The Sunday News
A TEAM of nine United States-based tennis players and coaches jet into the country on Friday to hold coaching clinics for young players at different venues across Bulawayo.
The team is expected to hit the ground running on Monday next week. Local tennis coach Adam Joelson of GC Tennis Centre, who are going to host the US entourage, said they would conduct clinics alongside Jerry Stewart Tennis Academy from Georgia from 14 to 18 July. And according to Joelsen, recipients of the clinic would be mainly young tennis players from the western suburbs.
“We are running the programme in collaboration with National Association of Secondary School Heads and we are expecting to train 240 pupils from across the city. We will start on 14 July at Emakhandeni Tennis Courts with pupils from schools in the Reigate district, the following day we will be at Robert Tredgold Primary and Mthombowesizwe and the next day we will be teaching pupils from schools in Mzilikazi district,’’ said Joelson. “On Thursday, 17 July we will be at Montrose High School accommodating Bulawayo Central schools that include Hamilton, Founders and the host school. On Friday we will be at SOS Herman Gmeiner Village.”
Joelson said this will be the third time that Jerry Stewart will be leading a team to Bulawayo and they will bring equipment that would be donated to schools.
“During their last visit the focus was on A schools with clinics being held at Petra High School. This time around we decided to move focus to pupils in the western suburbs and we asked schools to select six players they would like to see receive extra training.
“Schools are also faced with equipment challenges hence we feel the donation of tennis racquets and balls will make a difference and we will see more tennis players emerging from the western suburbs,” said Joelson, adding that they would be partnered by Innscor Africa and the National Aids Council in running the programme.
