Tim Serrell Tennis Clinic Gets a New Lift
by Carolyn Lockwood-Pitkin

This summer the children attending the annual Tim Serrell Tennis Clinic experienced the very newest innovations in tennis instruction. Charlotte’s tennis pro, Amy deGroot, director of the program for many years, spoke of her excitement in being able to offer the latest teaching methods to the children in the Charlotte clinic. Assisting her in this endeavor were her own children. Kylie and Tabor, who are familiar figures at the clinic. For the fifth year in a row they have taught alongside their mother on two of the three lakeside courts. The twins are now seniors at CVU, and both occupy singles’ spots on the CVU tennis teams.
 “During the past few years,” Amy said, “ the adults have been busy coming up with ideas for teaching this life-time sport in ways that make it fun even for younger people to play. Tennis has been downsized to make learning easier for kids – smaller racquets, slower bouncing balls, smaller courts and lower nets. In addition, there is less emphasis on teaching ‘strokes’ and more on learning through the process of playing games.” 
Along with the regular tennis balls contributed by participants, Amy supplied larger foam balls and the new low-pressure balls. “Low-pressure balls are the biggest innovation in the game,” she explained. “Results are immediate! Anyone wandering down to the courts during one of these clinics is amazed to see so many small children engaged in monster rallies with these balls. All of a sudden kids can take a full swing without sending the ball flying out of the park. As the points last longer, they just naturally get all jazzed up about tennis!”
The Tim Serrell Tennis Clinic continues to be a great drawing card for Charlotte children. Registration fills quickly. By extending the clinic into two one-hour sessions, Amy has made it possible for 36 children to participate. Hands-on volunteer help from parents like Julie Shea and Bob Hyams amps up the action, giving everyone a chance to hit more and more balls.
“I think Tim Serrell would be thrilled to see how psyched up children are to find that they can play tennis so easily and quickly. And he would be tickled pink to know that his granddaughter Katie is learning to play tennis through the very program he provided.”