LCCTA 5th-Grade Tennis Block Party
Five Hundred Fifth-Graders Descend on Rutenberg Park in Fort Myers
The yellow buses pulled up at Ruttenberg Park in Fort Myers on May 2 and May 9, discharging hundreds of fifth-graders from 23 elementary schools in Lee and Collier Counties (view slideshow). The kids poured from the buses anticipating the fun they would find at the Lee County Community Tennis Association (LCCTA) Fifth-Grade Carnival/Tennis Block Party.
Nelson & Bessire Host Tennis Block Party
Had the 20 volunteers not been under the direction of veteran organizer and tennis Teaching Professional, Bob Nelson and USTA Community Coordinator, Susie Bessire, they might easily have panicked. But the volunteers did not panic. Working with 16 local United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Teaching Professionals, who also donated their time and expertise, the volunteers helped the kids learn to hit a tennis ball while having a ball. Teachers from the schools, and a number of parent chaperones pitched in to make the morning of tennis a fun, learning experience for the 500-plus fifth-graders.
USPTA Carnival Initiators
According to Bessire, USPTA Teaching Professionals started the Fifth-Grade Carnival over 15 years ago as a field trip to Sanibel, and the objective was to take each class on the court and introduce the kids to tennis. That simple and noble effort, which began as a charitable initiative by local USPTA Professionals, has blossomed into a collaborative community event among several entities.
USTA Funds LCCTA Block Party
Knowing that May is National Tennis Month as decreed by the United States Tennis Association (USTA), a time of year when the USTA sponsors tennis “block parties” all over the United States, The LCCTA sought and received funding from USTA Florida for the Fifth-Grade Carnival/Tennis Block Party. The LCCTA used the funding to help publicize the event throughout Lee County, and the effort (and funding) paid off.
Lee Parks & Recs a Willing Partner
As has typically been the case with many of the LCCTA’s tennis initiatives, Lee County Parks and Recreation (LCPR) joined the effort by reserving all eight courts and the parking lot for the duration of the “block party.” In Bessire’s words, “I love the Lee County Parks people. They’re great!” That sentiment is no surprise given that Deputy Director of Lee County Parks and Recreation, Barbara Manzo, is one of Southwest Florida’s staunchest tennis advocates.
With the LCCTA, USTA Florida, USPTA, LCPR, and community volunteers working together, hundreds of Lee County fifth-graders had the opportunity to spend a morning learning and participating in healthy physical activities that emphasized fun and teamwork. Each school divided their fifth-graders in to four or five teams, and those teams competed against the other schools in attendance.
Every Child a Winner
Consistent with modern youth sport psychology postulates, only the team scores were recorded, so that all kids who participated felt like contributors, rather than individual winners and losers. Given the cheers as the scores were announced, there was little doubt that the intent was realized.
One never knows from whence the next tennis phenom will emerge. Perhaps he or she will have sprung from the seeds planted during the LCCTA’s Fifth-Grade Carnival/Block Party. Kudos to all who contributed to the many smiles that exploded on the faces of future Lee County tennis players on those two mornings in Rutenberg Park.
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