SOLON — Nearly 30 kids from ages 4-to-14 participated in a three-day tennis camp last week put on by the Solon Recreation Dept. at the Nature and Recreation Area.
Rec Director Dylan Sloan taught the 40-minute sessions (divided into three age groups: 4-6, 7-10, and 11-14). He previously taught tennis for four-to-five years while working for the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Department.
“Once I got here (to Solon) I looked into our programming and what we offer to the youth, and I saw tennis missing. So, it was something I really wanted to bring in. I know there were some high schoolers who got together and made their own tennis club, so there’s nothing ‘formal’ for tennis in the area.” Some kids, he said, go to Iowa City or North Liberty for tennis lessons. “My idea was to try to bring it into the community of Solon.” Dylan opted to teach the first program himself while attempting to build the program while seeking a future instructor.”
Currently Solon does not have a high school tennis team, which mean means student athletes compete with Iowa City-City High through a program sharing agreement. However, the day may come when Spartan tennis is a thing. “Someday, there very well could be. You start bringing in a youth program and getting kids involved and loving the sport, and once they get older, they’re going to want to play it. If we can get enough kids, there might be Spartan tennis in the future.”
During the sessions Dylan incorporated challenging yet fun drills to instill the basics.
“We’ve got some good kids here, they’re always eager and ready to play. With it only being a 40-minute session, three-day camp, it’s very introductory.” Dylan said his goal was to get them used to the fundamentals of a forehand swing (younger), and a backhand swing (older). “It’s mostly just getting them out here and having fun and building that love for the sport.”
Solon’s fledgling tennis programming received a financial boost as John Terpkosh, the Service Representative for the Missouri Valley Section of the U.S. Tennis Association (USTA), awarded Dylan $1,000 recently. The USTA is the national governing body for tennis, and a leader in developing and promoting growth of the sport at all levels from local communities to the US Open.
Miles Einwalter makes contact with the ball.