PEQUANNOCK - It is said that tennis is the type of sport that once learned a person could keep up for as long as they choose. It can be played at various levels, competitively or recreationally, featuring two or four players. As a player gets older and perhaps slows down, they are still able to participate versus other lovers of the game with similar skill sets. It is in that vein that tennis coach Kathleen O’Halloran of Butler comes to Pequannock to spread the word about the game she loves so much.
"Pequannock used to have a much larger group of tennis players but it has petered out," says O’Halloran. "We’re now trying to build it right back up again. I’m getting to know all the kids. In fact, some of these kids, I taught their parents."
Once taught how to play the game properly, it will afford players the opportunity to play the game for as long as they choose.
"I think you can play tennis forever that’s the great thing," says O’Halloran. "Your skills change, you’re not going to be as fast, but what you do have is your wisdom so you know which shots to hit if you can’t get to the ball quickly enough."
The attendees at this weeklong camp sponsored by the Pequannock recreation department that took place in Greenview Park, was comprised of some that had played before and others that were picking up the racket for the first time in their young life. That’s all right, according to O’Halloran, everyone has to start somewhere.
"We have kids ranging from first grade to ninth grade," says O’Halloran. "We have a few playing for the first time but most of them have taken lessons at the rec department before, so they are returning."
The lessons taught here are more rudimentary then advanced, but hopefully a seed will be planted in the kids that will allow them to become tennis enthusiasts. Forehands, backhands, overhead smash, volleying, and serving were all taught and more importantly, repeatedly practiced. This was a hands on, do it yourself kind of camp where the emphasis was on playing, not just theory.
"We’ve been learning all the shots and also how to score games," says O’Halloran. "How to make your position in a game, racket faces open or close, deuce, all the lingo that goes along with the game."
O’Halloran feels that everyone can have fun playing tennis and with this camp, she is doing her best to enlighten what she sees as the future of the game.
"I never played before now I’m getting into it and really enjoy it," says Steven Nacinovich. "I know how to play racquetball and since this was another racket sport, I wanted to try it."
"I’ve gone to soccer camp and a regular summer camp but this is a really good camp because there’s a lot of running around and you meet a lot of good people around your age," says Alanna Vanwingerden
