The heat will be on the tennis players
Temperatures will remain high in Winnipeg this week, so dealing with the heat will be key on the courts
“For example, it may be a small thing, but between points, you have 25 seconds, so I’ve asked them to find a bit of shade if they can…
If you do that 10, 15, 20 times a match, it can help. You get in that long battle in the third set, maybe that bit of shade you had earlier helps you physically in finding that something extra.” Mike Meaney, Newfoundland and Labrador tennis coach
Mike Meaney is interested in how his athletes perform in the heat of competition in Winnipeg.
The forecast for southern Manitoba for the second half of the 2017 Canada Summer Games isn’t calling for temperatures as hot as they were at times during the first week of the Games, when the mercury reached lines in the mid 30s and above.
On Sunday, for example, as Meaney’s Newfoundland and Labrador tennis team took to the courts for a practice session at the Winnipeg Lawn Tennis Club, temperatures were approaching 27, although it felt considerably warmer under a bright midday sun.
And don’t be fooled by the venue’s name.
These aren’t grass courts, but hard surfaces which reflect sunshine like those grey-coated containers reflect heat in a microwave.
“You can bet the temperature on the court is five to 10 degrees higher than what it is on the outside,” said Meaney.
“That’s a very key thing, and the team has been talking a lot about this.
“I coached in Saskatchewan for five years and I know (the affect of the sun and heat) very well. We didn’t ever run programs beginning noon and 3 p.m. It’s just too hot, but we won’t have that luxury here, so they’ll have to play under it.”
That means learning some tricks that have nothing to do with serves, returns or volleys.
“For example, it may be a small thing, but between points, you have 25 seconds, so I’ve asked them to find a bit of shade if they can,” said Meaney.
“If you do that 10, 15, 20 times a match, it can help. You get in that long battle in the third set, maybe that bit of shade you had earlier helps you physically in finding that something extra.”
Temperatures are expected to be around the same today as Newfoundland and Labrador’s eight-member tennis contingent sees its first action, as it plays in the mixed team event. Individual and doubles play starts Tuesday.
Olivia Casey, Emma Murray, Jasmine Rahman, Ashley Stringer, Rogan Betts, Colin Connors, Andrew Hippern and Kai Stephenson are all from St. John’s.
Being seeded in the bottom half of the team competition means Newfoundland will need to beat New Brunswick this morning in order to advance to a quarter-final versus Alberta this afternoon.
Otherwise, the team will find itself in the 9-12 placement round.
Today’s matches will give Meaney an opportunity to see how his team deals with another type of heat, the figurative kind that comes with a high-profile competition like the Games.
“This is a young team. We’ll have 13-year-olds playing 16- and 17-year olds,” said Meaney.
“But the nice thing is that five of them will be eligible to come back next time (for the 2021 Canada Games), and they’ll be better players, not just because they’re older, but for this experience here this week, which they really need.
“They need to make mistakes and learn from it, then four years from now — and I don’t mutter this a lot — they’ll be ready for medals.”