Amigos International Festival, Noblesville mini camps among autumn tennis opportunities

USTA Central Indiana: How have you seen tennis grow in our community?

Allison Davis: Amigos, the Richmond Latino Center started a tennis program about 10 years ago for kids. They have grown this program over the years and there are now eight kids from the Amigos program playing on the Richmond High School tennis teams. At the Amigos International Festival, several of the tennis participants at my mini court were trying out tennis for the first time and told me they’d seen the sign-ups for the tennis program at the community center and now wanted to participate.

USTA Central Indiana: What was the most inspirational moment from the Amigos International Festival?

Allison: The most inspirational moment at the Amigos International Festival was seeing how excited the kids were to play on the mini tennis court I set up, and how they went and got their families involved. The kids came over first and started playing and after a little while, several of their parents joined in, and then cousins, family friends and even a police officer attendee started playing. It was neat to see families laughing and playing together, with tennis at the center.

USTA Central Indiana: Tell us a little bit about the Noblesville Parks and Recreation mini camps.

Allison: The purpose of the Noblesville Parks and Rec. mini camps were to introduce tennis to kids and the staff during their Fall Break Camp with the intention of building interest; so that we can then create a Midwest Youth Team Tennis (MYTT) clinic for them this summer in addition to their offered programming. I did the Fall Break mini camp and will do it again for their Spring Break camps, in which I'll pass out the information for the MYTT summer clinic as a next-step option for kids who want to continue learning the sport. 

USTA Central Indiana: What was your favorite moment from these camps?

Allison: In the second week of camp, the day I was scheduled to come was a rainy day so we couldn't play tennis on the tennis courts, but I told them I'd still come and play some tennis-type games with the kids indoors. They were excited for the change of pace and to get up and be active. We played some games with partners and I interspersed tennis trivia in between the games. We ended with a "championship round" with the partners who could toss and catch the red foam ball back and forth the most times in one minute. The kids created team names and those not in the championship round chose their favorite team and we did a cheering competition. I had the kids give tips as to how to catch the ball better and improve their hand-eye coordination skills. Overall, it was a fun and purposeful time of tennis! The kids (and camp counselors) expressed how fun it was and how they wanted to continue learning how to play. I was happy to provide some exercise for the campers on a rainy day and inspired by how excited the kids were to play tennis again.

USTA Central Indiana: Through all of this, how does tennis help players in their health and wellness journeys? 

Allison: Tennis provides exercise within a fun, social environment! 

Want to bring a tennis event or mini camp to the next generation in your neighborhood? Contact allison.davis@midwest.com to learn more.