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Thursday, December 18 Filling the Void in Cumberland
A quick scan around the gym at Central Falls High School in Central Falls, R.I., reveals a telling story. Along the walls are dozens of banners, identifying athletic teams from years gone by that outperformed and outworked their opponents. The banners hang proudly, and the story is clear: Excellence on the pitch with the soccer ball. Supremacy on the diamond with the softball. Victory on the gridiron with the football. Greatness on the hardwood with the basketball. The real story begins, however, with what doesn’t hang from the walls. For all the glory achieved in football, basketball, and soccer, there is a recognizable void on the tennis court. While it’s true that some schools simply don’t have a tennis program, it is rare that the town in which the school is located has no tennis courts entirely. This is the stark reality facing Central Falls. It’s not a matter of the courts being too poor to play on. It’s a matter of not having any courts at all. Central Falls, with a population of approximately 20,000, is contained in one square mile, and it is the third most densely populated city in North America. It is a compact city with little room to spare. The city did possess two tennis courts at separate sites, Sacred Heart and Higginson Avenue. But those two courts disappeared in the mid-1980s. In fact, the Sacred Heart site is now a basketball court and parking lot. Without courts, and seemingly without hope, the idea of tennis ever making its way back into the Central Falls community was a long shot. But change has to start somewhere, and with someone. In the case of Central Falls, help came from two sources: the Blackstone Valley Tennis Association and USTA New England. The Blackstone Valley Tennis Association has a track record for re-instituting tennis programs in towns across the region. In Pawtucket, R.I., the BVTA, led by Joanne Macksoud, saw a need for tennis, and took action. Initiating grassroots programs was a critical aspect of the overall plan for Pawtucket. “We started working with the Boys and Girls Club in Pawtucket,” Macksoud says. “We then took it a step further and began to implement tennis programs at the park and recreation department. We even started working with day-care centers to ensure kids were getting exposed to tennis at an early age.” Macksoud, whose husband Ed was born in Central Falls, wanted to use Pawtucket as a blueprint to help bring tennis to Central Falls. Getting kids to participate in tennis at an early age is a good way to ensure they can enjoy the sport for the rest of their lives. Furthermore, making sure their first tennis experience is a positive one increases the likelihood they will stick with the game. However, without courts, without racquets, without balls, and with the average size gym class at Central Falls High School of 160 kids, introducing tennis would not be an easy task. Enter USTA New England and the Schools Program. The purpose of the USTA Schools Program is to assist physical education teachers in introducing tennis to students. This hands-on program allows schools in need the opportunity to a have a free, professionally conducted teacher in-service training. USTA New England then provides racquets and balls to the school, as well as the opportunity to purchase portable netting at a low cost. Curriculum guides and access to after-school intramural grants are also available. In the case of Central Falls High School, it was the BVTA’s Macksoud who reached out to Athletic Director Kathy Luther. Luther, a former tennis player, was impressed by the plan laid out by Macksoud. “It’s not that we didn’t want to offer our kids the opportunity to play tennis, we just didn’t have the ability to,” says Luther. “It’s good to offer the kids as many options as possible. Tennis is a sport the kids can play the rest of their lives. With foam balls, and portable nets, this now seemed like a possibility.” The foam balls and portable nets Luther mentions are part of the USTA Schools Program. Foam balls and shorter courts that can be set up indoors, and the right instruction, are ways to make sure the kids’ first experiences are positive. This past fall, Doug Chapman, USTA New England Community Coordinator for Rhode Island and Southern Massachusetts, gave a series of workshops to Central Falls physical education teachers, as well as Kathy Luther and Central Falls High School physical education director Nick Pagliaro. The workshops were on how tennis can be instituted into the physical education curriculum. Chapman used a portable short court, consisting of a collapsible net and rubber drop-down lines, that he set up in about five minutes. He also brought a bag of racquets and foam balls. On the court, Chapman worked the group through a series of drills aimed at helping the teachers get acclimated on how to hold the racquet. He then moved on to simple volley games done with a partner. Finally, Chapman had the group play a game where the teachers run and hit volleys over the net. This group game rewards those who get the ball over. Those who fail to get the ball over the net a total of three times are out of the game. Louis Lanni, one of the teachers who took part in the workshop, says he, like many of his colleagues, saw the value in bringing tennis to the students in Central Falls. He was most appreciative of efforts being made by the BVTA and USTA New England. “I’ve been a physical education teacher here in Central Falls for 14 years,” Lanni says. “Kids ask me all the time why we don’t play tennis. They watch the US Open and want to emulate what they see on TV. Without courts or proper equipment, it was always a challenge.” Now, though, with the help of the BVTA and USTA New England, that challenge can be overcome. But once introduced to tennis, the students need to be able to take the next step. “We still don’t have any courts,” says Lanni. “However, with courts in towns around us, a logical next step might be taking the kids on a field trip to play on some full-size courts.” Small steps in this process are important. The Central Falls Recreation Department has agreed to run an eight-week summer tennis program June 25-Aug. 18, 2007, as a direct result of the USTA School Program and the efforts of the BVTA. USTA Rhode Island has approved a $950 grant to purchase 10 “Short Court Nets” for donation to the Central Falls School District. Grants and other funding may one day pave the way for Central Falls to once again have tennis courts within city limits. And kids who take to the game have the opportunity to compete for other area schools because Central Falls doesn’t have a team. But that’s a story for another day. For now, thanks to the efforts and vision of a few, students in Central Falls have a chance to learn a sport that can give them a lifetime of enjoyment. And maybe one day soon, a championship tennis banner will hang proudly on the walls of the Central Falls High School gym. |
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Blackstone Valley Tennis Association |
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