Local Sports

The Free Summer Youth Tennis Program received a large turnout of 55 participants Wednesday at Fun Forest Park.

The group included 15 beginners, 30 intermediates and 10 advanced players.

The beginner and intermediate classes stuck to a similar routine while the advanced concentrated on playing matches.

“The first two groups did a lot of interactive games because there were a lot of kids. They also worked on hand-eye coordination and a lot of movement,” said program instructor Marcus Koenig. “The advanced worked more on stroke technique and we played match play in the afternoon."

The program, in its 19th year, is sponsored by Tyler Parks & Recreation Department, Tyler Morning Telegraph and the Tyler Community Tennis Association. Free lessons will be provided until July 25.

The Summer Youth Tennis Program rotates each day, giving kids all around Tyler an opportunity to participate for one or all of the days. Sites include Pollard Park (Mondays), Bergfeld Park (Tuesdays), Fun Forest Park (Wednesdays), John Tyler High School (Thursdays) and Faulkner Park (Fridays). The time schedule is 9 a.m. for beginners, 10 a.m. for intermediates and 11 a.m. for advanced.

Anyone interested can show up at any site on any day. There are no pre-registration requirements. For more information, call 903-531-1377.