What a fabulous program this has turned out to be for new players or beginners with minimal tennis experience! Our tennis community is especially lucky since this state-wide program is the brainchild of Fort King tennis pro and USTA Coordinator Leigh Chak. Leigh is grateful for the unconditional support she received from the USTA Leagues Division. They refined her idea and provided the name, marketing, and some funding for the program which is comprised of two segments.

The Love To Learn! segment consists of 6 to 8 weeks of instruction with pros who work with players of equal skill and experience on shot basics, point construction, and rallying. Players work up to practice sessions with volunteer mentors, Leigh refers to us as Tennis Ambassadors, who get participants up to speed on court etiquette, scoring, calling lines, and other rules and procedures. Players can then graduate to the Love To Play! program featuring more advanced match play. This is for players who can execute basic strokes but have little match play experience, or who have completed the Love To Learn! program. Another fun-filled 6 to 8 weeks of play opportunity takes players through more advanced practice sessions and even introduces them to registration systems and score entry. The certified pros and court monitors discuss how to work with partners to maximize doubles team play. This segment offers at least four weeks of intra-club team play using green dot balls before moving on to play using standard tennis balls.

Initially, Leigh worked alongside fellow Fort King pro Dave Chover who put together the curriculum and helped fine-tune the instructional portion of the program. Jeff Williams was another teaching pro willing to work for less than normal fees as the program prototype was developed and implemented. Since its inception two years ago other F.K. pros like Ebony Evans-Molock and Pam Copeland have gotten involved. Frank and Peggy Aiello, and Roger Chak were Leigh’s original ambassadors and gave her terrific insight into what were the hardest and the most rewarding parts of working with new players, and suggested ways to make the program easier on its volunteers. Leigh says the goal was to create a low-cost program to make tennis more accessible. The program has met with success at other clubs besides the Fort King Tennis Center, like Westside-the Joyce Oransky Tennis Center, and the DB Racquet Club in Gainesville. These facilities run the program in much the same way, and offer the courts for free, which is a substantial gesture!

Since then, Leigh has reached out to the Ocala Tennis Association to recruit more volunteer ambassadors. You’ll often find Trish Mosley, Wanda Simpson, and Dr. Isaac Vergara helping out and playing with the participants on any given Sunday afternoon. Jan Cole happily volunteers her time. She says she feels flattered with the appreciative response from the participants. The use of tennis ambassadors is what makes the program unique. Leigh found that new players have a tendency to drop out after just a few lessons without some type of mentorship to encourage them to stay. Tennis rules are complicated and hard to learn and the Ambassadors demonstrate the fun of the game and demystify the learning process.

And, how do the participants feel about this program? For Laura Isaacs, the program serves as a refresher league and has allowed her to relearn her game. Nick Berardi feels he’s learned a lot about the nuances of the game, and his overall skills have been enhanced. Heather Amir says she’s learned a lot about basic strokes and controlling the ball. All participants said they most especially appreciate the pros, the volunteer mentors (or ambassadors), and have formed a bond with their fellow participants. Upon hearing about the final match play which will involve forming teams with 2.5 ranked players, Heather’s response “I feel terrified and excited” about sums it up!

And, with the implementation of a Love To Learn! Love To Play! program just for beginning high school players, Leigh has also asked the OTA to pay for partial scholarships for these juniors. The program’s play-based learning is perfectly suited to beginners of any age. The Ocala Tennis Association is happy to comply and support such a successful program. Kudos Leigh!

For more information, to register for this program, or to volunteer as a tennis ambassador, fill out the contact form here.

Written by Marianne Marcoux, an enthusiastic tennis ambassador!