Organisers hope to see the Tennis Australia Expertise Mix turn into “an actual huge occasion yearly on the calendar for our younger juniors and aspiring professionals”.
Brisbane, Australia, 28 September 2023 | Leigh Rogers
Organisers have labelled the inaugural Tennis Australia Expertise Mix a significant success.
Sixteen athletes, aged between 13 and 15, took half in the four-day occasion which concluded at the moment on the Queensland Tennis Centre.
There have been additionally training periods for fogeys and personal coaches throughout a jam-packed schedule.
“It’s been an amazing occasion,” mentioned Ben Pyne, Tennis Australia’s Nationwide Participant Help Program Supervisor.
“It’s been nice to see all of the personal coaches, dad and mom and gamers coming into one place to coach and actually check themselves towards one another.
“We’ve had quite a lot of enjoyable too. We’ve performed a excessive ropes course and many difficult issues like an escape room. It’s been nice to see everybody on the market competing and actually working collectively to see Australian tennis actually develop.”
Elijah Dikkenberg throughout a Tree High Problem at Mount Tamborine. Image: Tennis Australia
In keeping with Pyne, all athletes made the a lot of the alternative.
“They’ve are available in with an amazing perspective and actually tried to check themselves,” he mentioned. “It’s been a very nice development alternative for everybody.”
Paul Vassallo, Tennis Australia’s Director of Expertise, believes the camaraderie between the athletes is encouraging.
“We got here right here with a reasonably excessive expectation of what we needed to see and what we thought the athletes would get out of it,” Vassallo mentioned.
“All of them obtained alongside nice, which is admittedly optimistic, given the actual fact they’re hopefully going to be collectively for an additional 10, 15, 20 years.”
> READ: Athletes mirror on classes gained at Expertise Mix
Vassallo was additionally impressed with the athlete’s on-court performances.
“The matches have been fairly excessive depth, particularly given the actual fact they weren’t taking part in for a trophy or factors or a score,” he mentioned.
“It’s been actually spectacular to see them go on the market on daily basis and compete actually arduous.”
Vassallo was additionally pleased with the extent of engagement from dad and mom and coaches all through the mix.
“There’s been quite a lot of data going again to the dad and mom and quite a lot of questions again from the dad and mom, which has been actually useful,” he mentioned.
“The extra questions we get, the extra we will take into consideration our companies and the way we will present for the athletes and the coaches.”
> READ: Coaches endure “eye-opening” training at Expertise Mix
The plan is for the Expertise Mix to turn into an annual occasion.
“We are going to do it once more subsequent 12 months. We’ll in all probability simply have a look at the timing,” Vassallo mentioned, revealing they’d possible look to carry the 2024 occasion earlier.
“If we will seize all the info and supply all of the training that we’ve now so deep into the 12 months, if we will get that to the subsequent cohort of gamers a lot earlier in 2024, then I hope we’d be a good distance forward by the top of the 12 months as in comparison with the place we at the moment are. This has been a great 12 months, however we wish to make subsequent 12 months even higher once more.”
Pyne added the aim is to make the Expertise Mix “an actual huge occasion yearly on the calendar for our younger juniors and aspiring professionals”.
“We’ll be taking a look at inviting the 2010 start 12 months subsequent 12 months, so for the 2010 gamers on the market, get your self prepared and begin coaching arduous,” he mentioned.
> READ: John Millman evokes athletes at Nationwide Mix
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