WS Chronicle

With the rain forcing events inside, the initial First Friday Tennis Party was a complete success by all accounts.  Taking place inside of the Salem College gym instead of the tennis courts, the kids were able to learn basic skills while being entertained at the same time.

Kevin Fleck, owner and operator of Flex tennis and organizer of the tennis party, says he was pleased with the turnout of the event considering the inclement weather that took place Friday afternoon.  In total, nine youth came out to partake in the festivities with varying degrees of skill level.

During the party, the youth players participated in various games that enhanced their skill levels by working on things such as footwork and hand eye coordination in a fun environment.  Following the games the kids were treated to a pizza party and fellowship time to get to know one another better. 

“I think the kids enjoyed all of the games and everyone was able to do them and that’s the cool part about it,” said Fleck.  “A few of the kids only picked up a racket maybe once or twice but they were able to play all of the game successfully.”

“Considering the weather with all of the rain, it was probably a good day to stay inside, so I was definitely happy to have some kids come out and have fun,” he said.”

Fleck stated he thinks he created an atmosphere to where the kids were learning skills about the game without even being aware they were learning.  He says the kids were very excited about the tennis party going forward.

A parent who witnessed the tennis party said she was going to tell all of her friends about the tennis party so they can bring their kids next month, according to Fleck. 

“I was obviously happy with the response because I want this to be a big thing and have a lot of kids come out so for the first one, I think it was a good start,” Fleck continued.

Fleck says he will integrate new games each month but will continue to bring back some of the kids’ favorites so they can continue to get better at the game.  Fleck also stated he received several text messages following the party from a few of the participants who say they will tell their friends about the event so they will come out as well.

Fleck says even though it is a lot of work to set everything up in preparation for the event, it was all worthwhile.

“I really enjoyed it and after the event I was pumped up almost like a runner’s high,” he said.  “I was feeling pretty good, especially seeing the kids have fun, so that feels really good.

“For me this was kind of a release because normally with my other clinics it is a bit more business like.” Fleck continued.  “I am really looking forward to seeing the impact this has and hopefully it has a good impact on the tennis community.  I just want to break some barriers because it is not the easiest sport to get into so I am looking forward to having more kids get introduced to the game.”