The swishing sound of a racket cutting through the air is quickly replaced with the thwack of a beanbag as it solidly hits the strings and bounces back across the net. Ponte Vedra is no stranger to tennis as it is home to professional tennis tournaments and a multitude of tennis centers. Now, with the help of the Winston Family YMCA, tennis in Ponte Vedra is getting a little makeover with the introduction of the QuickStart tennis program.
"QuickStart is the new format for kids 10 and under and is currently being used at more then 1,200 facilities across the US," said Amanda Becker, USTA Florida tennis program coordinator. "This format of play is so exciting because it allows kids to experience success in the sport quickly and allows children to compete with each other after just a few practices."
Becker said that QuickStart is the tennis version of T-ball or pee wee football.
"In those sports kids don’t have hours and hours of lessons before they get to play in a game, now tennis has the same thing," she said. "Kids can go to a few practices and then be able to play against other kids and most importantly have fun. They are also put in a team setting which allows for them to build friendships, learn sportsmanship and learn what being on a team is all about."
Jeff Willoughby, the Winston Family YMCA sports director, said he caught a demonstration of QuickStart tennis at the MPS Championship last spring.
"We saw the program and thought it would be great," Willoughby said. "I got certified through the USTA to teach it [QuickStart]. It’s a perfect fit for us."
The USTA states that QuickStart tennis is about fitting tennis to kids based on their age and physical size. In this way, the court dimensions, equipment, net height and scoring system are modified so kids can develop better skills at a young age. The court is shorter and narrower and the net is lower.
Willoughby said that the Winston Family YMCA applied for a grant to cover the cost of the QuickStart equipment and have started a developmental program with the future goal of starting a junior tennis league. Through its Pryme Time after school program at Ocean Palms Elementary, the YMCA is offering QuickStart.
"Tennis is big in Ponte Vedra," said Willoughby. "There is a high price for the one on one instruction. This is giving kid sin our community the opportunity to experience a new sport that they might not have experienced because of price."
The YMCA is currently running a teaser program, offering QuickStart to members over the course of four weeks to gauge interest. Willoughby said in the spring they will offer it again and open the classes up to more people.
"I think it’s definitely something people are interested in," he said. "Especially the average young person interested in getting into tennis. We want to let everyone get involved in tennis, especially at a young age."
For more information visit www.partners.quickstarttennis.com
