2015 Rogers Rookie Tour Schedule

The indoor Rogers Roger Tour season wrapped up last
Friday at Taylor Tennis in Winnipeg.  

The 2015 Rogers Rookie Tour schedule for Manitoba is now available.

The Rogers Rookie Tour events create a player-friendly environment for children to be introduced to competition at a level suitable for their age and understanding. The matches are played with slower red, orange or green balls on smaller courts, using modified scoring. It is a fun way to start tennis and makes it easy for children to play the game, develop good technique and tactics and a love for the sport.

Get more details at www.tennismanitoba.com

Rookie Tour hits Winnipeg Winter Club

The Winnipeg Winter Club saw 18 up-and-coming players between the ages of 5 and 13 years of age hit the tennis courts at the recent Rogers Rookie Tour. Some serious fun was had by all who attended, which is a key emphasis of Rogers Rookie Tour events.

Tournament organizer, Robert Kennedy, liked the competitive spirit and sportsmanship demonstrated by the kids. All participants came out winners, as each player walked away with a nice prize pack which included a T-shirt, sack pack, water bottle, cap, tennis ball and a Rogers Rookie Tour certificate.

The Rogers Rookie Tour matches are played with slower red, orange or green balls on smaller courts, using modified scoring. It is a fun way to start tennis and makes it easy for children to play the game, develop good technique and tactics and a love for the sport. 

The next Rogers Rookie Tour event is scheduled for November 30th at the Winnipeg Winter Club. Sign-up and schedule details can be found at www.tennismanitoba.com.

Play more tennis at a community center near you

Tennis Manitoba's executive director, Mark Arndt, works the
 mini-tennis courts at Corydon Community Centre in River Heights.

Several community centers in Winnipeg have partnered with Tennis Manitoba this summer to offer a variety of tennis programs for various ages and skill levels. Whether you have played before, are looking to improve your game, or just want some fun exercise, there is a program for you.

The summer evening sessions start July 21 and run for eight weeks. The program fee is $60, where participants can choose from beginner or intermediate FUNdamentals programs, or take part in Cardio tennis to get a high energy aerobic workout.

Participating locations include Corydon Community Centre, Linden Woods Community Centre, Notre Dame Community Centre, Riverview Community Centre, Valley Gardens Community Centre, and Windsor Community Centre.

For additional information visit tennismanitoba.com/community/communitycenters.html

Community centers spring into tennis programming

Tennis Manitoba has partnered with Winnipeg area community
centers to offer beginner, intermediate and exercise programs.

Looking to play more tennis at a community center near you? 

Several community centers in Winnipeg have partnered with Tennis Manitoba this spring to offer a variety of tennis programs for various ages and skill levels. Whether you have played before, are looking to improve your game, or just want some fun exercise, there is a program for you.

The spring evening sessions start the second week in May and run for eight weeks. The program fee is $60, where participants can choose from beginner or intermediate FUNdamentals programs, or take part in Cardio tennis to get a high energy aerobic workout. 

Participating locations include Corydon Community Centre, Linden Woods Community Centre, Notre Dame Community Centre, Riverview Community Centre, Valley Gardens Community Centre, and Windsor Community Centre. 

For additional information visit tennismanitoba.com/community/communitycenters.html 

See also: Norwood Kids Team Tennis, Norwood Wheelchair Tennis Program

Clinic introduces elementary students to tennis

Carman Elementary students enjoyed their introductory tennis lessons from Tennis Manitoba instructor Marlon Goldburn. Here, he talks to them about safety and the importance of not waving your racket around when you don't need to.

Courtesty of Emily Distefano, The Carman Valley Leader

Carman Elementary School students were treated to a 2-day tennis clinic last week.

CES’s physical education specialist Gordon Stobbe found out through Tennis Manitoba that they were offering school clinics as a way to introduce grassroots tennis to communities, and he thought it would be a great opportunity for Carman kids.

“I think that tennis can be a lifetime sport and it’s a great way for kids just to try a new skill,” he said. “We’ve got wonderful tennis courts that we don’t see an awful lot of kids on, so maybe this will be a seed-planting opportunity.”

Marlon Goldburn, a community development manager at Tennis Manitoba, came out on April 15 and 16 to teach students in grade one through six the fundamentals of the game.

“My goal in going around to communities like this is to plant that seed, to do my part for the Sport for Life model and add another notch of physical literacy to the kids’ knowledge base. And to help grow the general tennis population,” he said.

Progressive tennis model

He explained that Tennis Manitoba uses a progressive tennis model that includes modified equipment like smaller rackets, low-bounce balls, and mini nets.

“Fortunately for kids in this era, there is what we call progressive tennis equipment, like balls that bounce slower,” he said. “So they allow the kids to get to them and they’re not just hitting a green ball that a pro would use and spending half a day chasing it. It’s more constructive play.”

As players learn more skills, they can move up to more advanced equipment.

Stobbe would like to make the tennis clinic an annual event, and he is planning to add tennis to the physical education curriculum at CES next year.

“I want to add a tennis unit based on age and appropriateness and we want to have more tennis lessons introduced into our physical education curriculum,” he said.

He noted that Sport Manitoba provided some of the funding for the clinic, and the Manitoba Phys. Ed. Teachers Association gave the school a grant for some extra equipment.

Norwood Kids Team Tennis

Norwood Kids Team Tennis starts this May at the
Norwood Community Center in Winnipeg, MB.

The Norwood Community Center will be running a spring and fall team tennis program for kids aged 7 years of age up to 14 years old. The program takes place Monday evenings and starts early May, and runs until the end of June, then will recommence in September.

The program is specifically designed to introduce kids to playing tennis in a ‘learn to play – play to learn’ environment and is open to all levels of players. Modified equipment, including smaller racquets, larger balls and smaller court area will be used to help kids progress.

The program fee is only $40, and includes a cool T-shirt and some other goodies. For additional details, please contact Brian Pound at (204) 231-3383 or at bripou@shaw.ca.

Winter Club kicks off 2014 Rogers Rookie Tour

Join the fun at the Winnipeg Winter Club’s Rogers Rookie Tour, February 22-23

Goal: The goal of this tournament is to stress fundamentals and to introduce players in a positive way to tennis. A focus will on sportsmanship and fair play.

Participants: The participants should have the ability to rally 2 balls back over the net. If a player can do this he or she is ready for this tournament.

Format: The skills competition and tournament will be played on ½ court and ¾ court.

Dates / Times: Sat. Feb. 22 from 7-8:30 pm & Sun. Feb.23 from 8:30-11 am

Location: Winnipeg Winter Club, 200 River Avenue, Winnipeg, MB

Outline: Participants will training in friendly skill competitions Saturday night and at the start of the Sunday morning session. A Round Robin Tournament will follow. Matches will be based on time.

Cost: $40 (or $20 for just the Sunday portion)

Stuff: All participants will receive a t-shirt, a water bottle, gym bag and a certificate.

To register or to inquire about anything contact Robert Kennedy at 204-297-4020 or rfkennedy61@gmail.com

See also: Rogers Rookie Tour

Community Center Tennis Fundamentals Program

Tennis Manitoba, in partnership with the Corydon Community Center, will be hosting an eight week Tennis FUNdamentals Program which starts January 16th, 2014.

Programs offered are open for all ages - kids and adults:

• Instructions for beginners, Thursdays 6-7pm 
• Instructions for intermediate level, Thursdays 7-8pm 
• Optional - Progressive Tennis League, Wednesdays 7-8pm (starts January 21st)

Instructors for the program are all certified by Tennis Manitoba, and equipment is provided.

Location: Crescentwood Community Center, 1170 Corydon Ave, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

For more information or to register please contact the Corydon Community Center at 204-488-7000 or email office@centralcorydoncc.com.

Mota Helping to Bring Tennis to Morden

By Tennis Canada

Located about 120 kilometres south of Winnipeg, the small community of Morden, Manitoba is home to three outdoor tennis courts. Thanks to Building Tennis Communities (BTC) champion Joaquin Mota, those courts are being put to good use introducing more of the town’s approximately 7,000 residents to the sport.

New to the BTC family as of November 2012, Mota has made great strides. His first task was to simply let people know tennis was available in Morden, which he did through ‘tennis try’ events, including at the town’s block party and at different church events. Now a year into the BTC program, Mota is happy to be involved and focused on his main goals.

“It’s going well so far,” Mota said while attending the 2013 BTC Conference in Toronto last month. “Our vision is to really work on developing a tennis population, but right now, my idea is to really make this available for all the kids – the girls, the boys, and the people with disabilities, so they can enjoy tennis and play tennis for life.”

A tennis fan who moved to Morden five years ago from Mexico City, Mota says he saw the potential of the town’s three tennis courts and wanted to make a difference. While perusing Tennis Canada’s website, he came across the BTC strategy, which provides financial and educational assistance to ‘community champions’ who work on developing quality tennis programming in their own communities.

Mota is now looking ahead at what needs to be done to ensure the continual growth of tennis in Morden and realize his vision, including making the sport available through the cold winter months that lay ahead.

“I think the next step would be a winter program inside the gym and getting more people involved,” Mota said. “And then, moving from only having the BTC support to making a Morden tennis association and developing someone else to take over later on and make it more sustainable as well. Because we are a small community, I think we have more chances to grow because people get more involved and they know each other. So those are my big next steps, but right now I want to concentrate on the winter program to make it great.”

Mota already has about 24 kids interested in the winter program, which will take place in the middle school’s gymnasium.

The future looks bright for the tennis community in Morden, and for Mota, just being able to do his part in offering the sport to the people in his town has been the biggest highlight of his still relatively new experience with the BTC program.

“I think being out there with the community and being able to propose another option of sport to the community is the main achievement so far,” he said. “To the kids who aren’t getting into hockey or the other activities, for them to know this is an option for them to participate in sport – I’m very proud of that.”

For more information about the BTC program and how to join Mota in growing the game of tennis across Canada, please click here.

Pound Recipient of Norwood Volunteer Award

Norwood Community Centre has recognized Brian Pound as the volunteer of the year for the Norwood Flats community. The award acknowledges Brian Pound's unparalleled dedication to growing tennis programming at the Norwood Community Centre, which includes tennis camps for local children, school and wheelchair programs.

Tennis Manitoba would like to congratulate Brian on his achievement and look forward to continuing to work with him and Norwood CC to grow the sport in Manitoba.

See also: Local’s love of tennis rejuvenates sport at Norwood

Local’s love of tennis rejuvenates sport at Norwood

Tennis instructor Brian Pound with some of the many kids who
attended a recent tennis camp through the Norwood Tennis Program.

By Adriano Magnifico, The Lance / Canstar Community News

The Norwood Tennis Program is in the midst of a huge resurgence. By the end of August, over 180 kids will have participated in its Norwood Community Centre Tennis Camps.

The popular camps focus on tennis, but include all kinds of sports and games, followed by a daily afternoon swim at the Norwood Flood Bowl pool. Wheelchair tennis players also participate.

Not long ago, the Norwood shale courts were a drab, deteriorating, weedy mess due to years of poor maintenance and lack of interest from the neighbourhood.

The once successful and busy courts needed a new champion.

Then along came Norwood Flats resident Brian Pound, whose commitment and tennis savvy turned the rapidly declining courts into one of Winnipeg’s tennis hubs.

Brian, an avid tennis player from Australia, immigrated to Winnipeg in 1992 and settled in the Flats with his family in 1997. He was disappointed that his neighbourhood courts had been left to ruin. He was determined to do something about it.

In 2007, he approached the Norwood Community Centre Board with a plan to restore the courts and create a viable tennis program for the community. With enthusiastic support from the board of directors, Brian secured over $100,000 in grants from the city, province and the General Council of Winnipeg Community Centres.

The Board requested a maintenance-free space, so asphalt was the way to go. Brian added colourful eye-catching Plexipave coatings that ensured durability and a better ball bounce.

Abandoning those shale courts was tough, even though they required much maintenance — weeding, dragging and watering the shale were daily labours. Folks from the early days talk fondly about that unique clay court tennis experience.

In our era of video games and smartphones, he believes that tennis is a great way to hook youth into being more active. "I want to expose kids to tennis in the hope that they become lifelong players. It’s fun, affordable and great exercise. "

Brian also offers progressive tennis programming for children of all ages. The tennis camps offer smaller courts along with different-sized balls and racquets for developing bodies and skill levels to ensure that players have success and enjoy the game immediately.

Mark Arndt, executive director of Tennis Manitoba, says while the sorry state of some city courts may be "driving people from the sport," Brian’s Norwood model offers a powerful exemplar for building tennis interest and participation in a local community.

He also knows that Brian is the driving force behind Norwood’s success. "Brian is an energetic, enthusiastic visionary for the sport. He is a champion in the tennis community," he said.

Check out http://www.norwoodcc.ca/sports/tennis for drop-in dates and times and more information about this emerging Norwood sport.

Tennis takes on hockey

Minna Rhee, Global TV Toronto, reports "In a new advertisement trying to get kids to play tennis, the sports’ marketing takes a shot at hockey."

See also...

> The Globe and Mail: Tennis Canada ads take light-hearted shot at hockey
> Toronto Star: Tennis Canada ads take a shot at hockey
> Tennis Canada launches “Let’s Make Tennis Matter for Kids” PSA Campaign

Tennis Canada launches “Let’s Make Tennis Matter for Kids” PSA Campaign

Public service announcements aimed at raising money for Kids Tennis programming set to air during Rogers Cup

July 31, 2013, Toronto – Tennis Canada announced Wednesday the launch of a national public service campaign promoting tennis participation for children across the country and the “Let’s Make Tennis Matter for Kids” fundraising initiative. The series of three spots are set to start airing during Rogers Cup presented by National Bank which takes place in Montreal and Toronto simultaneously from August 3-11.

The campaign plays off of the popularity of hockey, one of Canada’s national pastimes, in a light-hearted manner, using visuals that depict young hockey players in various states of disinterest with the sport and the tagline “Not all Kids in Canada want to Play Hockey.”

“We know that hockey in Canada is like a religion,” said Michael S. Downey, president and CEO, Tennis Canada. “But the truth of the matter is that not all kids are interested in lacing up their skates and hitting the ice for the first time. We want to ensure our sport is an option for those kids and their parents by increasing awareness and accessibility to Kids Tennis. This campaign and the resulting money raised will help us in achieving our mission of growing the sport of tennis across Canada.”

A public service campaign for Kids Tennis was launched in March 2012 which featured Canada’s top singles player Milos Raonic playing a young girl in a humorous spot. The goal of that campaign was to build awareness for Kids Tennis which uses slower balls, smaller courts and right-sized racquets to help kids learn the sport in a fun and easy way. This new series of PSAs is the next stage of that campaign and is aimed at raising mass appeal donations for “Let’s Make Tennis Matter for Kids” which will be used to expand Kids Tennis programming across the country.

Tennis Canada launched the “Let’s Make Tennis Matter for Kids” fundraising initiative in 2010 to allow for direct investment into Kids Tennis, giving all children a chance to benefit from the lifelong opportunities tennis provides. To encourage giving among tennis fans across the country, 14 passionate supporters have come forward and will match all donations made by December 31, 2013. Since its inception, the campaign has raised over $1.7 million, allowing more than 200,000 kids to try tennis for the first time.

The goal of the campaign is to break last year's achievement of $300,000 in donations for Kids Tennis programming.

Developed by Toronto ad agency Bensimon Byrne, led by creative director Joseph Bonnici, two of the three spots will start airing during Rogers Cup on Sportsnet, RDS and SRC with the third to make its debut during Canada’s Davis Cup by BNP Paribas semifinal tie against Serbia which will be aired on Sportsnet and TVA Sports. Additional credit for the spots goes to production house OPC, audio team Pirate Radio and editing company Married to Giants.

The campaign will also be reinforced on site at Rogers Cup in both cities with presence on the videoboards, in the Tennis Canada booth and in the daily drawsheet.

To learn more about Let’s Make Tennis Matter for Kids or to donate, click here.





See also: Tennis takes on hockey

Winnipeg Little Aces Tennis Festival

Stop by the Crescentwood Community Center on Wednesday, June 19th (5-8pm) for FREE kids tennis, hot dogs & prizes!

2013 Rogers Rookie Tour

It’s a lot to ask a young person to jump from entry-level tennis to the provincial competitive junior circuit. The Rogers Rookie Tour makes that jump more of a step, allowing children to play competitive tennis at an introductory level.

Tennis Manitoba has several Rogers Rookie Tour events on its 2013 schedule, which creates a player-friendly environment for children to be introduced to competition at a level suitable for their age and understanding. The matches are played with slower red, orange or green balls on smaller courts, using modified scoring. It is a fun way to start tennis and makes it easy for children to play the game, develop good technique and tactics and a love for the sport.

When sports are easier to learn, kids have more fun, gain confidence, and are more likely to continue to play. The Rogers Rookie Tour is a great place to start the passion for tennis that can last a lifetime.

To learn more about upcoming Rogers Rookie Tour events, please visit tennismanitoba.com.

> Rogers Rookie Tour

> Contact Tennis Manitoba

Success for Manitobans at Little Mo Internationals

Reece Carter and Marcello Audino at the
Little Mo Internationals in Florida.

Manitoba was well represented at the 6th annual "Little Mo" International Open tennis tournament that recently took place in December at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Eight year old Reece Carter, and nine year old Marcello Audino went deep into their singles draws, teamed up to advance to the finals in mixed doubles, and brought home championship trophies after claiming victory in their respective doubles events.

Both players made it to the quarter finals in their singles draws, with Reece falling to an opponent from South Africa and Marcello being knocked out by an opponent from Egypt.

In doubles, Reece and her partner from Toronto stormed to victory, capturing the 8 year old girls doubles title. The girls were able to defeat other teams from the USA, Egypt, South Africa, and Guatemala. Marcello Audino and his partner from the USA claimed victory by winning the doubles title for 9 year old boys.

When the Manitoba duo teamed up for the 9 year old mixed doubles event, they were able to get to the finals, eventually losing to the champions from Egypt.

Reece and Marcello greatly enjoyed their international tennis experience, and the young tennis phenoms are already planning their return to the Little Mo Internationals in December 2013.

Congratulations to Reece Carter and Marcello Audino for their success in Florida!

View photo gallery

About "Little Mo"
In 1953, a young girl named Maureen Connolly won the Grand Slam of tennis.  She was the first woman to ever capture this elusive crown by winning the Australian, French, Wimbledon, and U.S. Championships in one calendar year.  She was only 18 years old when she accomplished this magnificent feat. Maureen was known as the incomparable “Little Mo”.

The Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation has benefitted tens of thousands of boys and girls throughout the U.A. and the world during its 44 year history. The foundation runs multiple tournaments and programs including the "Road to the Little Mo Nationals" circuit (sectional/regional/national events for high performance players ages 7-11), and the "Mini Mo" tournament (for beginning players ages 5-10). Additionally, the foundation organizes the "Little Mo" Internationals-Forest Hills, New York (ages 8-12) and the Connolly Challenge Trophy, an international team competition between the top USA and British (girls 18 & under). For more information, visit www.mcbtennis.org

Kids team tennis leagues to start January

Kids tennis leagues will be starting up again this January at several locations throughout Winnipeg. The leagues are for children ages 12 years and under who are new to tennis. Participants can play right away due to the modified tennis format which uses slower balls, smaller courts, and right sized racquets.

Kids team tennis league details

• Tennis experience is not required
• Modified tennis equipment is provided
• Kids will be placed on a team with a coach
• League sessions also include practices
• Kids earn points for their team
• All participants receive a T-shirt and modified ball.

The Tennis Manitoba kids tennis leagues offer children the opportunity to develop their individual and team tennis skills in a fun, yet competitive atmosphere. For more information or to register, visit tennismanitoba.com/aces

Tennis Manitoba Player ID Camp

Tennis Manitoba will be running a Player ID Camp for juniors aged 10 and under. This camp is a Tennis Canada initiative aimed at kids who have tried tennis and who are keen to play more. The camp will be offered by top level tennis coaches in Manitoba and will be a fun experience for kids of all levels.

Along with the camp for the kids, there will also be a parents session to discuss the tennis programs in the province for those children that wish to become more involved in the sport.

For more details, visit tennismanitoba.com/aces

Rogers Rookie Tour visits WWC

The Winnipeg Winter Club hosted a Rogers Rookie Tour this past Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012. 14 kids played in this fun event for new junior tennis players. The event was a great success.

The Rogers Rookie Tour is an entry level competitive program designed to provide the novice player with a fun competitive experience. It provides juniors 4+ an opportunity to play in competitions which guarantees multiple matches.

Tour Highlights

• Boys and girls aged 4+ eligible to participate.
• All events are non-elimination tournaments for new tennis youngsters with multiple opportunities to play regardless of result.
• Positive learning environment to develop and display tennis and sportsmanship skills while competing against a variety of opponents.
• Each participant receives a Gift Bag care of Rogers!

For more information about Rogers Rookie Tours and the next event, please visit tennismanitoba.com/aces