The overall goal of the Bennington Tennis Center is to provide opportunities for the entire community to play and enjoy many kinds of tennis experiences. Tennis is a lifetime sport, so we take every opportunity to help our youth learn early so they can experience the physical, psychological and social benefits through our sport for many years. Providing opportunities for our youth to learn strategy and participate at a varsity level is a big asset to the individual, school and community.
Thepurpose of the inaugural grant was to provide off-season tennis instruction to high school aged boys and girls, the majority of whom would not have the funds to participate without this grant. Some participants were returning players and some had never played tennis before. These clinics helped students learn tennis skills, improve fitness levels and court etiquette leading them to be more prepared varsity tennis players.
The program was a great success for the boys and girls who participated in this inaugural program. The boys were able to field a bigger team and had a more competitive season. The girls finished Number 1 in their Division, won their first State Championship team match and the co-captains received first team and honorable mention accolades.
The need for the grant was real as paying for court time and instruction twice per week over fall and winter seasons can be too expensive for many, so we are grateful to the BSF grant which made this program possible. Our youth deserve every opportunity to learn how to play sports and prepare them for every level of competition. This grant from the BSF helped the boys and girls get the support they deserve. We are planning to apply for another grant this fall and winter to continue to support the boys’ and girls’ tennis efforts.