Windham High School
Tennis Coach Wayne Martin spends part of his
summers teaching Windham children how to
play tennis. I asked him five questions
about the Tiny Tykes Camp which is for kids
entering Kindergarten through fourth grade.
Q:
How long have
you been doing the camps ?
A:
Tiny Tykes was started 6 years ago. Our
first camp had 10 kids. We've grown every
year with 2007 being a record year with 37
campers.
The first year I did
everything myself. After that I went from 1
coach to 5 coaches.
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Campers playing "Big Cheese" |
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Q:
Favorite thing
about tiny tykes camp?
A:
The best thing about camp is witnessing the
excitement that kids in Windham have been
getting from tennis. This was accomplished
only with a great staff. I hire windham
high school tennis players who share a love
of the game and wish to give back. The kids
really take to the coaches and that's
something that they will remember for a long
time.
Q: What do you
hope the campers get out of the camp?
A:
Campers get a
chance to fall in love with a sport that can
be played from age 1 to 101. They also
leave the camp with "tools" that will help
them improve and take their game to the next
level. With our Tiny Tykes group it's not
just about hitting tennis balls. It's about
having fun. If a kid has a great experience
on the tennis court that's something that
will carry over many times. It's also an
opportunity to get outside. In today's
society it's too convenient for kids to sit
on the couch and play video games or use the
internet. Tennis is a great alternative
because anyone can play it.
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Campers playing "Big Cheese" |
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Q:
What do you hope the staff gets out of camp?
A:
For most of my staff this is a great
opportunity to be a teacher of the game. If
you can learn how to teach the game that
makes playing it a lot easier. Case in
point is Derek Stevenson. He was a camper
for many years but as he could tell you he
learned the game quicker by being a student
and a teacher of the sport of tennis.
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Current and former Windham High
School Tennis Players make up
the staff for the Tiny Tykes
Tennis Camp. |
Two Staff members play a game to
demonstrate the structure of a
real game. |
Q:
Favorite Memories?
A:
Some of the best memories aren't even tennis
related. Our themes for the week really
makes things interesting. Wacky Wednesday
is always a huge hit as the kids can pretty
much dress as whacky as they want. They're
actually encouraged to do it. We have a
fashion show for them at the end of the day
and give out prizes for the whackiest
looking outfits. It's amazing what they
come up with. Hat Day is fun too as kids
can simply wear a hat or create their own
designer hat.
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Coach Wayne Martin presents the
Wacky Wednesday competition
winners from left to right: 1st
PLACE Ethan Spaulding, 3rd
PLACE: Jordan Burns, 2nd
PLACE: Dana Nichols |
Wacky Wednesday started indoors
before morning showers cleared
off. |
Coach Martin, Staff and Campers
gather for one last cheer before
breaking camp. |
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