The Sunday News
VISITING American tennis coach Jeri Stewart believes there are a lot of young talented tennis players in Bulawayo who can be groomed to be stars with the implementation of proper development plans.
Stewart, who was in the country to conduct coaching clinics in the city, said in four days she realised that with an academy setting, most young players could develop into good players.
She said she was also impressed by local coaches, whom she described as having a huge passion for the sport, which enabled them to effectively train players.
“The few players that I have handled have shown a lot of promise and I think if they are exposed to academy style training where there is focus and intense training they can bring out their full potential. The coaches are also passionate about the sport and I think this has an impact on how they are able to train players. I think the coaches are equally good and are able to make an impact on the young players,” said Stewart.
The tennis coach, who runs the Jeri Stewart Tennis Academy in America, held coaching clinics from 14 to 16 July, which were attended by more than 250 pupils from various schools across Bulawayo.
The training sessions were held in conjunction with the GC Tennis Centre and National Association of Secondary Schools Heads (NASH), who were represented by Emakhandeni High School, which is in charge of tennis in the city.
GC Tennis Centre coach Adam Joelson said the pupils learnt a lot from the clinics while local coaches also gained new tactics.
“The clinics were eye openers for both the pupils and us the coaches because there were several new drills and fun games that were introduced to us, which we will certainly incorporate into our training programmes. It was beneficial having Stewart and her team over and we are looking forward to more such visits,” he said.
Emakhandeni High sports director Tabonga Burombo said they gained a lot from the sessions but lamented the low number of pupils that turned up.
“I think most schools are not taking tennis seriously as they did not come as invited but we really learnt a lot from the visiting coaches as both our pupils and teachers can attest they gained something from the training clinics.
“We only had a huge turnout from schools in the Reigate District and Bulawayo Central but those from Mzilikazi were very few despite the fact we had sent notifications early. However, we are grateful to the coaches who took us through the new coaching routines and would like to extend our appreciation for their efforts,” she said.
The training sessions involved pupils from schools in the Reigate District, who were taken through their paces at Emakhandeni Tennis Courts on 14 July. These included Emakhandeni Secondary, Entumbane Secondary, Northlea High, Luveve High, Cowdray Park and St Columbus.
On 15 July the clinics were conducted at Robert Tredgold School and Mthombowesizwe Primary while the following day the training sessions were held with Mzilikazi District schools that included Njube High, Sizane and Josiah Chinamano Primary at Emakhandeni Tennis Courts.
Joelson said they also went to Montrose High School with pupils from the host school, Milton High, and Luveve High.
He said the visitors also came with equipment which included racquets, tennis balls, string and grips that will be handed out to schools.
“We will be distributing the equipment towards the end of term and hope the beneficiaries will put the equipment to good use and produce quality tennis players,” said Joelson.
Other members of Stewart’s team included John Illges, his wife Lyle and three children, Mary, Anne and John and Rachel Harp.
The team also visited several orphanages in the city including Vulindlela Orphan Care Centre where they donated several goodies.
The orphanage’s administrator Patricia Tshabalala expressed gratitude for the donations saying they will go a long way towards assisting the underprivileged children housed at the centre.
Joelson said some of the goods came with the Americans while others were sourced for the GC Tennis Centre.
“We have a social responsibility programme that has seen us donate to the same institution in the past. Last week we donated clothes, foodstuffs and stationery. Innscor gave us some confectionary which we donated to the institution,” he said.
Tshabalala said a football kit will enable them to engage other football teams in Mpopoma where they are located.
“They gave us Kapenta, mealie meal, buns, stationery and lots of clothing which has already been distributed to the children. We are certainly grateful for the gesture as we rely on the benevolence of members of the community to sustain our care centre,” she said.
