Collaborative effort brings tennis resources to Kansas PE teachers

USTA Missouri Valley hosted the KAHPERD pre-conference on Nov. 5 at Fort Hays State University to educate local PE teachers on the benefits of tennis for youth and the pathway to integrate tennis into their curriculums.

The KAHPERD (Kansas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance) pre-conference in Hays, Kan., included a three-hour tennis experience led by USTA Missouri Valley’s Laura Puryear, with educators experiencing tennis in a fun, low-pressure setting using cooperative and competitive team play. A total of 48 PE teachers were in attendance at the event.

As part of the greater USTA Missouri Valley involvement, representatives from USTA Kansas, USTA Heart of America, USTA Iowa and USTA Nebraska were on hand to lead sessions and share insights into the support, resources and programs available to teachers who bring tennis to their schools.

Lindsay Hall, USTA Missouri Valley senior manager of community play, helped coordinate and lead sessions during the event. She was proud of the collaborative efforts that helped make the event a success.

“We offered an adaptive session, Adapting Tennis to Create Success for All Students, and Rebecca Falkner Axelrod, (USTA Heart of America) executive director, Kara Heim, manager of regional community play for USTA Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska, and I co-led this session,” Hall said. “Through our collaborative delivery, we were able to demonstrate, discuss and compare various adaptations to help teachers create fun, challenging and successful tennis and athletic outcomes for all students.”

Following the sessions, teachers in attendance were gifted a tennis package from USTA Missouri Valley with all the resources shared during the event as well as equipment they could bring back to their schools.

The hope is that, by providing teachers with what they need to bring tennis to schools, more children will be exposed to the sport and its benefits—including those who otherwise might not have that opportunity.

“Physical education teachers who offer tennis in their curriculum expose students to a lifelong sport that offers numerous benefits,” Hall said. “From a physical education perspective, tennis builds physical attributes such as striking, sending and receiving skills, as well as agility, balance and coordination.

"By partnering with SHAPE America, we also ensure that our curriculum meets the National Physical Education Standards.”