Makeshift tennis court a hit at Great Homeschool Convention

Alongside their parents, kids flocked to USTA’s exhibitor booth—complete with a makeshift court and net—to try their hand at tennis. Showcasing the capability to play the sport in nontraditional spaces was one of the USTA team’s key points at the 2024 Great Homeschool Convention.

The annual event, which is geared toward families considering homeschooling their children or already doing so, took place March 21-23 at the St. Charles Convention Center in northwest St. Louis. USTA had strong representation at the convention with Alywn Mushonga, USTA St. Louis and USTA Missouri tennis service representative, leading the efforts.

“Our booth was the most well-attended. We had more than 60 kids come by and play tennis,” Mushonga said. “Everybody was talking about and spending time at tennis, which was a great thing because parents were forced to come over and ask more questions. ‘My kid really loves this. Where else can they play?’”

Mushonga provided these parents a list of venues in St. Louis and Missouri for their children to get out and get on a tennis court. For those who wanted to play the sport at home, Mushonga and the USTA team constructed a miniature pop-up court using tape for the lines, rolling utility carts for the net posts and USTA Net Generation caution tape for the net cord.

“Most of these parents are looking for something for their kids to do and be a part of,” Mushonga said. “We wanted to showcase you can add nine years to your life when you play the sport of tennis. Parents are all looking for different curriculums to get their kids involved. We were showing these kids can play tennis in nontraditional spaces. You can set up a net. You can use caution tape. You can use a rope to set up a tennis court.”

Accompanying Mushonga at the Great Homeschool Convention were USTA National staff members Tony Stingley, community outreach senior manager, and Louis Bolling, community outreach manager. Stingley gave a one-hour presentation showcasing the health benefits of playing tennis for homeschool kids and their families.

“Homeschoolers have co-op groups they get together with to do different activities,” Mushonga said. “USTA National supports that by giving them equipment and a free curriculum that has all the information you need and tennis games—just anything to get interest for the kids. USTA National is trying to help these homeschool organizations play tennis at their homes.”

The Great Homeschool Convention included home education speakers, workshops, a curriculum exhibit hall, special events and networking opportunities for families. It was the second year in a row Mushonga has participated in the convention, a significant one for USTA to attend with homeschooling becoming an increasingly popular form of education.

“We’re just trying to get people to stay healthy and be a part of something,” Mushonga said. “Tennis helps with developing strategy thinking and problem solving. It cultivates social skills and confidence. That’s something we were really talking about. A lot of parents were asking us questions like, ‘Why are you guys here?’ That’s the answer we went with because that’s what we are really all about at USTA.”

Check out a USTA story on Alywn Mushonga’s recent participation at a Missouri parks conference by clicking here.