Mini-Tennis @ HLTC
Volume 1, Issue 1
November 2004
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Helensburgh Lawn Tennis Club hosted an evening of fun, games and celebration recently when the Club's Mini Tennis courts were officially opened.
Members also gathered for a buffet supper to celebrate the two Club of the Year awards from Tennis Scotland and Tennis West of Scotland.
The evening began at 5pm with a Mini Tennis Red tournament for 50 children between the ages of 4-7, one of the biggest of its kind to take place in the West of Scotland.
Many stars of the future took part, but eventually Ross Kennedy emerged the overall winner, just getting the better of William Anstey in the final. The children then enjoyed a well-deserved tea party and the delights of a bouncy castle.
The opening ceremony followed on from the tennis, with Mary Robertson officially unveiling the plaque and cutting the ribbon on the Will and Margaret Steuart-Corry Mini Tennis courts. Mary, Will and Margaret's daughter, plus other members of the Steuart-Corry family, were joined by guests from Tennis West of Scotland, Billy Petrie, company sponsors of the courts, personnel from Faslane Naval Base and many club members and friends.
Steve Losh, HLTC's Head Coach, expressed his gratitude to everyone who had supported and helped him over the last 12 months with the Mini Tennis courts project.
With the formalities over, all the guests and members retired to the Clubhouse, which was beautifully bedecked with fresh flowers and bunting, to enjoy a delicious buffet provided by the lady team players. All in all, it was a night to remember and another page to add to the history of the Club.
(Note: This article first appeared in the Helensburgh Advertiser on 23rd September 2004)
Mini
Tennis @ HLTC - Two Years OnMini Tennis - Join The Fun! - and join in October 2002 was exactly what Helensburgh Lawn Tennis Club decided to do, embracing the Lawn Tennis Association's new concept of teaching children tennis.
From a small beginning 2 years ago, the Club's involvement with Mini Tennis has grown and grown and it now runs one of the largest Mini Tennis programmes in the West of Scotland. This huge commitment was instrumental in the decision by both Tennis Scotland and Tennis West of Scotland to award HLTC their Club of the Year Awards for 2003, a tremendous honour and achievement for the Club.
In the Spring of 2003 the Mini Tennis Club was created for the younger children and membership currently stands at 128. The brightly coloured Red and Orange T-shirts issued to all Mini Tennis Club members have certainly brightened up the courts and their surroundings! In the summer of 2004 95 Red children, 61 Orange and 38 Green took part in the coaching programme, and by May 2004 these children had their own Mini Tennis Room within the Clubhouse, providing a safe environment in which they could hang out on the red, Orange and Green bean bags and watch TV. The room also provides additional space for the coaches on wet weather days and is (hopefully !) a mine of information on Mini Tennis for all parents, providing up to the minute details on forthcoming events, class lists and general information on the structure of Mini Tennis.
Not content to rest on its laurels, the next stage in the development of Mini Tennis at the Club was the construction by Doe Sport of two Kids Zones (Mini Tennis Red courts), the first purpose-built courts in Scotland. These were completed in June 2004 and have already proved a huge asset to the coaching team and to children and parents alike. The recent addition of a netting "roof" is a major blessing to our neighborus and to the Mini Tennis ball budget!
As well as the structured coaching classes, during the course of each year the Mini Tennis team provide Fun and Games afternoons and tournaments appropriate to each colour level.
All of the above milestones and events would not have been possible without the dedication, commitment and encouragement of the coaching team - Steve Losh (Head Coach), Robert Dunbar, Andrew Irving, Bobby Kerr, Alan MacBeath, Elspeth Maclean, Jamie McDonald, Alison Pace, Chris Robertson - Coaching Convener Ann Morison, the Executive Committee of HLTC, the Mini Tennis Committee (formed June 2004, currently standing at 8 members with Ann Morison in the Chair) and last but not least the support of so many parents. Thank you!
HLTC has entered 4 teams into the Tennis West of Scotland winter leagues which run from November 2004 through to March 2005.
We are running 2 Red and 2 Orange teams, each team comprising 4 children, either boys, girls or mixed. The matches are usually on a Saturday afternoon at Scotstoun for the Red teams and David Lloyd Renfrew for the Orange teams.
The children's year of birth determines the team for which they are eligible.
Steve Losh, Head Coach, will be in charge of team selection.
Mini Tennis Rackets
Racket sizes alter as children grow loder and bigger and as the children progress through the Red, Orange and green colour stages, different rackets may be required. The Lawn Tennis Association recommends a racquet size of 17"-23" for Red (maximum 23" for safety reasons), 23"-25" for Orange and 25"-26" for Green.
For further information please contact Steve Losh (01436 831698).
Mini Tennis Balls
Red, Orange and Green Mini Tennis balls differ from ordinary tennis balls in that they are softer and lighter and the Red balls are larger. Balls in all 3 colours are available to purchase from Ann Morison (01436 673974) at £1.50 per ball.
Sports Shop Discount
All HLTC members are entitled to a 10% discount off goods purchased at Intersport, Sinclair Street, Helensburgh. This includes all sports equipment - not just tennis accessories. Just mention that you are a member of HLTC.
The
Mini Tennis CurriculumParents should be aware that the Mini Tennis programme is designed around children's ability rather than their age. Some children develop much faster than their friends, whilst others formulate their skills at a later age. Parents must not be concerned about the ages of other children within the group.
If parents wish to enquire about their child/children's progress they are always welcome to have a chat with the appropriate coach at the end of the lesson, or to request sight of the sticker book that accompanies each child through their particular level of Mini Tennis.
On the wall in the Mini Tennis room are the coaching sheets that relate to the 3 levels within each Mini Tennis colour, ie. Red 3,2,1, Orange 3,2,1, Green 3,2,1. These detail exactly what is required to qualify for a particular sticker and can be a useful and interesting aid to parents wishing to help their children progress through the Mini Tennis system.
When players have completed the final Mini tennis Green Level 1 they progress on to the Silver group, which in turns leads on to the Boys/Girls Gold classes and possible team places.
Tennis West of Scotland runs summer league competitions at (for 2005) U12, U14, U16 and U18 level.
'Come and Play' sessions were introduced by the Club this year for cildren between the ages of 5-9 who wanted to meet up with friends during the summer and have a fun time using the new Mini Tennis Red courts.
The sessions ran over five weeks - three days each week - and it was great to see how much fun everyone had together learning new skills and practising their tennis.
Although put together very quickly and not heavily promoted, word rapidly spread and nearly 300 children turned up during the summer.
Members were encouraged to bring along their friends and many non-members came to the Club to take part, some of whom we hope may want to join in the future.
Many thanks to all those parents who volunteered to help with the organisatioin of these fun mornings and for your valuable feedback - we will definitely be repeating this again for 2005.
New
Assistant Head CoachHLTC are delighted to announce that Jamie McDonald, who has been on the coaching staff since September 2003, has accepted the position of Assistant Head Coach at the Club. Jamie takes up his new post with immediate effect.
February-March Coaching April-June Coaching July-August Summer School
'Come and Play' SessionsSeptember-November Coaching November-February Winter League Matches Throughout the Year Fun Days
Mini Tennis Tournaments and Social Events
Light Tokens
Playing or practising at night? Light tokens (£3 per token, duration 1 hour) are available from Ian Parlane (01436 673295) or from TG Allan Ltd, Ironmongers, 27 West Clyde Street.
The token boxes for the lights are situated on the left as you enter by the main front door of the Clubhouse.
The boxes are numbered 1-7 to correspond with the courts - court 1 being parallel to Suffolk Street, court 5 parallel to Glasgow Street, court 7 parallel to the practice wall.
Security
In the interest of security, please would members check that all the external doors and windows are closed before they leave the premises. The Club is becoming increasingly concerned about the number of occasiions on which doors are left open and it is the responsibility of those using the facilities to ensure that entrances are secure. The Clubhouse and courts are open from 9am - 10pm daily; outwith these hours an alarm system is in operation.