The tennis courts were filled with young elementary-aged athletes on Friday afternoon, going head-to-head in a number of matches that put their tennis skills to the test.
The participants had all taken part in this summer’s tennis camps, picking up new techniques and working on the skills they had learned at past camps.
In the end, it would be Cruz DeMoissac and Daniel Wiebe that would compete in the A-side final, with DeMoissac coming out on top. On the B-side, Eve Michaud and Matthias Agnemark would match up in the final, with Michaud winning that game.
This year’s summer camps started in July, with St. Paul Tennis Club members having the option of choosing two of the four weeks being offered. The third week of tennis camp wrapped up on Friday, before the tournament took place, and the last week of the camp will begin Aug. 14.
Because of the interest in the camp, two lessons are being offered during the last week, and both are already full, according to Noah Shankowski, the coordinator and coach of the program.
While one of the lessons will be a smaller group, it will be lead by 12-year-old Nicholas Beaudoin, and will be the first time Beaudoin runs a lesson on his own. Although he may be young, Beaudoin’s skills are clear and he’s already been helping run the summer camp program since last summer, alongside Shankowski.
Beaudoin is an avid tennis player who competes at provincial events, most recently winning the consolation side in the U14 category at a tournament in Edmonton, in July. Beaudoin says he became interested in the sport after watching it on TV, and also watching his dad play.
Beaudoin is confident as he helps the younger athletes, some being only a couple years younger than him. He says he would encourage people to try out future camps for the simple reason that they’re “fun,” and “you learn new stuff.”
Beaudoin says he plans to continue helping with the summer camp program for many seasons to come.
The tennis season in St. Paul will come close to wrapping up after the adult tournament takes place during the Aug. 18 to 20 weekend. Anyone interested in getting involved with the St. Paul Tennis Club next season can contact Shankowski at (587) 252-3343. The club is always welcome to new members joining.