accomplished servers by the end, particularly Temma who could hit it pretty hard thanks to all of her rugby training. Honestly, I wouldn't want to be on the other side of the net to her…
Last on the agenda was rallying and point play which allowed everyone to utilise the skills we had worked on throughout the morning. It was amazing to see all levels of players hitting together, competing and genuinely enjoying the experience. The points were probably not the most intense that have ever taken place on our home courts, but they were certainly some of the most memorable.
Despite the challenges of rescheduling and rain delays, it was amazing to be able to host our first clinic and have so many people eager to take part. Getting to know everyone who has been involved in and following our team for such a long time was honestly an honour for us as they are such a crucial part of this programme. Thank you to everyone that came out to play with us and please keep your eyes out for our next session. We can't wait to see even more of you there!
It did not look good in the beginning. The fog was thick as we all made our way to the courts and we immediately knew that the elements would not be on our side today; Jasmin Tripathy put our situation into words best when she said, "Will the courts be wet? I don't know. You can't see them!". As the fog began to lift, we were greeted by the sight of our courts covered in puddles. Now, with only half-an-hour until the clinic was scheduled to begin, many teams would have either delayed or postponed the event once again, but not us! We like to think of ourselves as a persistent team and so a little bit of water was not going to stop us. To the shed we marched, each grabbing a squeegee or a broom to try and speed up the drying process, before heading back out and attacking the puddles with vigour. As people began to arrive, they volunteered to join the drying effort too, showing us once again just how caring and dedicated our supporters are.
It took a little longer than we had hoped but eventually the water cleared and we were able to begin the tennis. We started off with some basket feeding so we could see everyone's experience and reduce the risk of injury as one side of the court continued to dry. A great range of experience was on show as ex-college players mixed with people who had never picked up a racket before, really helping to create an engaging and welcoming atmosphere; everybody was supporting one another, shouting words of encouragement and advice if needed. It was incredible to be a part of and many of us were left in awe of the ability displayed. More experienced players quickly settled into their groove, despite not playing as frequently as they used to, and definitely put our tennis to the test. Newer player amazed us with their work ethic and fast learning as they went from hitting their first tennis ball, to rallying, to playing points all in one session! Part of me is glad that they didn't play tennis before the clinic as if they had, I'm not sure my place on this team would be safe…
After the basket feeding, serves were the next thing on our list to tackle. Coach JC placed cones throughout the boxes with prizes hidden underneath which you could win by knocking them down. Serving was interesting. I won't lie, we had a great laugh trying to teach people to serve and quickly discovering that tennis coaching is probably not in our future; just because you're not a bad player doesn't mean you have any idea how to coach guys! I think a special mention is required for our three newbies, Emily, Rachel and Temma, for putting up with our awful advice. They somehow worked it out themselves and became accomplished servers by the end, particularly Temma who could hit it pretty hard thanks to all of her rugby training. Honestly, I wouldn't want to be on the other side of the net to her…
Last on the agenda was rallying and point play which allowed everyone to utilise the skills we had worked on throughout the morning. It was amazing to see all levels of players hitting together, competing and genuinely enjoying the experience. The points were probably not the most intense that have ever taken place on our home courts, but they were certainly some of the most memorable.
Despite the challenges of rescheduling and rain delays, it was amazing to be able to host our first clinic and have so many people eager to take part. Getting to know everyone who has been involved in and following our team for such a long time was honestly an honour for us as they are such a crucial part of this programme. Thank you to everyone that came out to play with us and please keep your eyes out for our next session. We can't wait to see even more of you there!
- Jodie Annie Lawrence-Taylor, sophomore, UMass tennis
Players Mentioned
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