| Description: | Area tennis professional has great hopes for sport |
| Text of article: | Area tennis professional has great hopes for sport
By Susan Scala Anderson
ALTOGETHER NOW--Tim Calhoun watches as Julie Stine demonstrates the follow through for the backhand groundstroke. Pictured above from left to right, Julie Stine, Wendy, Candace Temple, and Kate Karter.
"I'd just like to do all that I can to promote tennis enthusiasm in the DeRidder area", says Tim Calhoun, a tennis professional who has already begun doing just that.
Calhoun first became interested in tennis at age thirteen when his family moved from a dairy farm into town. When asked about his early tennis experiences, Tim says, "I just hung around the courts near my house constantly and played with anyone who walked up". It was not until his junior year in high school that Tim began playing competitive tennis, as he had missed try-outs both his freshman and sophomore years. After playing number three on the team his junior year, Tim came back to play number one as a senior during his senior year he really became dedicated to the sport.
Before starting school at Kansas Newman College in Witchita, Kansas where Calhoun received a tennis scholarship. He spent 'part of the summer after graduation playing tournaments in the Houston area. This proved to be invaluable tournament experience, and reaching the semi-finals in two tournaments and the quarter-finals in two tournaments and the quarter-finals in one. It was also this summer that he won the DeRidder open.
Calhoun played number one and two on the Kansas Newman tennis team, during the two years he attended. Helped coach a high • school girl's tennis team. It was not until he attended the Dennis Van der Meer Tennis University in April of '79 that he gained confidence in his teaching ability. "I believe the week I was at Van der Meer I had more fun than I can ever remember. You work hard, but it's
great!"
It was after Van der Meer that Calhoun's real teaching experience began. He was hired as Assistant Teaching Professional for River Plantation Country Club in Conroe, Texas, in this capacity he was responsible for the Junior Tennis Players (under 18) and for setting up their Junior League matches with other Country Clubs in the Houston area. As an Assistant Teaching Professional, Calhoun also spent many hours on the courts instructing students of all ages and abilities.
In January of 1980, Calhoun moved back to DeRidder, and has been working hard ever since. It seems to be teaching techniques as well as his continuous enthusiasm and encouragement that impress his students the most. Bev Schweitzer and Susan Levin students of Calhouns who are taking their lessons together, like the way each stroke is broken down into simple, understandable steps, so that they learn to hit the ball properly from the very beginning. This aspect of instruction is one of Dennis Van der Meer's proven methods of teaching proper stoke production to even the youngest students. Ed Michael Reggie feels that he learned a great deal in just the initial six half-hour sessions with Calhoun, and he hopes to continue with the instruction in the near future. As the case is with many private students, Ed Michael finds it hard to locate others at his level of ability to play with, and he knows that in order to improve, he must practice as often as possible.
Calhoun prefers to initiate beginners into the sport through group lessons, as he feels this makes learning more fun, as well as giving students others at their
same level to play and practice with. Beginners start by signing up for an initial block of six half-hour sessions which include step-by-step instruction of the forehand and backhand groundstrokes, serve and volley. After completing this first block, the student should have a general understanding of the basics of tennis. The second six-session block is used for stroke refinement, and the third would get into tennis strategy. Of course, as a student progresses, he or she might choose to take private or semi-private lessons in order to work on specific aspects of his or her game. By this time, the student would understand what he or she was doing when the ball is hit, and they would be able to concentrate on weaknesses in their game.
Calhoun has great hopes for the future of tennis in the DeRidder area. He would like to see a Tennis Associa-
tion started and plans to continue running tournaments as often as possible. He also hopes to establish ladder play for anyone who is interested, both men and women. This type of continuous competition would help
keep the tennis players active, and hopefully it would offer competition at all levels. "Tennis is a sport for all ages and abilities, and by learning the basics, anyone can find enjoyment in playing the game."
DEMONSTRATION--Tim Calhoun demonstrates the back hand volley to Jane Presley during her lesson. |
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