Growing tennis in central Nebraska
Middle school students in central Nebraska are now able to play tennis as an extracurricular activity thanks in part to a USTA grant. Students in Grand Island, Kearney, Hastings and Lexington School Districts are able to participate.
“The goal is to get as many kids out as possible to get introduced to the sport before high school tennis,” said Mark Gueswell, one of the organizers and Hastings coach.. “We teach the rules of the game, simple tennis technique and strategy, and get them to be in a competitive environment that is also fun.”
Gueswell said matches are held after the boys’ tennis season ends in the fall and goes through the winter. The idea came about after some high school coaches talked about how to get more kids interested in tennis at a younger age.
“It gained a ton of momentum in the last year, and we recognized the lack of opportunity there was for middle schoolers to play tennis and we decided to do something about it,” he said.
The USTA pays for court time at local indoor facilities and Gueswell said Hastings got a grant for $500 to pay for racquets for those kids who don’t have any. As for the future? To continue developing competitions for all skill levels.
“I know that I would like to see Hastings develop an indoor tennis facility following in the footsteps of Kearney and Lexington,” Gueswell added. “We would like to see more teams and coaches join so we can have team duals with the amount of courts we have.”
Gueswell would also like to someday get tennis introduced in the elementary schools as well.
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