Tennis, Everyone?
Midtown is synonymous with tennis. We have the best facilities, the most talented pros, and of course, the greatest players in the city. My four-year-old daughter, who has been taking lessons with the incredible Peggy Schuster for the past eight months, is one of them. Venus and Serena? Watch your backs. The club has also been recognized by the USTA (United States Tennis Association) as a pioneer in the field of 10 and Under Tennis.
But participation in this sport of a lifetime is lagging a bit. And the club is taking some steps to bring tennis back into the limelight. Enter Jon Weaver, the club's new Tennis Integration Director. Jon graduated from Nazareth College with a degree in Business Administration and Accounting. As a student, he was a #1-ranked singles and doubles player and is ranked 9th in all-time wins in singles at Nazareth (and 7th in doubles). He taught tennis for seven years at Turin Tennis and Swim Club. In other words, Jon knows tennis. His new role at Midtown is to get members excited about the game again. Here's what he had to say about increasing participation: When is the last time you picked up a tennis racket? Back in the 80s, tennis in Rochester was hot! The city had a large number of tennis courts and clubs relative to the area’s population. During the summer time, these courts were filled with every possible player demographic: Young and old, recreational and professional. All of them were enjoying the game. Unfortunately, clubs are now closing or losing courts, and parks are not taking proper care of their facilities. There are many reasons why this is happening, but it is time to stop this trend and save one of the most prestigous sports in the world! Midtown has a solution, and that solution is my new role at the club. As Tennis Integration Director, my sole focus is to get people playing tennis again. This has nothing to do with creating revenue for the club, and everything to do with utilizing the foundation of what has made Midtown the best athletic club in Rochester… Tennis! Midtown also offers a trademarked program called Tennis In No Time®. This program teaches new or inexperienced tennis players to play in just 6 lessons! If after 6 lessons you feel like you have not learned to play, Glenn will refund your money and buy you lunch! And the best part: the cost is only $49 for members. So I have a favor to ask. When someone (most likely, me) approaches you about tennis, have an open mind and give it a try! You never know. It might be love at first swing. Thanks, Jon! Still need convincing to give tennis a try? Here are some health and fitness benefits:
- Aerobic Fitness – Playing tennis burns fat and helps you maintain higher energy levels.
- Speed – Sprinting side-to-side, back and up, and chasing the ball during play and practice helps develop strong leg muscles, which produces increased speed.
- Agility – Scoring a typical point in tennis can have a player changing direction as much as 5 times in 10 seconds.
- Adversity Management – players have to adjust their play depending on where the sun is, and how hard the wind is blowing, and at the same time still play with tenacity.
- Problem-Solving - tennis is based on geometry and physics.
- Stress-Management – playing tennis, because of the physical and mental strain, forces players to develop an increased capacity for dealing with stress.
- Increased Happiness - the overall challenge and joy of playing tennis, along with social interaction, make the sport good for a player's well-being.
For a sneak peek at Tennis in No Time®, check out this video clip from the Midtown Bannockburn club in Illinois: I'm not a tennis player. I've never swung a racket. But my daughter loves the game, and so does my husband, so I'm going to scour the schedule (there are tons of time slots available) and learn to play tennis so I can play with them. Lessons start April 30th. Will you be there?