Nearly 90 kids discover tennis at Bellevue summer camp

The Bellevue, Neb., community is growing the game of tennis, one kid at a time.

A mini camp was held in July for elementary-aged children to learn about and try tennis. Matt Lauritsen, Bellevue West High School coach, and Ben Dalton, Bellevue East High School coach, led the camp.

“I’m hoping to provide more and more opportunities in Bellevue for kids to learn tennis, and I think the camp was one small way to do that,” Lauritsen said. “Obviously only a small percentage of kids will pursue more tennis, but I think it starts with a good experience.”

About 90 kids attended the camp, where an elementary school’s outdoor space was transformed into eight mini courts with makeshift nets. Lauritsen and Dalton, along with high school players, taught basic strokes and had the kids compete against each other utilizing red balls.

“I think the number of teaching moments, encouragement and smiles increases exponentially when there’s a group of teenagers willing to feed balls, organize kids and give a helping hand,” Lauritsen said. “It was great for the high school kids to grow in their leadership and service, too.”

The camp used money from a USTA grant to purchase junior tennis racquets, red balls and more. Lauritsen said the camp was a great way to get kids interested in tennis who may not be otherwise exposed to the sport.

“It’s natural to start to like something as you gain confidence in it and have some success,” he said. “Everybody experienced some level of improvement. And hopefully a lot of them will consider tennis a sport that they can say yes to when they see more opportunities.”