It’s game, set, match for the first ever Askew’s Aces JumpStart Tennis Program.
This past October, over 200 students from elementary schools in and around Salmon Arm tried out tennis for the first time. The Grade 3, 4 and 5 students got four one-hour tennis lessons, as well as complimentary racquets, balls and T-shirts. The students also received free transportation to and from the Askew Tennis Centre where lessons were held.
The program was made possible by funding from the Columbia Shuswap Healthy Schools Program, Askew’s and Canadian Tire’s charity, JumpStart.
“On the final day of the first wave of students, David Askew, Mario and Travis Shuchardt, the owner and general manager of the local Canadian Tire store, and Reese Gallant, their JumpStart coordinator, experienced the joy alongside principal David Worthingham’s Salmon Arm West Grade 3 and 4 students,” said Mary Manley of the Salmon Arm Tennis Club.
Over their four lessons, Manley said students progressed from learning foundational skills to actually rallying on kid-sized nets. She said kid-sized nets, racquets, and low-compression balls have made tennis more accessible than ever to kids.
To register for upcoming tennis programs or to find out more about the Salmon Arm Tennis Club, email satcreception@gmail.com.
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