Tennis, everyone? County acts to get more kids playing

Momentum slowly has been building around an effort to increase access to tennis among Charleston County children, and organizers hope the end result will benefit students socially, academically and physically.

School district, city and community leaders have been meeting since last year to talk about ways to expand tennis among schools, and the culmination of their efforts will be the inaugural Superintendent's Cup Tennis Tournament, an event designed to kick off Teacher Appreciation Week, promote healthy living and encourage tennis participation.

The Charleston Tennis Initiative began last year when School Superintendent and tennis enthusiast Nancy McGinley learned that Burke High School didn't have a girls' tennis team. The school has strong athletes, but students need to begin playing tennis before high school if they are going to be competitive, she said.

Her realization eventually developed into broader conversations about what could be done to engage more low-income students in tennis, and it led to the formation of the group that's been discussing ways to expand tennis opportunities to county schools.

McGinley said she hopes the effort will attack the issue of youth obesity and build a pipeline for high schools to field tennis teams.

"What we're trying to create is a movement that will change the landscape of the tennis communituy," said Brian Burke, tennisdirector for St. Andrew's Parks and Playgrounds and planning team co-chairman for the Superintendent's Cup.

High-poverty schools that haven't fielded teams in the city's tennis league, schools such as St. James-Santee Elementary, Frierson Elementary, James Simons Elementary and Fraser Elementary, found the support they needed this year to establish student teams.

Lerah Smith-Lee, principal of St. James-Santee Elementary in rural McClellanville, said she had a vision for her school to have a tennis team since courts were built there more than three years ago, and this is the first year that idea has become a reality.

Twelve students play on the team, and Smith-Lee said it's making a phenomenal difference in their lives.

Children whose parents don't have transportation are given the chance to see different parts of the county through matches, and they're meeting students from different backgrounds, she said.

She hopes the game will help break racial barriers and open up opportunities for them to be successful academically and athletically.

"It's just a blessing," she said.

The Superintendent's Cup is open to county schools and district employees.

Peggy Bohne, tennis manager for the Charleston Tennis Center and tennis coordinator for the tournament, said she hopes teachers have fun because if they enjoy the sport, they'll be more likely to promote it to students and get them involved, she said.

Besides the tournament, the U.S. Tennis Association has committed to helping Charleston develop a community-wide tennis facilities plan, and McGinley said she hopes their involvement will turn into financial support to bring smaller, kid-friendly tennis courts to rural and inner-city areas.

School officials also are exploring a partnership with Charleston County Park and Recreation to build these smaller courts by the district donating land and the parks commission covering construction costs.

Reach Diette Courrégé at 937-5546 or dcourrege@postandcourier.com.