Pilot Begins for Winning Innovation Challenge Idea

“Funny enough, the first game we ever built for Unruly Splats on one of our earliest prototypes was a tennis game. It took coordination between two players to volley light back and forth from Splat to Splat. So when the USTA approached us about using Unruly Splats in its afterschool programs, we knew it would be a great fit. It's come full circle to be partnering with USTA,” said Bryanne Leeming, CEO and Founder of Unruly Studios. 

USTA New England’s Director of Recreational Programs & Facilities, Sarah Wishart, organized a trial run beginning in January 2022 with two New England NJTLs, TeamFAME and Sportsmen’s Tennis & Enrichment Center, to pilot the Splats with their students. 

TeamFAME, which is based at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, recently completed their pilot with fifth and sixth graders. Following tennis on Fridays, TeamFAME students spent an hour familiarizing themselves with the Splats. 

“They definitely learned a lot. As they changed the code, they could see their impact right away. They also benefited from having that physical movement piece and sound that correspond,” said Jennie Schwab, TeamFAME Lead Enrichment Teacher. “Any type of opportunity like this for kids to code or just to experience something like this, even if it only touches a handful of kids, can be extremely beneficial..”

The Splats are now in the hands of Sportsmen’s students, who will continue the pilot through April. USTA New England will also be partnering with the New Hampshire Homeschool Tennis Program later in 2022.

“We’re excited to have gotten this project rolling and to give this unique opportunity to a couple of our NJTLs,” Wishart said. “It will also be great to have the homeschool program in New Hampshire test it out so we can introduce a STEAM component into their program and hopefully others.”