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Last call for the gotta play tennis podcast

Saturday, October 22, 2016

ATTENTION GLOUCESTER TWP: Weather Update

 Weather Alert 
UPDATE 10/22

GlouTwp. Fall Tennis is CANCELLED for today, 10/22/2016, due to rain, wet courts, and a forecast of no sunshine and more rain.
We will now follow our RAIN DATE schedule.
Session 5 will be held on 11/12/2016.

Friday, October 21, 2016

TENNIS PARENTS OF GOTTA PLAY TENNIS KIDS: combined sessions of ages 5-10

Parents, Guardians, Relatives, or anyone responsible for our young tennis players:

Recently I received comments from a parent expressing concern over the combination of age groups 5-7 and 8-10 in the same session. Always being one to face feedback head-on, I felt the need to shed some light on the how and the why of this adjustment to our tennis instructional strategy.

These are just some of the things we considered:
  • How to eliminate the need to cancel age-bracketed sessions due to low registration
  • How to allow instructors more time to plan in advance for a broader age group avoiding the last-minute planning required when classes combine
  • How to provide parents with more certainty in the schedule eliminating the need for late week changes before the Week 1 session
  • How to logistically create sub-groups keeping the session moving quickly and maximizing player engagement
  • How to inject mentorship and responsibility as older players with more developed athletic ability act as models to younger children
  • How to reduce the time required to cover all age groups creating a time slot in which to expand programs with new future offerings
  • How to save time for parents who may currently enroll siblings, from different age sessions, into two individual classes
  • How to allows siblings of all ages to work together, along with parents or guardians, at developing their skills
  • How to demonstrate the concept that tennis skills are age-independent and consistent
As you can see, there is always more behind the curtain then one realizes.

In order to provide family friendly, award-winning programs such as Gotta Play Tennis Kids in a community setting, we need the support of all of you! Parents and guardians are our most valuable asset in spreading the word of tennis to other families. We have worked hard to keep our program fees very competitive for kids activities. For example, if you chose to attend a QuickStart program at a tennis club, you would find the cost of the program to be double our registration fee for less time and no parent involvement.

We are very grateful you decided to have your child (children) get involved with our programs and tennis in general, and we hope that you will continue along with them as you both develop your skills and enjoyment with this great family sport.