The children gathered around coach Phil Harder in excitement.
Some, gripping their tennis racquets in eager anticipation, listening as the coach described the next game they would play. As Harder spoke to the kids, his high school volunteers played a few light rounds as they waited to work with the group in their next activity.
During the past four years, the Green River High School Tennis team has hosted tennis clinics to introduce the sport to Green River’s youth. The clinics take place during the winter and summer months, during the team’s downtime. For Harder, it’s not just an attempt to grow his high-school tennis program.
“I enjoy watching kids having fun playing the sport I love,” Harder said.
Harder has played tennis for nearly 20 years, first picking up the sport when he was in eighth grade. Before he started hosting the clinics, there wasn’t an avenue available for children to learn the basics of the sport. When joining the tennis team, Harder said many players joining the team never played before.
One of Harder’s volunteers, Haylen Cordova, also enjoys watching the children play and learn the sport. She said tennis is a small sport at the high school, but is excited to see them learn.
“It’s hard to get the kids wrangled up, but it’s fun to see them pick up the sport,” she said.
Harder said he’s expecting to see some of the middle school kids from the team’s first clinics to start joining the team next fall. With those students joining, Harder will begin overcoming one of the biggest challenges the tennis program has continually faced.
“They’re not going to come in not knowing how to play,” he said.
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