Public elementary school children are getting the opportunity to learn the sport of tennis through an initiative started by V.I. first lady Cecile deJongh.
Physical education teachers from local schools were at Alfredo Andrews Elementary School on Monday, where deJong handed out equipment to use in the U.S. Tennis Association QuickStart program.
The QuickStart method is geared toward youngsters with specialized equipment such as rackets with a shorter length and smaller grip. They use modified scoring, shorter court dimensions and smaller nets.
"Tennis is an individual, lifetime sport that keeps one healthy and fit," deJongh said. "It teaches one self-control and being gracious in losing and winning."
DeJongh said she has been playing tennis since she was 6, and is very passionate about the sport. Her motivation to begin the QuickStart program began with her work with Special Olympics after hearing about children not able to play team sports.
"We have other team sports ingrained in the schools, and we wanted to do the same with tennis," deJongh said.
Robert Nuscher, director of the V.I. Junior Tennis Association and head pro at the St. Croix Tennis Club, is working with the physical education teachers. A workshop was held in November 2008 to instruct the teachers on the program. QuickStart is the third segment of the local tennis program for children, Nuscher said. There is an after-school and summer program offered by the Department of Housing, Parks, and Recreation.
"This is a unique opportunity to make tennis a part of a P.E. program and make it as easy as possible for the program to grow," Nuscher says."This is the grassroots. We will pull kids from this and do tournaments. Once kids get the bug, we will get scholarships going."
The physical education teachers are enthusiastic about incorporating the program into the curriculum.
"This is exciting that we will have the equipment geared to small kids so we can accommodate them and introduce them to tennis," said Diane Edwards, physical education teacher at Lew Muckle Elementary School.
Ten schools got 30 rackets, 12 cones, foam and low-compression balls, a ball hopper, nets, practice donuts and tape to mark off courts.
"It is an asset learning a new sport," said Joseph Lloyd, physical education teacher at Alexander Henderson Elementary School. "The kids can move on it and maybe play professionally. We never know — there may be a lot of talented kids here."
The program was made possible through Government House, the V.I. Tennis Association, the St. Thomas Racquet Club, the St. Thomas Yacht Club, the Women’s Alliance of St. Croix and the local business community.
