Tennis training seeks to widen sport’s appeal
From its origins as a lawn sport for European royalty, tennis has had to live with a reputation as a game for the classes, not the masses. And despite the breaking of social barriers in the U.S.A. and elsewhere, in Belize the sport could hardly be considered rootsy. Things may be changing, however, as an initiative by the Anglican Diocese, St. Mary’s Church, and the Belize Tennis Association is looking well beyond the Pickwick Club. Janelle Chanona reports.
Janelle Chanona, Reporting
When these boys and girls walked onto St Mary’s Court this afternoon, many of them had never played tennis before.
But International Tennis Federation coach Anthony Jeremiah made them a promise:
Anthony Jeremiah, ITF Coach
“Within the next hour, we should be able to have some kind of players playing tennis right here. Those who have never actually played it, they will be playing right here in one hour.”
“We are trying to spread tennis across the board. In the past tennis was widely known as a rich person’s sport and we have decided that we are going to show that it is not only people with money that can play tennis, but anybody can play tennis. I am here now to actually try and promote the junior programme that has been started by the association and see how best we can structure the programme so that we can get some quality players out of Belize.”
At the invitation of the Belize Tennis Association, Jeremiah has been in Belize since Monday to bolster local efforts to develop the sport.
Jose Pott, Coaching Committee Vice Chair, BTA
“Where tennis is I wouldn’t want to say. But where we would like it be, we would like to see, within the next two to three years, young Belizean boys and girls competing in the region—our immediate region—in like the under-fourteen development tournaments.”
Janelle Chanona
“What will it take for us to get there?”
Jose Pott
“It will take some of this—what Mr. Jeremiah is helping us with today—and it will take the support of parents, the B.T.A., schools, all of us coming together to support the sport of tennis.”
And these budding athletes say they are up for the challenge.
Sandra Reyes, St. Mary’s Student
“You use a partner to play and you have some tips to go through. The best part of tennis is when you go against some other schools.”
Janelle Chanona
“You like that? You’ll try to beat them?”
Sandra Reyes
“Yes ma’am.”
Kevin Lopez, St. Mary’s Student
“When you play against the schools and you win you feel happy and…”
Janelle Chanona
“So you wah practice everyday?”
Kevin Lopez
“Yes ma’am.”
Stephen White, Teacher, St. Mary’s
“What we notice that more and more that we put sports in our school programme, we notice that the children’s behaviour change. So I think more schools should put it in and also the sports motivate them that they want to come to school. So I think it should be in everybody’s life because the sports really help a lot.”
Tomorrow, Jeremiah will be holding a coaches programme in Belize City. Reporting for News Five, I am Janelle Chanona.
Jeremiah leaves Belize on Saturday. The next big tennis event, the Brodie’s RFG Male and Female Doubles Tournament, is set for May.
