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
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