The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ALTHOUGH it was just their first initiative to get the parents of their children involved, coordinator Philip Major Jr said he was thrilled by the turnout and participation for the Island Tennis Family Fun Day.

The event was held on Saturday, April 2, at the Atlantis Tennis Centre where parents got to experience first hand some of the drills that their children go through and at the time get to interact in some friendly noncompetitive pick up games on the court.

“We just wanted to get all of the adults and the kids together to have a fun day,” Major Jr said. “It’s awesome when you can get everybody together and they can all have some fun.

“Normally they just drop their kids off, but just to see them stay here and have some fun, is what it’s all about. So we’re very thankful to Atlantis for allowing us to be a part of their family and help us to create the family that we developed here.”

Russell Miller, the executive vice president of operations at Atlantis, said they are delighted to be able to partner with Island Tennis for community events like this.

“We have the students come after school during the week whenever they can and organise it,” he said. “We have been supporting this for many months and we will continue to support it.

”We are just delighted to be able to partner with the youth. It’s amazing to see how well they are hitting the ball. They are3 hitting it better than when I was doing it. So we are just happy to be able to partner with Island Tennis.”

From what he’s seen, Russell, a former tennis player, is the future of tennis on the island is in good hands.

After the older players took the time out to entertain the younger players in a kids clinic, Major Jr and his coaching staff, including Kevon Ferguson, O’neil Mortimer, Iesha Shepherd, Justin Thompson and Mateo Rivas took the parents and all the players through a series of activities.

“This is the first time we have ever hosted a Family Fun Day. The response was great,” Major Jr said. “Just to see so many kids and parents come out and to see them on the court is special. We hope that we can continue to build on this tennis community we have here.”

Rivas, a resident of Miami, Florida, who has been in and out of the island assisting Island Tennis, said while he has been helping out with the marketing of the program, he wants to share his expertise on the court as well.

“I love it. It’s nice to see so many parents and kids playing together and having so much fun,” he said. “This is what sports is all about. The energy level is high and there are some great coaches here. I think this is a good program that they have here.”

Mortimer said it was a great experience for everyone, especially the younger players as they try to provide an avenue for them to grow and to have their parents participating as well made it extra special.

“We’re all about developing tennis in the country and bringing tennis back and furthering the dsport more like it used to be,” he said. “Having their parents out here participating in some nice clean fun is an experience we feel will last a lifetime.”

Although she admitted that she’s not athletically inclined, Bryinza Russell, the mother of player Zaire Russell, said when she heard about Family Day she jumped at the opportunity to participate and she certainly didn’t have any regrets.

“It was great. I got in a great cardio workout, but it was also a lot of fun exercising,” she said. “I know a lot of people don’t like to exercise but when you mix it up with having fun, you actually get in a good workout.

“So as you get older, you need to be doing things like this just to stay healthy. So I hope this is something that I would like for them to continue. I don’t know if I want to do it competitively, but as a form of exercise, I would love to continue because it was a lot of fun doing it with so many other people.”

With the cadre of young players in Island Tennis, Mortimer said their asim is to now prepare them to participate in the various tournaments coming up whether its in the Bahamas or overseas.

He noted that the only way they will continue to grow in the sport is by getting the exposure to a high level of competition and that is what Island Tennis is aiming for.