Sea Island Life Magazine Spring 2015 | Page 20

F A M I LY F I R S T CAUSING A RACKET a TENNIS TEACHES YOUNG ATHLETES VALUABLE SKILLS, GETS THEM ACTIVE, AND, MOST IMPORTANTLY, IS A LOT OF FUN. BY KENT OSWALD few minutes spent observing the Sea Island Jensen Brothers Tennis Academy will immediately open eyes to a new side of the centuries-old sport. With an experienced staff working with young players to improve their game at a variety of levels, it isn’t difficult to believe the studies that have shown tennis participation to improve brain function. The young athletes move across the courts displaying agility, balance and strength, and, perhaps most importantly, they are having some serious fun. The Academy’s lessons and clinics align with the United States Tennis Association’s (USTA) recent emphasis on junior play for fun as well as for high-performance player development. This makes the sport an engaging activity for young athletes that parents can get behind. A Big Serve St. Simons Island resident David Murray often watches his daughter, Sarah, play and practice in the Academy. He joins other parents whose children hone their skills at Sea Island and says that the sport has given his daughter more confidence: “[The staff] gives her so much more than just tennis lessons. Sarah has achieved things she didn’t think she would ever achieve.” Those achievements have been shown to transcend the court. The USTA points out that tennis can help kids learn sportsmanship, discipline and work ethic, as well as give them healthy avenues for social interaction. Additionally, the International Tennis Federation lists teamwork, strategy and stress management among skills learned from the sport that can be applied to other areas of life. David Hopkins, USTA Southern’s 10-andunder tennis coordinator, applauds the Sea Island Jensen Brothers Tennis Academy staff for “helping build a system and a platform so that kids can enjoy the game of a lifetime.” For him, a teaching pro’s emphasis has to be on “keeping tennis fun and adapting tennis to fit [kids’] needs … and parents’ as well.” Young tennis players learn agility and balance at the Sea Island Jensen Brothers Tennis Academy. 20 SEA ISL AND LIFE | SPRING/SUMMER 2015 SI5_FamilyDept-e_v4-e_v5-e_v6-e.indd 20 3/19/15 4:34 PM