Military
Tennis in the Parks/Military Outreach Veterans Day Initiative
Public parks have played a huge role in making tennis more accessible to children and their families. In fact, 70% of tennis is played on public courts and tennis is the only traditional sport that has shown growth over the last eight years. Sustain this growth by inviting military and veteran families to join your tennis community and host a Play Day on your courts. They’ll have fun, make new friends, and keep coming back for more!
Click here for more information!
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Tennis is more than just a game. Tennis is a pathway to better physical and emotional health. Whether Active Duty, National Guard, Reserve or Veteran, our military adults and children can enjoy the benefits of the healthy and fun game of tennis. It’s easier than ever to join the USTA family and get yourself and your kids into the game today. Click here to learn more about how the USTA supports military families. Click here to register with the USTA and use the source code MILITARYJR. Click here to receive your FREE hat. Click here for the flyer. |
USTA/Virginia Tennis has joined forces once again with USTA’s Adopt-a-Unit program...
Join the effort in 2013 to help our deployed military service members…
USTA/Virginia has adopted a fourth military unit!!!
Detachment 19, Alpha Company, 48th Combat Support Hospital (pictured below), is a medical unit out of Ft. Story in Virginia Beach. They are supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Kuwait and Honduras in 2013.
USTA will be sending them nets, balls and rackets and USTA/Virginia will collect and pack their “goodie” bags. Help us meet the goal & support our hometown hereos! Items can be donated at any USTA/VA event, or request for larger donations/items to be picked up by a USTA/VA staff member. Contact Shell Wood at CLOAKING for pick-up information.
Click here for more information on our Adopt-a-Unit campaign!
Wounded Warriors
The Wounded Warriors Tennis Program in Virginia connects both USTA/Wheelchair Tennis and USTA/Adaptive Tennis to provide tennis programming for our disabled military personnel.
The take away from conducting a USTA/VA Military Tennis program is basically a three-fold goal. The player, the teaching pro and the military base that hosts a program will all benefit from getting involved in wheelchair and/or adaptive tennis. From the player’s perspective, there are three domains that a physically disabled person can tap into: rehabilitative, recreational, and competitive. Players can pick and choose what kind of relationship with the sport they want and how far they want to take it. From rehabilitation, the player certainly benefits from not only the physical aspects but also the psychological benefit, one of risk taking, is experienced in a positive way. Recreational benefits are physical, mental, social, psychological and wellness. And finally, if the player chooses, they can take the sport all the way to the Paralympics.
Tennis benefits both mind and body. Physically, playing tennis helps to improve balance, mobility, agility, strength, fitness, and to burn calories.
Mentally, tennis works on one’s focus, concentration, and reactive and problem-solving behaviors.
Emotionally it can promote self-confidence, instill feelings of success, relieve stress, and provide social outlets to meet new friends, enhance relationships, or experience great family outings.
These benefits are so much more important for those with disabilities, in special life situations, or with special circumstances.
For people with special circumstances or disabilities, these benefits are enhanced with new elements added to success as typically defined. A different way of looking at some benefits is as follows:
- Tennis is for everyone and the game of tennis can be adapted to accommodate any age, environment, condition, or disability
- Tennis is fun
- Tennis provides a venue for positive social interaction
- Tennis participation enhances self-esteem and self-confidence
- Tennis is good exercise and improves overall fitness
- Tennis improves flexibility, strength, and weight control
- Tennis helps develop eye-hand coordination and body control
- ...and finally, Tennis can be played for a lifetime.
USTA/ Adaptive Tennis’ goal is to promote and develop recreational tennis opportunities for individuals with differing abilities and circumstances through inclusion, knowledge, and support, and by providing, where needed, adaptive programming, equipment, and teaching techniques.
USTA/Virginia Tennis Organizations Incorporating a Military Tennis Component:
Fort Belvoir – Junior Tennis Camps, Intramural Tournaments, 10 and Under Tennis programming, Junior programming, Adult programming, Tennis Festivals, Play Days
Fort Eustis – Tennis Festivals, Junior Programming
Fort Monroe – Tennis Festivals, Junior programming, Adult programming
Fort Myer - Tennis lessons, Camps, Officer's Club Tennis Memberships
Resources
USTA Military Summer Newsletter
USTA/Mid-Atlantic Section Military Tennis
USTA/Virginia Military Tennis News
For more information or to get your military base involved, contact Shell Wood at CLOAKING .
