First serve towards health

By Tania Martin
YOUNG up and coming tennis hopefuls will get the opportunity to fine tune their skills as Tennis Victoria joins forces with local tennis clubs to promote the sport.
First Serve, an innovative eight-week tennis program for beginners aged between five and 10, will be running at 44 tennis clubs across the state.
Ferny Creek Tennis Club will offer Hills children the opportunity to participate in the program.
The program will be officially launched at participating tennis clubs across Victoria on Sunday, 5 February as part of a free registration day and clinic.
Ferny Creek tennis coach Diana Sutterby said the introduction of First Serve comes at a time when the level of children’s obesity is rising.
Mrs Sutterby said that First Serve is the tennis industry’s way of taking a more proactive role in encouraging children into a healthy sporting option, which they can enjoy for a lifetime.
She said the First Serve program aims to promote positive life, health and fitness messages to children through tennis.
Mrs Sutterby said every child that enrols in the program will receive a free tennis racquet, challenge sticker book, a certificate of participation and will be coached by first class professional tennis coaches.
She said during the program, coaches will encourage children to complete a health and fitness challenge between lessons, such as eating at least one piece of fresh fruit a day or completing three 20-minute walks a day.
“The children will each receive a challenge sticker book in which a parent will reward a child for completing a health and fitness challenge with stickers in their book,” she said.
Mrs Sutterby said each of the First Serve lessons would carry a theme such as sportsmanship or perseverance.
She said coaches would emphasise these positive life skills through specially developed tennis activities, which they will run during the lessons.
Anyone interested in enrolling their children in the First Serve program should attend the registration day at Ferny Creek Tennis Club, on the corner of Clarkmont and Hilton Roads, Ferny Creek, on Sunday, 5 February.
For further information about the program contact Tennis Victoria on 8420 8420 or Diana Sutterby on 9759 6475.