Gretna Racket Club receives USTA grant to assist with youth program

When Patrick Krebs’s kids started to take an interest in tennis he quickly realized there were lots of tennis options in the Omaha area, but not in Gretna. He is hoping to change that with the newly formed Gretna Racket Club, a youth program guided by local high school coaches.

“Our primary goal with this program is to offer tennis instruction to elementary and middle school students who don’t otherwise have access to school-sponsored tennis teams or programs,” Krebs said. “We want to do so in a fun and positive environment where our athletes can explore the game and develop a long-lasting interest in the sport.”

Krebs was able to make this a reality by applying for a USTA Grow the Game grant, which paid $750 to go toward coaches’ salaries, equipment, T-shirts and other expenses needed to start up a new tennis program.

The first six-week session was held last fall at Gretna East High School for students in first through eighth grade. There were 25 participants and even more on a wait list.

“We’re working to continue to engage with our local high school tennis programs to not only grow interest in their programs, but to also build community among students from different schools and grade levels within our local school district,” Krebs said. “The local coaches and players who work as instructors for our programs and the support of the Gretna Public School District have been integral to us launching our program.”

Krebs said the Gretna Racket Club is currently planning a second session in the spring, with hopes to expand the program to allow all students to participate. For more information, click here.

For additional information and to apply for USTA Nebraska and USTA Missouri Valley grants, click here. For resources connected to school tennis programs, click here.