Clear the courts; West Holmes summer tennis camps wrap up as the Lady Knights get ready for ‘11
“It’s nice to see so many kids excited about tennis,” said West Holmes boys and girls varsity head coach Jason Otto, as he surveyed the courts on one of the final days of tennis camp at West Holmes High School, Wednesday, July 13. “Fourteen kids on the open courts and nine little kids taking part in camp. It’s great to see 23 people on the courts in a little rural area like this. It makes you think we’re doing something right.”
Aside from quick addition, pairing numbers like 14 and nine faster than a calculator, one of the things Otto did right this summer was run tennis camp sessions, free of charge, on the high school courts during June and July.
The final two sessions of that camp are scheduled for Monday, July 18 and Wednesday, July 20, from 11 a.m. until noon, open to any kids entering the sixth or seventh grades this fall.
There is no registration fee, but campers need to bring a racket and something to drink.
“Originally, there were only two kids in the younger group who showed any interest,” explained Otto, who started the West Holmes summer tennis camp back in 2005, after taking over the high school girls program in ‘03 and the boys program two years later. “Nine kids is a lot better than I expected. Last month was the older kids and we had a pretty good turnout. There were probably 13 to 15 girls that showed up each time and six of those girls, who are going to be freshmen this year, have now been coming to practice for the high school team.”
The Lady Knights kick off the high school season against Kidron Central Christian at home on Monday, August 15, coming off a 2010 season in which they finished fourth in the Ohio Cardinal Conference, advanced one singles player and two doubles pairings to Districts, and saw sophomore sensation Rachel Nelson finish as the Division II State runner-up.
“We’re going to have a very deep girls team this year,” said Otto, who also helped lead Nelson’s twin brother, Danny Nelson, to Districts this past spring as part of a doubles pairing with departing senior Brendan Lynch. “There are nine or 10 girls who could easily be varsity players, with only seven spots available. I guess it’s a nice problem to have.”
It is a nice problem to have, with four of the five 2010 District qualifiers returning to the Lady Knights for the 2011 campaign, including Nelson, Brittany and Jenna Polen, and Hannah Frank.
It’s also nice to see so many kids excited about tennis.
Aside from quick addition, pairing numbers like 14 and nine faster than a calculator, one of the things Otto did right this summer was run tennis camp sessions, free of charge, on the high school courts during June and July.
The final two sessions of that camp are scheduled for Monday, July 18 and Wednesday, July 20, from 11 a.m. until noon, open to any kids entering the sixth or seventh grades this fall.
There is no registration fee, but campers need to bring a racket and something to drink.
“Originally, there were only two kids in the younger group who showed any interest,” explained Otto, who started the West Holmes summer tennis camp back in 2005, after taking over the high school girls program in ‘03 and the boys program two years later. “Nine kids is a lot better than I expected. Last month was the older kids and we had a pretty good turnout. There were probably 13 to 15 girls that showed up each time and six of those girls, who are going to be freshmen this year, have now been coming to practice for the high school team.”
The Lady Knights kick off the high school season against Kidron Central Christian at home on Monday, August 15, coming off a 2010 season in which they finished fourth in the Ohio Cardinal Conference, advanced one singles player and two doubles pairings to Districts, and saw sophomore sensation Rachel Nelson finish as the Division II State runner-up.
“We’re going to have a very deep girls team this year,” said Otto, who also helped lead Nelson’s twin brother, Danny Nelson, to Districts this past spring as part of a doubles pairing with departing senior Brendan Lynch. “There are nine or 10 girls who could easily be varsity players, with only seven spots available. I guess it’s a nice problem to have.”
It is a nice problem to have, with four of the five 2010 District qualifiers returning to the Lady Knights for the 2011 campaign, including Nelson, Brittany and Jenna Polen, and Hannah Frank.
It’s also nice to see so many kids excited about tennis.
Published: July 14, 2011
