West Michigan Community Tennis in Grandville, highlights mental health awareness and national tennis month with programs aimed at the youth.
GRANDVILLE, Mich. — West Michigan Community Tennis (WMCT) is a non-profit in Grandville that offers free introduced cost tennis programming to make tennis more accessible for the community.
WMCT is part of the National Junior Tennis & Learning Program which implements an education curriculum for its student athletes.
“We have to have education in our programs and so we started with tutoring and we were helping kids with their homework, but we really started to see such a need for mental health education in the youth,” said Caroline Phillips, the Director of Education and Marketing.
“It gives them an opportunity to take part in a program, that’s bigger than themselves,” said Lindley Arnold, the boys’ and girls’ tennis coach at Kelloggsville High School. “So, they get a chance to meet other students, learn the game of tennis, they’re learning how to work with other players, how to communicate on and off the court, and working on being friends in the community.”
Arnold says he enjoys working with the students because it gives him a chance to give back to the game of tennis.
“Because at one point, I was that student as well. I was first starting off playing tennis and learning from coaches, whether it was on the team or people in the community that taught me the game of tennis,” Arnold explained.
Phillips says it’s a joy working with students of all ages, on and off the court. Where on the court, she relives her glory days, having played the game as a child, playing through college and also coaching middle and high school. Following her collegiate athletics, her academic career led to her obtaining her master’s in social work.
“So, when this started happening, this partnership with the mental health foundation happened, I was like, this is for me. I get to teach tennis but also use my social work background and help the youth as well,” said Phillips. “These programs that we’re doing are changing kids’ lives, and it’s been so cool to see.”
Jontae Longmire, a senior at Kellogsville High School says he’s been playing since his freshmen year.
“It like, keeps my mind at ease. Homework can be stressful, high school can be stressful, but I always know I can go play tennis and don’t have to think about any of that,” said Longmire.
Phillips says seeing the students grow in their skills, but also in their own confidence, is what the program is all about.
“Having parents reach out and say, ‘hey, I’ve seen my kid not only grow in their tennis skills, but my daughter has struggled with depression and seeing how you’re supporting her, seeing her mental health improve,’ this is more than a tennis class,” said Phillips.
“Yes, it is definitely a big stress reliever, because when school gets too much or something at home, you can just come to the court, and everything just falls away,” said Mackenzie Vanhouten, a junior at East Kentwood High School and captain of the girls’ tennis team. “I love that it’s an individual but team sport at the same time. I have a bunch of teammates, and I get to cheer them on, but I also, love hitting every ball, so I get to do that and have them cheer me on, but then also get to be a part of a team atmosphere.”
Phillips says seeing the students from different schools coming together forming bonds, in a time where many kids are isolated or may have lost their social connection, is a reassuring feeling that West Michigan Community Tennis is doing its part in helping the youth in West Michigan.
WMCT offers free programming at the Grandville club and coming up in the summer, they’ll have reduced costs programming through Grand Rapids Parks & Rec.
