What’s all the racket about?
With tennis stars like Milos Raonic and Eugenie Bouchard raising Canada’s profile on the professional tennis circuit, interest in racket sports is on the rise. Sports like tennis and squash can be difficult for kids to master, but Calgary has a number of racket-focused summer camps to help young players enjoy the courts.
Tina Istace, the Racquet Centre co-ordinator at the University of Calgary, says that even if a tennis or badminton camp isn’t a child’s first choice, learning how to wield a racket can be beneficial to their mental and physical well-being.
“It really helps with quick thinking,” Istace says. “It also translates into a lot of sports like baseball, golf and anything where you really have to watch the ball. Once you take up racket sports, you can use those skills elsewhere.”
The U of C offers half-day camps that focus specifically on tennis and squash, as well as full-day multi-racket camps where kids learn how to play racquetball, tennis, squash and pickleball.
Pickleball is a game that gained popularity in seniors’ communities in the U.S. and is a great starting point for kids.
“Pickleball is a great sport for kids who are just learning,” Istace says. “The court is the size of a badminton court and we use a tennis net, a table tennis paddle and a whiffle ball. The ball doesn’t travel as far as it would in tennis so kids can get more of a rally going. We usually do that on the first day because the kids can pick it up faster than more difficult sports like tennis and squash.”
That feeling of being able to play comfortably is essential to enjoying racket sports, even if kids are going straight into the more “serious” disciplines.
The Alberta Tennis Centre runs Calgary’s only Nike Tennis Camp, which specializes solely in tennis instruction. Children between the ages of four and seven do two-hour sessions of “progressive tennis,” starting on smaller courts with larger, softer balls, while kids between eight and 14 play with regular equipment and engage in a more skills-based program. The camps are taught by tennis pros who work to build campers’ skills while focusing on the fun of playing the game.
“It’s really key that they get enjoyment through improvement,” says camp director Charlie McLean. “Whatever level they’re at, if it’s too tough they’re not going to want to continue to play. The sport can be very difficult and frustrating if not delivered in the right way. We want to make sure that their first experience with the sport is a rewarding and enjoyable one.”
Whether parents decide to go with an introductory multi-racket approach or something more skills-based, learning a racket sport is a fun way for kids to stay active over the summer and will hopefully get them out on their neighbourhood tennis courts once camp is over.
Visit ucalgary.ca/activeliving/camps for more information about the University of Calgary’s racket camps, and go to sportscampscanada.com to learn more about the Nike Tennis Camp.