The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

IN the continuation of their after-school programme, coach Steve Taylor decided to provide an avenue for the students of EP Roberts Primary School to engage in a summer tennis camp at the National Tennis Centre.

"We know that the students know and like to play sports like basketball and track and field, but I wanted to introduce them to a sport like tennis," said Taylor, a certified coach in the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association. "I grew up playing tennis and after I got into coaching the sport, as a physical education teacher at EP Roberts, I decided to get some of the students involved in the sport."

Taylor said he joined forces with Annator Brown to allow the players to come to the NTC where they get to watch the more advanced players participate in the sport and to give them the exposure that they need.

From July 6-31, the players between the ages of five and 12-years-old are participating in the Taylor's Summers Tennis Camp that is staged daily from 9am to noon. "The response has been very good. We have a mixture of boys and girls," Taylor said. "We also have some players who didn't attend EP Roberts, who came long and they were accepted into the programme."

At the end of the camp, Taylor said the players will have a fun mini tournament where they will get to rally and play half-court matches.

The camp is also in preparation for the anticipation of tennis being included into the primary school curriculum in September. At least the players from EP Roberts would have had a jump start on their training.

Brown, a supply teacher in the PE Department at EP Roberts, said in working with Taylor, they get to teach the students a new sport free of charge. "Some of them didn't know how to hold the tennis racket, so we had to teach them that," Brown said. "We also taught them the forehand and backhand and everything like that. "With tennis expected to be introduced into the schools during the new school year, at least we would be one step ahead of everybody because they are getting some lessons now."