Thanks to what’s happening this summer at the Wellington Tennis Center and at Greenview Shores Park, junior tennis is alive and well in the western communities.
“We are having record numbers in our summer camp and have added a high-performance element for the summer, and we will be doing so for the fall, as well,” said Chuck Gill, director of the Wellington Tennis Center.
According to Gill, this summer’s junior tennis program, which caters to children ages 5 to 17, is developing into a “pipeline” for area high schools in the western communities. This summer, there are roughly 70 youngsters enrolled in the junior tennis program, which is held four days a week.
Gill explained that the Greenview Shores Park location, which is behind Wellington High School, is being used for the competitive tennis players, many of whom are active United States Tennis Association (USTA) junior tournament players. Luke Stephens has been directing the program at those eight courts, which enables more youngsters to get more singles and doubles matches each day.
According to Gill, the Wellington Tennis Center is where the basics of tennis are taught and reinforced. “The junior program at the Wellington Tennis Center can focus more on fundamentals and game-based instruction,” Gill said. “While we have fun for sure, we added a ‘Tennis Plus’ option at the tennis center to allow the more competitive kids there to practice footwork, conditioning, as well as incorporate more match play.”
Gill has gone to great lengths to hire the right kind of coaches for this summer’s instructional session.
“Another improvement we have made is in our coaching team and philosophy,” Gill explained. “All of our coaches have spent hours with us training on progressions and how to teach fundamentals at all levels. Also, all our coaches have completed the USTA Community Coach workshop and are Safe Play-certified and background checked.”
In addition to Gill and Stephens, three of the other teaching pros on the staff have strong, tennis-centric résumés.
This summer, the junior tennis program has been led and directed by Jeff Bearup, who has relocated to South Florida after an established career directing junior programs in New England, where he was a member of the USTA New England Hall of Fame.
“Jeff has coached dozens of nationally ranked juniors and college players, so he knows the pathway to becoming an accomplished player,” Gill said.
Other teaching pros on the staff include Craig Wittus and Kendall Lyon. Wittus is a former coach with the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and a former top-20 doubles player on the ATP tour. Lyon is also a former ATP player and the director of tennis at several area facilities in South Florida.
According to Gill, the overall objective of Wellington’s junior tennis program is to emphasize the importance of the fundamental building blocks of tennis.
“We are doing a total tennis training program,” Gill said. “At all levels and ages, we work on stroke production, strategy, mental toughness and being able to play the game of tennis, not simply stand in line and hit balls. We also emphasize teamwork and sportsmanship, and we will be incorporating SwingVision video technology into their actual match play.”
Visit www.wellingtonfl.gov/tennis to learn more.
