YEAR ENd 2008 - Ontario Tennis Association

to the Championships. Since the championships
have been held and supported
at this prestigious site, participation
has soared. Now there are more than
6,000 tennis players across Ontario
who play on High School Teams. The
growing participation in our new
National Universities and Colleges
Championships, also held at the Rexall
Centre, is also an indicator of the recent
growth of the game in Ontario school
boards.
In the fall of 2008 the Ontario Tennis
Association, supported with funding
from The Trillium Foundation,
launched its new “Cardio-Tennis” program
for schools called “Give Tennis
a Shot”. Cardio-tennis combines the
concept of cardiovascular exercise and
tennis. The Tennis Industry Association
in the USA has provided great promotional,
instructional and research for
running cardio-tennis programs in tennis
clubs and at public tennis facilities
for adults, however, they had not specifically
looked at adapting the program
for children and schools and young
players. It was necessary for the OTA
to undertake a thorough design and
piloting process to test the applicability
of cardio-tennis in the school environment.
The OTA, with the help of guidance
from Michelle Krause of Tennis
Industry Association, the parent group
for Cardio Tennis around the world, was
able to get the program approved for use
in schools.
Cardio Tennis 4 Kids
The Cardio Tennis 4 Kids schools program
offered by the Ontario Tennis
Association is modified to accommodate
children ages 6-16 years of age. The
program is designed and customized to
fit a wide variety of skill levels.
The goal of the Cardio program is
to challenge the fitness level of each
participant with tennis related games
and drills. Participants will feel they
have finished a great workout, while
being given the opportunity to improve
their tennis game or enjoy a first time
exposure to the sport. Participants can
monitor the effectiveness of their efforts
through the use of heart rate monitors
or pedometers. The program has three
sections (warm-up, cardio, and cool
down), and is designed to run for one
hour.
Depending on the available facilities,
the Cardio Tennis program can be
implemented both in a gymnasium and
on a tennis court. The indoor version is
recommended for children ages 6-12, to
a maximum of 25 participants at a time.
On a tennis court, it is recommended to
have 6-8 participants per court.
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