September 2008 -- Question: We spend a lot of time with player development, especially with junior players. However, in light of USPTA's new call to action (as Tim Heckler so aptly put it in last month's ADDvantage), Tennis - for the health of it!, could you use your column to discuss how we might better attract nontennis playing youth and teens to the game?
Answer: Attracting young nonplayers to the game of tennis is a big issue for our trade association of tennis-teaching professionals! And, since each of you has the opportunity to be an ambassador in your community, we do need to help you understand how you can grow your business, grow the game of tennis and build healthy, long-lasting relationships in your community.
I believe we have to start this discussion by recognizing the values of young people in general, and specifically of young children, youth and teens. Children have one common value system and that is to have
fun. USPTA's Little Tennis
® offers a tremendous mechanism to introduce children to tennis. And, then, combining the capacity of Little Tennis with the QuickStart Tennis Play Format, you have a winning combination to create tremendous fun for children.
The value system changes a little for pre-teens and teens. Fun still ranks very high but now you have to add friends to the mix. If you can offer a drill group, group lessons, Cardio Tennis, all the way to Junior Circuits™ at your facility, the pre-teens and teens can realize that they can have fun
with their friends and enjoy a great game at the same time. But, just having this infrastructure isn't enough. We need to learn more about what matters to these different youth groups and how we can attract them to our game and to our facilities.
With that in mind, I asked three experts in the field of junior development - and who have contact with young people and their parents almost every day - three very pertinent questions as I attempted to answer your question. I asked these questions of Paul Roetert, Ph.D., managing director of player development for USTA and a fellow in the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), Mark Kovacs, Ph.D., manager of sport science for USTA, and Mike Bergeron, Ph.D., director of the National Institute for Youth Sports & Health and also a fellow in ACSM.
I began by asking this question of each expert: What are some of the challenges you see in getting youth connected to tennis?
Mike Bergeron felt that "of youth who participate in sports through school or their community, more than half reportedly drop out by the age of 12, due to negative experiences such as 'not having fun' or 'too much pressure.' The key is to get each child excited about tennis participation, and to ensure that the learning experience and atmosphere are supportive of individual goals and development."
Mark Kovacs felt that "the initial obstacle with getting the youth connected with tennis used to be the skill needed to hit a ball as a beginner. Programs that use smaller racquets, courts and low-compression balls allow all kids at any skill level to enjoy the great game of tennis without having the long learning curve that used to be a deterrent for many kids. Having kids who can rally and actually score from day one on the tennis court is the greatest tool that we all have in increasing participation and longevity in the sport."
Paul Roetert sees two major challenges. "The first one is that tennis takes a bit of time to learn and the second one is that kids (especially at a young age) like to be in team sports. I do believe that both can be solved." I believe that Paul (also a member of USPTA's Player Development Council) is right. The ease of learning, and one mechanism to introduce tennis to children, is USPTA's Little Tennis. Paul went on to say that "the new industrywide initiative with QuickStart Tennis Play Format (playing with modified equipment) is a great solution. QuickStart Tennis (USPTA is a major industry partner) allows kids to practice and play with age-appropriate equipment in terms of proper-sized courts, racquets and balls. Many of the tournament structures as well as practice sessions can be set up in a team environment."
The next question I felt compelled to ask the experts is this: Do you believe that being healthier (in general) could be a way to get to the youth or to their parents?
Paul Roetert said emphatically that "we need to get kids away from the couch! As tennis-teaching professionals, we have a responsibility to reach out to both young players and their parents. Getting kids involved in tennis at a young age and providing a positive experience will help introduce them to what is truly the sport for a lifetime. The parents are key in this equation. Many kids get involved in tennis because their parents play. If parents understand the health benefits, all the better." And I really like how Paul ended his answer to this question: "As a teaching professional you also need to be a good example." By this, he was referring to the fact that you and I need to play and be seen playing, giving public clinics, making presentations in our communities; basically making tennis visible to people of all walks of life.
Mike Bergeron felt that "for adult stakeholders (parents, coaches, school and community administrators, and health-care providers), highlighting the health benefits of tennis participation would likely be very helpful in their seeing and utilizing tennis as an opportunity to promote positive youth development. For the children, positive learning experiences, enjoyable peer relationships, and enhanced feelings and perception of health and well-being are likely the factors to keep youth engaged in tennis. That is, the general health benefits have to be realized." I believe that Mike points out a huge idea in this last sentence; that the benefits of learning and playing tennis have to be realized! People need to see, hear and feel that playing tennis will help them improve their health, sociability, grades, work performance, etc. (If you want to learn more about how Tennis - for the health of it! can do all these things, I refer you to the booklet written early this year.
Mark Kovacs observed that "using tennis as a healthy alternative to watching TV or playing video games should be a major draw for parents. The fact that kids can hit something (the ball) and it is also a competitive endeavor gives tennis a major advantage over traditionally encouraged gym activities such as running, cycling or strength training which most kids do not find enjoyable. It is helpful to educate parents and school administrators about the benefits of tennis compared to other activities. The influence that tennis has on developing a child's physical capabilities is equal, if not superior to most other forms of exercise."
Then, I asked the experts the next question: How would you advise that we connect better with parents of young children, pre-teens, and teens?
Mark Kovacs answered that "coaches throughout the country can link with schools, religious institutions, after-school programs and other community organizations to offer tennis as a sport that is not only fun, but can help reverse the national health crisis. Kids who are active throughout their development are less likely to have major health concerns as they age. It is important for all of us to educate parents as to the numerous health and wellness benefits that tennis can bring to the life of their children." Paul Roetert complemented USPTA by saying that he thinks that the "USPTA has taken a great first step by producing materials supporting the health benefits of tennis." Paul believes that the next step should be for teaching professionals to learn how to use this material to market the sport better. Some examples include connecting with local physicians, health clubs and other organizations to reach a wider audience. He noted that it will help your business and get more players involved in our sport.
I asked one more question of Mike Bergeron, requesting that he speak to his thoughts about how tennis could help with one's general overall improvement (e.g., grades in school, sociability, etc.). Specifically, I asked how he would advise that USPTA connect better with parents of young children, pre-teens, and teens. This is his response:
"The USPTA, in partnership with other tennis and professional organizations, should develop opportunities to research and promote how appropriate youth tennis development programs can foster physical development and health, academic achievement, sportsmanship, and life skills. Notably, parents also need to see evidence that teaching professionals are sufficiently trained in youth development through tennis."
So, what do you need to do? Get started and get involved. Let me share with you some of the things we have been hearing about regarding community public relations efforts.
USPTA Midwest conducted a clinic in Cincinnati in conjunction with the ATP event in July and the Society for Tennis Medicine and Science. Fred Burdick led a community clinic in Atlanta for
Tennis - for the health of it! and the new president of ACSM attended. The mayor of Oklahoma City, Mick Cornett (See
ADDvantage, August 2008), claims that tennis is the activity that enabled him to lose weight and then became involved in a Tennis Across America event. USPTA New England conducted
Tennis - for the health of it! programs with the Boston Lobsters of World TeamTennis and during the Pilot Penn.
Although some of these events weren't really junior related, they serve as examples that there are ways to build tennis in your community. Please be sure to visit uspta.com, and click on all the public relations tools to help you get started. Your national office staff is waiting to help you as well. The key is to GET STARTED! Imagine what would happen in
your community if you did one public relations event per quarter. I am not talking about big extravaganzas either. You could speak for a Rotary program, a church youth group, a high school assembly, a Parent Teacher Organization meeting, in addition to running a Tennis Across America clinic. You have the infrastructure at your disposal and your national headquarters staff is waiting to assist as well. Good luck!
Send questions to jgroppel@LGEPerformance.com.
