At 7 years old, Josh Hunt stands just six inches taller than an adult-sized tennis racquet.
That’s why Karyle Kramer and Teresa Wheeler wanted to launch QuickStart Tennis at South Whidbey Elementary School.
“It was just our love of tennis that moved us to do this,” Kramer said.
Kramer and Wheeler cut a ceremonial ribbon to open the courts Wednesday at a grand opening that also featured Jan McNeely, the school’s PE teacher, and principal Jamie Boyd.
“There’s a lot of attention being paid to childhood obesity,” Wheeler said. “This is our way of helping kids get healthy.”
The courts at the elementary school are for kids 10 and younger, and three courts with painted lines are located in the covered play area. Two are completely covered, while the third is partially covered. The nets are movable, so the play area can be used for other activities as well.
Kramer said she would like to leave the nets out during the school year, but will likely bring the nets in the morning and leave them for use at recess. The school will then work with the Parent-Teacher Association and Playground Pals to have supervisors at recess for the courts under the covered play area.
“It gets kids on track with a lifetime sport,” Wheeler said.
The South Whidbey Parks & Recreation District worked with the school to implement the program. Kramer and Wheeler received grants from the United States Tennis Association to purchase the equipment.
But when the grants expired in December and they couldn’t paint the lines on a freezing court, they had to look locally for help. Kramer said Jerry Foreman painted the lines in his spare time.
Kramer and Wheeler are tennis instructors with the parks district. Both have more than 20 years of tennis instruction experience and went through USTA coaching clinics. They offer QuickStart classes starting in September through the parks district.
QuickStart is part of the USTA. The court is smaller at 36 feet long and 18 feet wide. The racquet is smaller, between 19 and 25 inches. And the ball is larger and softer, about the size of a large apple.
Kramer, daughter of South Whidbey High School tennis coach Tom Kramer, said the benefits of tennis extend far beyond the littlest ones on the court.
“It’s a family sport,” Kramer said.
