Milos Raonic is the new ambassador for Kids' Tennis

Tennis Canada launches public service campaign to promote tennis among youth

Tennis Canada announced Thursday the launch of a new campaign to promote the active, healthy living of children through the sport of tennis. Canada’s No. 1 singles player and world No. 26 Milos Raonic will be the ambassador for Kids’ Tennis, a scaled-down version of the sport that ensures earlier success for children by using modified racquets, balls and nets.

Also known as Progressive Tennis, Kids’ Tennis is used as a tool to attract young children to the game and allow them to improve their overall tennis skills faster so they can transition to the regular court with more success, fun and ease.

“Getting more kids playing the sport of tennis in Canada is extremely important to me,” said Raonic. “I hope that my recent success and results on the ATP World Tour will help to inspire more people to pick up a racquet. But they also need to know there are now easier ways for their children to learn the sport with this smaller equipment that is tailored to suit their abilities. That’s what I’m hoping these public service announcements will accomplish.”

The campaign will roll out in the form of two public service announcements with supporting print elements aimed at raising awareness and encouraging participation. Raonic made himself available for both the TV and print creative development which was shot over a full day at the Hollyburn Country Club in Vancouver early during the week of Davis Cup in February.

“A key priority for Tennis Canada is to increase participation, particularly in the under 12 demographic,” said Hatem McDadi, vice-president, tennis development, Tennis Canada. “Kids’ Tennis is our version of tee-ball or mini-soccer in that it is an introductory format that helps teach children the fundamentals of the sport, but on a smaller scale, so they have success which translates to fun. Milos is a great ambassador for Canadian tennis. Having him support Kids’ Tennis means so much as he is a role model for our future stars.”

Developed by Toronto ad agency Bensimon Byrne, the public service announcements take a humorous approach using role reversal where Raonic, the 6’5” ATP World Tour star, has difficultly playing Kids’ Tennis against a young girl. The spots will begin airing this coming weekend on Sportsnet ONE during the final of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami and will run continuously on several stations throughout the summer.





To learn more about Kids’ Tennis or to order equipment please visit www.lovemeansnothing.ca/progressivetennis.

Tennis Manitoba welcomes new board members

At its Annual General Meeting recently held on March 22nd, Tennis Manitoba welcomed three new board members along with one board member who is returning to serve a second term. They are:

• David Blatt
• Mohamed Ismath (returning)
• Trevor Skidmore
• Heath Vermette.

Board members currently serving a second year of a two year term are:

• Jake Bergen
• David Scrapneck
• Bruce Waschuk
• Glen Ziprick.

Tennis Manitoba would like to thank the following outgoing directors for their commitment to the tennis community in our province:

• Lisa Bayko
• Barry Bruce
• Alexandra Gómez 
• Bob Gowenlock
• Shirley Jones
• Lori Mann
• Don Won Kang.

The board of directors is responsible for leading the administration and governance of Tennis Manitoba for a combination of one and two year terms. Continuing on with the Tennis Manitoba executive committee are Bruce Waschuk (president), Mohamed Ismath (vice president), and Glen Ziprick (treasurer).

The board of directors will annouce its committee chairs at its next board meeting. However, Tennis Manitoba is actively seeking more volunteers to get involved at a committee level. Please contact Tennis Manitoba if you are interested in helping out with one of these areas:

The Community Development committee implements programs aimed at attracting new players to the sport. This includes the schools program, Building Tennis Communities initiative and parks and recreation programs.

The Competitive Structures committee oversees the sanctioned tournament schedule, officiating programs, rankings, and leagues.

The High Performance committee deals with issues pertaining to junior and senior nationals, Canada Summer Games, provincial team programs, and coaching development.

The Resource Development committee develops communication tools and marketing strategies to promote tennis. This includes the website, newsletters, magazines, and sponsorship packages.

Little Aces heading to Manitoba

Tennis Canada to present Little Aces Initiative on March 14th

Winnipeg, MB (TM) – Tennis Manitoba is hosting a reception during which Richard Crowell, Tennis Canada's Manager of Community Development will be presenting the Little Aces Initiative at the Winnipeg Winter Club on March 14, 2012.

This plan, the Little Aces Initiative, is a community based initiative involving local leaders, schools, community centres, indoor/outdoor clubs, local businesses, volunteers, and more. The goal of this program is to encourage youth and families to live healthy, active lifestyles by playing tennis. It not only offers tennis programming but it also brings the community together.

Anyone who is interested is welcome to attend.

Date: March 14, 2012
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Banquet Room, Winnipeg Winter Club

RSVP to Rob Langan, 204-925-5660 or rob@tennismanitoba.com by March 13, 2012.

See also... "Hundreds of New Little Aces Introduced to Tennis" (North York, ON 05/30/2011)

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Tennis Manitoba AGM

The Board of Directors for Tennis Manitoba would like to invite you to our upcoming Annual General Meeting to be held at the Sport for Life Centre (Sport Manitoba head office), 145 Pacific Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba. The meeting will take place on Thursday, March 22nd at 7:00 PM where we will provide Tennis Manitoba updates from this past year. If you are interested in attending please RSVP by March 15th.

Tennis Manitoba
(204) 925-5660