Middle States

Playing & Singing, Singing & Playing

If you ask any of Sharon Kavanaugh’s students how they feel about tennis, chances are they may just break into song.

Exclaiming that “playing tennis is so much fun,” to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb.

Not many people create songs to sing for tennis camp, but Kavanaugh is just that kind of coach.

“I enjoy creating new games related to our shore area and building a game from a child's idea,” Kavanaugh said.

The 2022 Middle States Net Generation Award winner was first introduced to tennis as a teen, but due to the lack of opportunities to learn, her time with the sport was short. Eventually she came back to the game as an adult. It was then she gained a renewed sense of tennis, appreciating that whenever she stepped onto the court mistakes were expected and her adjustments praised.

“After stressful work days with endless tasks, responsibilities and deadlines, I loved that at a tennis lesson, my focus was simply getting better at something I didn't know how to do,” Kavanaugh said.

She became an avid student of the game and set herself on a path to coach with the intention of one day teaching children. An opportunity she wished she’d had as a child.

Driven by her mother’s example of determination and Kavanaugh’s need to be close to home, she returned to the area to build the tennis opportunities she lacked growing up. She has since channeled her mom’s "just do it" attitude into becoming a cornerstone of the community as the owner and lead coach of Eyes on the Ball Tennis, serving both Long Beach Island and Stafford Township.

“Sharon is the reason there are community tennis programs in Long Beach Island/Stafford Twp. areas,” said USTA Middle States’ New Jersey District Community Tennis Manager, Lori Schwartz. “She's a treasure for the kids in her area.”

Eyes on the Ball Tennis follows the USTA Net Generation philosophy of using fun and engaging games to learn in a supportive environment. Kavanaugh believes that through this teaching style, it ensures participants create a strong foundation on which they can continue to develop their tennis game, character and athletic skills.

It is this philosophy that is making an incredible impact.

With an influx of summer visitors, Eyes on the Ball Tennis camps have grown to almost 200 attendees. And while some of the kids cry because camp is over, they leave camp with improved tennis skills and singing a brand new tune.

“I wrote a tennis song when I made the goal to teach children,” Kavanaugh said. “I'm not sure what I thought would become of it, but now we sing it at every camp.”

What started as a simple idea has become a lasting tradition, one that keeps kids smiling, singing, and coming back to the court.

The Tennis Song (sung to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb):

Playing tennis is so much fun, so much fun, so much fun.

Playing tennis is so much fun with friends and balls and racquets.

Over the net and in the lines, in the lines, in the lines.

Over the net and in the lines, now we’re playing tennis.

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Playing & Singing, Singing & Playing

The Tennis Song (sung to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb):

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