FTA Newsletters
FTA in the News
Tennis Making A Racket
January 27, 2007
At 17 degrees on a January day, one would think hockey would be the sport of choice among local youth.
But some local kids are choosing the tennis court over the ice rink as the sport becomes more popular in Fairbanks. In the last five years, all five area high schools have developed tennis teams, and there is a junior high program open to sixth- through eighth-graders in the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District.
To keep up with the interest, the Fairbanks Tennis Association on Friday welcomed instructor Gail Benzler, community tennis coordinator with the U.S. Tennis Association Pacific Northwest. Benzler spent Friday morning conducting a workshop for area tennis instructors before turning the instructors loose on a group of students at Barnette Magnet School.
“We would like to get tennis in as many places as possible,” Benzler said.
Fairbanks Tennis Association received a grant from the U.S. Tennis Foundation for expanding tennis at Barnette, a program the group would like to implement at other area schools. The semester-long program emphasizes sportsmanship and academic achievement along with tennis skills. Matthews said it’s a nod to a quote from tennis legend Arthur Ashe: “For every hour spent on the playing field, two should be spent with a book.”
Matthews said the grant requires that students involved in the tennis program spend a certain amount of time each week with a tutor hired specifically for the program.
“It’s not just about the athletics,” she said. “It’s about the total development of the kid.”
Staff writer Margaret Friedenauer may be reached at 459-7545 or mfriedenauer@newsminer.com.