Tennis clinic part of kid’s fitness effort

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Emerald Ralston
  • 341st Space Wing Public Affairs Office
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  A tennis clinic was held at the Youth Programs Center June 27 with the help of the Health and Wellness Center, Kim Herremans and the Montana Tennis Association. 

The tennis clinic was one of many sports classes put on for the kids to help get them active and give them options for fun ways to stay that way, said Kelley Suggs, health education program manager at the HAWC. 

The clinic was taught by Kim Herremans, who sought out equipment from the MTA and was pleasantly surprised at the response. 

The MTA donated everything a tennis instructor could ask for - standard rackets for the older students, small rackets for the younger kids, soft, large practice tennis balls, tennis nets for indoor courts and a DVD lesson plan for tennis instruction. 

"The great thing about this place is all you have to do is ask," Mrs. Herremans said. "People really want to help." 

The tennis clinic was designed for the Little Warriors in an attempt to provide a fun alternative to sitting and watching television or playing video games, and the kids had a blast. The first group of tennis players was the 5- to 7-year-old group. Mrs. Herremans started the lesson by relating tennis maneuvers to dancing. The kids ran around cones to work on their coordination, side-stepped and jumped around the gym to warm up and prepare for their tennis training. 

Once armed and ready with their rackets, the Little Warriors learned the basics of balance, control and movement with a tennis ball. 

While the younger group focused on control and coordination, the 8- to 10-year-old group moved past the basics to control, bouncing and finally serving the ball across the net. 

Along with the tennis clinic, Little Warriors enjoyed other activities that went on throughout the week to promote fitness such as a Taekwondo class and an aerobics introduction class, Ms. Suggs said. 

The HAWC, YPC and MTA helped provide more than 20 Little Warriors with tools to stay active, healthy and entertained year-round.