The summer season for the St. Paul Tennis Club is at the midway point and instructor Carolina Escamilla, a former varsity tennis player at the University of Kentucky, says both kids and adults are learning new skills while also having fun.
Escamilla, who’s originally from Colombia, joined the local tennis club as instructor a few months ago after a teaching stint in Toronto. She has since visited schools in the Lakeland area to show students some necessary skills to play the sport.
“There’s a lot of kids with good athletic abilities,” Escamilla said. Some of the kids from the schools have joined the St. Paul club and are continuing to improve their coordination while also learning about proper conditioning, she added.
With a few months of tennis under their belts, the instructor would like to focus more on helping kids develop skills, but at the same time not letting go of the fun factor. On the adult side, however, players are keen to learn more.
“They’re really enjoying it. There’s around 22 people in total,” she said about the two adult groups within the club. “I have them twice a week. With them, I’m able to teach more technique. The goal is to learn the basic stuff so they can come out and play with someone else later on.”
The idea of a clinic for adults is floating around, but for now the focus is on the tennis camp for kids, which starts next week. Escamilla also said the club plans to host a tournament near the end of August for adults and kids in the beginner and advanced levels.
From July 10 - 13, the club will be hosting a summer tennis camp that will focus on improving tennis specific skills, recreational play and conditioning. There will be three different camps based on age groups, with five to seven-year-olds and eight to 10-year-olds taking part in the mornings on the first two days.
Those who are 12 to 16 will participate in the camp on all three days during the afternoons. The camp will be held at courts next to the golf course and registrations can be made via email at [email protected] or [email protected].
Registrations will also be available at Zarowny Motors or at the Town of St. Paul office. For more info, call Escamilla at 645-9444 or Casey Enriquez at 645-8183.
