Handpainted Glassware s a young girl growing up in Lepanto , Benguet , Philippines , I cherished the opportunity to participate in tennis clinics . These clinics were instrumental in my development as a player and led me to play juniors competitive tennis in the Philippines and Asia .
After moving to the United States on a tennis scholarship to the University of Central Oklahoma , and continuing my tennis career as a professional instructor in Oklahoma , I ’ ve made it a priority to offer free clinics in the Philippines every year . The tennis community back home is my extended family , and I love giving back each time I visit .
This past January , I had the privilege of hosting tennis and pickleball clinics in the Philippines . I organized four clinics to provide continuing tennis instruction — and introduced pickleball for the first time ! We hosted free clinics in Valenzuela , Vigan , Baguio City and Pangasinan ( Philippines ). All the players who tried pickleball loved it ! Some were having so much fun , they played more pickleball than tennis ! I quickly realized pickleball could have a huge impact on Philippine sports — as well as the local economy .
The high cost of tennis racquets , strings , balls , shoes , lessons and court fees are more than most families can afford , but pickleball allows children and families to continue to play racquet sports . Since badminton is already very popular in the Philippines , there are already courts available for pickleball .
In order to promote pickleball on a larger scale in the Philippines , we ’ re creating the first annual pickleball conference in January 2019 . The conference will be for the Philippine Sports Commission , Department of Education , sports coordinators , coaches , physical education teachers , and sports facilities to learn more about the sport of pickleball . The goal is to win approval of the primary , secondary and collegiate school levels to incorporate pickleball into their curriculums . In addition , the conference will promote pickleball to parents , other adults and athletes .
For information on how you can help provide pickleball and sports opportunities to underprivileged youth in the Philippines , email jenny . marcos @ swcu . edu or visit sfflc . com .
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MAY / JUNE 2018 | MAGAZINE 67