The 2012 Summer Program
Program Details
Dates: June 18th - July 27th, 2012 (Total of 6 Weeks)
Extended Program Dates: July 30th - August 10th
Classes offered:
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MTWHF
8:15 - 8:55 a.m. |
5 & 6 year olds |
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MTWHF
9:00 - 9:55 a.m. |
7 & 8 year olds |
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MTWHF
10:00 - 10:55 a.m. |
9 - 12 year olds (beginner) |
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MTWHF
11:00 - 11:55 a.m. |
9 - 12 year olds (intermediate) |
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MTWHF
12:00 - 12:55 p.m. |
13 & up (beginner) |
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Tues/Thur
1:00 - 3:00 p.m. |
Jr. Team Tennis for intermediate and advanced 12 - 18 year olds(limited sites) Option to add on Mon/Wed drills for $15 more. Locations: Harding HS, Highland HS, Central HS and Como Park HS |
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Class sizes will be limited
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Students are grouped by age and ability
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Due to overcrowding at some sites, priority will be given to those families in closest proximity to the courts with transportation challenges.
Skill Level Definitions:
Beginner = not much experience with tennis, will learn basic stroke production, how to score, and work on sustaining a rally.
Intermediate = has prior tennis experience and is able to hit all the basic strokes (forehand/backhand/volley/serve). Should be able to rally a ball over the net.
If unsure what skill level your child is at, we recommend starting them in the beginning group and talking to the coach during the first week to determine if he/she is placed appropriately.
COST: $85 one child, $140 two children, $165 three or more children in the immediate family.
No child will ever be turned away because of an inability to pay!
Site Locations
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2012 SITES |
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Arlington/Arkwright |
College Park |
Como Park HS (JTT) |
Hamline U |
Langford |
Washington Tech |
North Dale |
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Duluth & Case |
Battle Creek |
Dayton’s Bluff |
Harding HS (JTT) |
Conway |
Hayden Heights |
Hazel Park |
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Baker Park |
Cherokee |
Highland HS (JTT) |
Homecroft |
St. Clair |
St. Catherine U |
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Central HS (JTT) |
Edgcumbe |
Groveland |
Mattocks |
Merriam |
Linwood |
MLK |
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Click here to see all our sites on a map. |
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Macalester closed for court maintenance. |
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Family Fun Night - Friday, June 15, 4:00 - 7:00 pm
Are you new to the program or just looking to learn a little more about what to expect this summer? Make sure to attend one of our program kick off events at any site location. You'll get a chance to meet the coaches and ask questions while your kids hit the courts for supervised play. Drop-in to check things out and pick up a Parent Packet or stay all evening. Racquets available for use. All ages are welcome.
What Makes The SPUT Program So Unique?
The Saint Paul Urban Tennis Program was created to give the children (especially at-risk youth) of Saint Paul a chance to build character through tennis. Each and every day, we incorporate life lessons that can be applied off the court into our on-court tennis programming. This unique formula provides our kids with the opportunity to develop their skills as tennis players, and more importantly, to develop into healthy adults. Our kids are introduced to a lifelong activity that keeps them active and healthy, and our special touch helps set them on a path for success into adulthood.
Unique Components of SPUT
1. Program is delivered in the neighborhoods
2. Life-skills are taught every day
3. QuickStart Tennis Program Format
4. Outreach Program
5. Developing Future Leaders
1. The summer program is delivered "in the neighborhoods"
One of the most important components of the program and a big reason for its past success is that the summer program is delivered right to where the kids live. Much of the population that SPUT serves is in low income neighborhoods, meaning the parents are not home to shuttle the kids around during the day.
Because of SPUT's long-time relationship with the City of Saint Paul, roughly 30 tennis court sites are used to deliver the core summer program each year. Over 80% of the kids who play tennis in Saint Paul each summer either walk or ride their bikes to their summer "tennis and life" lessons. Additionally, we started bringing tennis to sites without tennis courts through our Outreach Programs in 2010. We're proud that no matter where you live in Saint Paul, you have access to a nearby SPUT program location.
2. Life Skills are taught every day
One of the most unique and important additions to the "tennis lessons," is the exposure of every child to our character development and life-skills training program during each and every weekly session. In 2010 the Life-Skills Curriculum was redesigned and updated.
The delivery of the life-skills was woven into each lesson through story telling. This method of delivery was much more engaging for the students and more importantly, telling the story was much easier for the instructors as well. Because of this, the students, staff and families were much more engages with the life-skills piece of the program. Nutritional components were also added in 2010, if you would like a detailed explanation of the Life-skills training curriculum click here: www.sput.us/life-skills-training.php
3. The QuickStart tennis philosophy
The Saint Paul Urban Tennis Program utilizes the QuickStart Tennis format that was developed by the United State Tennis Association. QuickStart takes a new and better approach to introducing kids to the game. Balls are lower in compression; they bounce lower and don't move as fast so they are easier to hit.
Racquets are sized for small hands, and the courts are smaller and easier to cover--all that equals more fun, less frustration, and more "playing time" instead of waiting in lines. What this all means is that kids of all ages get a chance to actually play and compete in games of real tennis. For a detailed explanation of The QuickStart Program click here: www.10andundertennis.com
On the court, match play is the focus. Many of the life skills discussed each day are greatly enhanced when discussed in terms of competition. Tennis is the physical vehicle used to promote these lessons. Winning gracefully, losing with integrity, never giving up and being a teammate who makes the rest of the team better are all topics discussed with the kids. We've moved away from the kids standing in lines to take turns hitting balls and focus on partner and group activities that quickly teach kids how to serve, rally, and score.
4. The Outreach Program
In 2010 we created an "Outreach Program that focused on bringing our "tennis and life" program to low cost housing areas in Saint Paul A large majority of the tenants in these projects are non-Caucasian, primarily African-American, Hispanic, Hmong, Somali and Vietnamese. The SPUT program was delivered to 22 "non-tennis court sites where an additional 1,400 children were introduced to the SPUT Program
5. Developing Future Leaders
In 2010, sixty-one percent of SPUT instructors were once participants in the program. This is important because these instructors become role models for the young kids in the program. They grew up in the same neighborhoods and attended the same schools. The instructors know the challenges these kids face, and in addition to providing tennis instruction, they also provide valuable leadership. For a full description of the leadership/mentoring program click here: www.SPUT.us/mentor.php
