Tennis, anyone?Tennis, anyone?October 24, 2003
While looking for recreational activities that will benefit the whole family in Oakley, Parks and Recreation manager Nancy Kaiser decided to explore one of Oakley's biggest assets: tennis courts. Interestingly enough, Oakley has several tennis courts throughout town, not just at schools, but at the local parks. As a matter of fact there are 17 total courts in Oakley.
You remember tennis? That sport that most of us were required to play in high school at least one semester? Well it turns out that when the county was putting parks into the general plan all those years they decided that Oakley needed tennis courts, despite the fact that many thought that tennis was a dying community sport.
While some might look to that as a waste of community funds, Kaiser decided to get on the band wagon with groups such as the U.S. Tennis Association to bring back interest in the sport. She decided to apply for a grant that would give the city a way to attract members of the community to use the tennis courts on a regular basis, provide classes for all ages and offer a chance for neighbors to meet neighbors with a common interest.
Three California cities were recipients of one of the 50 grants that the USTA put out to bring people's attention back to tennis, and Oakley was one of them. With the money, the city has put together several classes and rally times for all different age groups.
One such program is the points and pointers for teens which is held Mondays from 5 to 6 p.m. Although the class began Oct. 20 the program is open for participants to join in for just one session or all four. Each session is just $4. This isn't a lesson, per se. According to Kaiser, it is a lot like rally play with an instructor giving tips as they watch the players send the ball back and forth over the net. This class takes place at Freedom High School and walk-ins are welcome. The program ends Nov. 17.
Another ongoing program is for adults and according to Kaiser the class, which started Oct. 5, has been not only fun, but a social occasion as well. The idea behind this program is to pair adults into teams and learn the sport at your own pace. Because the program is on Sundays from 3 to 5 p.m. it gives participants the opportunity to come together in a relaxed environment instead of rushing home from work and running out to play after a long day.
One participant, Mark Ploeg, works in San Francisco and has a hard time participating in activities in his community during the work. According to Kaiser, he was thrilled to find something locally that he can enjoy on the weekends.
Next week a new program will start for kids in fourth to eighth grade. It is call the Afterschool Rally club and will be held at O'Hara Park, offering a back and forth club format. It will take place for four weeks on Tuesday and Thursday from 3:15 to 4:30 p.m. The fee is still to be determined.
The classes are being run by Marihelen Palmer who is a registered instructor through the USTA and who is listed in the United States Professional Tennis Registry. She has a number of years teaching and has taught at the high school level.
Kaiser said that the program also offers a chance for younger tennis enthusiasts to learn to teach tennis. Two Freedom High School tennis pros, Andrew Schwartz and Jordan Storment, are teaching the classes to younger tennis players while at the same time learning a skill that could lead them into a sports teaching career.
Kaiser reminds that tennis is a lifelong sport and is something everyone in the family can enjoy and is a very good way to exercise in a fun environment.
Roni Gehlke's column on life in Oakley appears each week in the Brentwood News.
Distributed by the Contra Costa Times