Strength - Schools Program Background

  • Introduce tennis to thousands of kids annually in local Traverse City schools
  • Developed largest after school Rallyball program - 660 second and third grade players
  • Created City, District and State level Rallyball Championships
  • Write curriculum for all Traverse City Elementary and Middle schoolRallyball/Team Tennis Programs
  • Coordinate with Traverse City Area Public Schools (TCAPS) Learning Enrichment Athletic Program (LEAP) Director
  • Train staff of local volunteers and high school players to lead programs in schools
  • Spend one full day in each school promoting programs
  • Create relationships with Physical Education Specialists, TCAPS principals, generating "Buy-In" of program
  • Record in school visits and follow-up with edited video on how to conduct a 30 minute in school presentation.
  • Offer free summer training/lesson programs for administrative staff involved 
  • Follow-up with summer/winter choices for all kids in schools

Ability to create turn-key after school programs for local area schools
and train those involved to ensure program success


Traverse City Area Public Schools
Rallyball and Team Tennis Programs

As a result of introducing and maintaining the success of Rallyball in the Traverse City Area Public Schools, TCAPS has adopted Rallyball into their LEAP program, which is geared to promoting fun and non-competitive sports to children in 2nd - 5th grade.

The USTA Midwest Section, once "QuickStart" was adopted, initially did not like to use the term "Rallyball," in ​any printed material and encouraged the program to transition to 36' court tennis.

We decided, in Traverse City, to continue to use the Rallyball format for kids in 1st-3rd grades because it made tennis successful immediately. It also allowed us to have up to 48 kids playing after school instead of 12, promoting and developing the game of tennis to more players.

​

The LEAP Team Tennis Program runs  in the elementary (grades 4-5) and middle schools (grades 6-8), using a non-competitive format and giving players a foundation to play "No-Cut" high school tennis.

​Players learn basic scoring, singles and doubles strategy and have weekly matches against teams from other schools.

​

It is my goal to take players from these programs and offer them the next steps in our 10 and Under Youth Progression Pathway. In this we offer:

​

Play Days

Fun Nights

Junior Team Tennis Leagues

Eventual tournament play​

SEE MY RALLYBALL IN SCHOOL PROMOTIONAL VIDEO

CLICK TO VIEW TC RALLYBALL AND TEAM TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIPS


National Campus Result 

  • Create positive relationships with schools and administrators
  • Online step-by-step resource - How to successfully promote and execute after school tennis programs.
  • Promote tennis early to kids who have not yet made any single sport choice yet
  • Develop players early before the "Windows" of Agility, Balance and Coordinations start to close
  • More activity on National Campus
  • Starter/Feeder program for on campus programs and activities
  • More high school players teaching which will give USTA-U a local base to promote to
  • PTM Experience to take out into their local clubs
  • Content for educational purposes