Contributing writer | Alison Ball
The Whitworth men’s and women’s tennis teams host training clinics every Tuesday and Thursday night, during the school year, with sessions open to community members over the age of seven years old.
“The goal is to expose North Spokane kids to how fun tennis is and get them excited,” Rachel Aldridge said, Whitworth’s women’s tennis head coach.
Whitworth tennis players teach sessions with a small group of players which helps meet individual needs. The student coaches formulate drills based on skill level and the number of participants with an ever-changing practice plan.
Payton Romey, Whitworth men’s tennis player, said he has helped coach since the start of his freshman year.
“Coaching is something I want to do in the future and working with kids is a super fun thing,” Romey said. “Watching their tennis improve and their enjoyment in the game is a very rewarding thing, plus, I just love tennis and to share that is also pretty cool.”
The Whitworth tennis players coach the younger players through connection, which may be even more valuable than the actual coaching according to Romey. He also said that receiving little drawings from the kids and parents talking about how much they enjoy the clinics make the effort worth it.
Aldridge said that these clinics are important for kids to develop their athletic skills and grow as people. Participants work on following instructions: resilience, interactions with other kids, working as a group and being active without screens.
According to a study published in the Journal of Adolescent Research, kids’ experiences and interactions with others in environments of sports learning and performance result in higher self-efficacy.
Aldridge and Romey both said these clinics are equally as meaningful to the coaches. The training sessions allow student coaches to get an opportunity to work on coaching skills, exposure to working with kids and make some money as an on-campus job.
Each training session lasts from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., including drill practice and scrimmages for intermediate and advanced level groups.