WEST HARTFORD, CT - When she started the Fern Park Community Tennis Association a year ago, Sheri Slobin Shea listed as one of her objectives bringing tennis into local schools.
Shea has made great strides in that area, even at the expense of giving up some sleep.
Fern Park Tennis has teamed with Bugbee Elementary School to form the first of what the CTA hopes will be many "kids' clubs."
Twenty-four fourth- and fifth-grade students arrive early to school on Wednesdays and get an early start to the day in the form of tennis.
"I really couldn't have envisioned the early session going any better than it has," said Shea, Head Tennis Professional at Tumble Brook Country Club in Bloomfield, CT. "It's a nice way to get them up and moving before school. We don't do much formal instruction. It's just a chance for the kids to play and get exposure to tennis in a fun setting."
Shea worked with Bugbee principal Noam Sturm and physical education teacher Mario Lopez to get the free program off the ground.
Lopez had previously attended a training workshop in tennis instruction put on by Nikita Zaharov, USTA New England's Community Relations Manager in Northern Connecticut.
The school secured QuickStart Tennis equipment and is able to use its six mini-nets to allow as many as 24 kids to play simultaneously on the gymnasium floor.
"We're fortunate to have an incredibly active and involved group of students at the school," said Shea, whose son is a fifth-grader at Bugbee. "The parents are always working to bring new opportunities into the school and have been supportive of tennis."
Of the students who take part in the before-school tennis program, only a few have previous experience with tennis.
"One of the things that has been great to see is the kids helping each other out," Shea said. "We see them giving each other tips or explaining something to a peer, and that's a rewarding aspect of the program."
Shea is hopeful that the students will continue to play tennis in the summer at some of the various programs offered through Fern Park Tennis.