TENNIS AND LEADERSHIP CAMP A BIG SUCCESS!
The Fort partnered with St. Paul Urban Tennis, Innercity Tennis, Her Next Play, and USTA Northern to put on a pilot Tennis and Leadership Camp for middle school girls from August 11-14, 2020. The Fort sent six students from our after-school TennisWorks programs, plus coaches Tooli Wilkins and Ally Baker. The goal of the camp was to create an all-female space to play, connect, and reflect. 100% of participants said the speakers and coaches created a brave space throughout camp.
Below is an overview of this empowering experience!
MONDAY – CREATING A BRAVE SPACE
ON COURT ACTIVITIES: Groundstrokes
OFF COURT ACTIVITIES: Creating a Brave Space workshop led by Her Next Play (HNP) founder and President Sara Wegmann
LUNCH SPEAKER: Amanye Reynolds (Macalester tennis player and SPUT alum)
In Monday’s Creating a Brave Space workshop, the girls created a list of expectations to establish a brave and safe camp culture for everyone. They listed qualities and skills of a leader, as well as qualities and skills that an athlete possesses. There were many qualities and skills that appeared on both lists. The girls agree: tennis creates leaders!
TUESDAY – IDENTITY AND INTERSECTIONALITY
ON COURT ACTIVITIES: Volleys
OFF COURT ACTIVITIES: Identity and Intersectionality conversation facilitated by Gustavus Adolphus Assistant Director of the Center for Inclusive Excellence, Janet Jennings, and The Fort’s own Ally Baker
LUNCH SPEAKERS: Helena Way (USTA Northern Junior Play Assistant), Tooli Wilkins (Fort coach and UNC Greensboro tennis alum)
In Tuesday’s Identity and Intersectionality workshop, participants discussed the intersections of their various identities, including race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, mental health, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, mental/physical ability, and body type. The girls then considered how these different identities impact how we are perceived by the world around us, as well as our daily experiences.
WEDNESDAY – PLAY BOLD
ON COURT ACTIVITIES: Serves & Doubles
OFF COURT ACTIVITIES: HNP Play Bold workshop facilitated by Sara Wegmann, Malini Wijesinghe (Bradley University tennis alum)
The Play Bold workshop was centered around the power of self-talk. The girls contrasted how they see/talk to themselves with how they would talk to a friend in moments of failure or difficulty. This exercise illuminated that we are our own toughest critic. The girls were then asked to come up with positive self-talk statements to tell themselves instead. Some even shared theirs in front of the group.
THURSDAY – SEE US
ON COURT ACTIVITIES: Approaching the net
OFF COURT ACTIVITIES: Her Next Play SEE US workshop facilitated by SEE US Movement founder and SPUT Communications Coordinator Courtney Place
LUNCH SPEAKER: Alexa Lehman (South High School Head Coach)
In Thursday’s SEE US workshop, Courtney facilitated a conversation about underrepresentation and sexualization of female athletes in the media. The girls shared times in their lives when they have been judged on appearance rather than ability; this sparked more conversation about gender and race, which built on what they had learned in Tuesday’s workshop.
FRIDAY – CONFIDENT COMMUNICATION SKILLS
ON COURT ACTIVITIES: Doubles point play
OFF COURT ACTIVITIES: HNP Confident Communication Skills workshop
LUNCH SPEAKERS: Our middle schoolers, presenting their own Play Bold Pitches
The camp concluded with Play Bold Pitches from the middle schoolers. Those who chose to share spoke into a microphone in front of all of the camp’s participants and coaches. We were blown away by their courage.
Here’s an example of a Play Bold Pitch from one of our very own students Iara:
“Tennis is fun for me because it’s a way for me to calm down and have fun. I play bold by going up to people and talking to them. I lead by being myself and inspiring other people to be themselves too. Someday I hope to be really good at tennis, like backhands, forehands, and serves.”
Here are some noteworthy post-camp responses from participants:
- 100% of participants said they had fun at Tennis and Leadership Camp.
- 100% of girls said the speakers and coaches created a brave space at camp.
- From Monday to Friday, we saw a 49% increase in agreement with the statement, “I have a voice in the tennis community.”
- At the end of the week, the girls reported an 8.8 out of 10 when asked to rate their agreement with the statement “I consider myself an athlete.”
- One participant wrote, “[I learned] that playing a sport can really help with building more courage within yourself.”
- Another participant wrote, “I learned it’s okay to be me, wherever I am, even if people judge me.”
- One of our Fort students provided a heartfelt critique on the final afternoon of camp: “Make camp last a month instead of a week!”
