Visiting teen offers free tennis camp for young players
<p><strong>Peter Anderson,</strong> 17, instructs participants during Upward Tennis in Lakeside. Anderson organized the free recreational tennis program to teach youth the basics. Participants also received free tennis racquets and balls to continue after the program ended.</p><div> </div>
<p>Emma Berreth, 10, takes a swing at a tennis ball in Ben Williams Park in Lakeside during Upward Tennis.</p>
Seven local youngsters lined up behind 17-year-old Peter Anderson on Wednesday to learn and practice a forehand tennis stroke at Ben Williams Park in Lakeside.
They were participating in Upward Tennis, a free recreational tennis camp for youth held last week. In its first year, a total of nine participants learned and practiced basic skills through drills and games.
Upward Tennis was organized by Anderson, a California teen who spends summers visiting relatives in Lakeside.
“My mom grew up here and my grandparents still live here,” Anderson said.
Having played tennis recreationally since he was young, the high schooler saw a tennis camp as a great community-service project and had his brother help with coaching.
“I’ve been involved in tennis probably since I was 8 years old. I did a rec-center program a lot like this and it really prompted me to continue,” Anderson said.
Anderson said the camp was an opportunity to introduce the sport primarily to 11- and 12-year-olds since a tennis program already existed for children 10 and under.
He chose Ben Williams Park for the camp to bring more awareness to its tennis courts. Having played tennis there with his brother, he thought the courts were under-utilized.
“I noticed that these beautiful tennis courts were built and I never saw them being used,” Anderson said.
He’s been planning the camp since January — ordering racquets, making court reservations and purchasing insurance.
Most of the participants were practicing strokes with new tennis racquets, which they were able to keep along with new tennis balls.
“Sportsman & Ski Haus was kind enough to donate a couple hundred dollars worth of balls, so that was very generous of them,” Anderson said.
Anderson used his own money from working to purchase the racquets. Providing each player with equipment was an important part of Upward Tennis’ mission to motivate participants to continue playing after the camp.
Anderson said they were learning forehand and backhand strokes Wednesday. He then lined them up to teach volleying skills.
“So, a volley is when the ball comes over the net and you hit it before it bounces onto your side of the court. What we have been doing so far are ground strokes, when the ball bounces and then you hit it,” Anderson said. “So we’re going to start in our ready position. Let’s do it all together.”
Twelve-year-old Johan Buzzard mimicked Anderson’s movements. Buzzard, who is new to tennis, said he enjoyed the camp and coaches and plans to continue playing.
“I’m going to finish this and when I’m done my dad has a racquet at home, so I think we’re going to be playing here,” Buzzard said.
The camp also drew some intermediate players, including 10-year-old Emma Berreth.
“I’ve played for about five years, so this is just kind of like review for me,” Berreth said.
During a break, participants picked up tennis balls and dropped them into a bucket before gathering around Anderson.
“Hopefully, I’ll do a camp next summer and hopefully you guys will have enough fun to come back,” Anderson said them.
Nodding their heads, each replied, “I’m coming back.”
For more information about Upward Tennis visit www.upward-tennis.org.
Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.