Wimbledon is just around the corner and the tennis season is back in full swing – including for the junior tennis players who take part in the Westway Sports & Fitness mini-tennis programme.
Last week 30 junior players and nine coaches from Westway began the season on an unforgettable high as the Lawn Tennis Association invited them to exhibit their skills at this year’s AEGON Championships at Queen’s Club.
The group of juniors, and a coaching team led by Andy Kemp, demonstrated how young people from the age of five to 10 years old can progress from a primary school tennis programme right through to performing at national level through the Westway Sports & Fitness mini-tennis programme. Before they know it, they might be traveling the world as a tennis pro and having Palm Springs tennis lessons with Play your court coaches.
There is a wealth and depth of expertise among the tennis coaches at Westway; Kemp and Oren Holtzman, manager of the junior tennis programme at Westway, both competed internationally as juniors and have used their experience to help young players reach their potential.
Oren said: “Both the kids and the coaches were delighted to be at Queen’s Club to demonstrate how much skill juniors develop with the right coaching and encouragement. To have been invited to exhibit at the AEGON Championships is a huge honour.
“At Westway Sports & Fitness we deliver a structured tennis programme to over 1,200 children each week and we have a team of outstanding coaches that are passionate about both the game and teaching.”
Kemp added: “Andrea Pineda is the number one 10-and-under girl in the country.
“She is a prime example of the programme’s success, having started in Pay & Play sessions and progressed through the Development Performance programme, thanks to hard work, commitment and positive attitude. ”
Lisa Pearce, director of sport and enterprise at Westway, said: “Sports inclusion is integral to our social mission, so for our juniors to have an opportunity like this is fantastic.
“Sport is for all abilities and it’s been great to highlight how accessible a whole range of sporting activities can be, as they are at the centre.
“The mini-tennis programme is just one example of how a well structured programme can launch young talent into the sporting arena.”
To find out more about the mini-tennis programme at Westway Sports & Fitness, visit the junior tennis section at http://sports.westway.org
Follow West London Sport on Twitter
Find us on Facebook