TENNIS COACHING SCHOOL

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31768, 27 August 1968, Page 19

TENNIS COACHING SCHOOL

“Swivel, out and swing,” was a typical call from a professional tennis coach at Wilding Park yesterday when 74 young players were worked harder than they might be in a national championship final.

The 1968 Rothman's tennis coaching school, conducted by the Canterbury Junior Lawn Tennis Association, began at the park yesterday and will continue until Friday when it is hoped the 74 players will leave for their homes wiser and fitter.

Wilding Park seldom sees greater activity than it does for this school, being held for the second year in succession after a most successful first year.

Coaxing, Demanding The five coaches, coaxing, demanding, encouraging, stood out among the variety of colourful track suits at the park. Mrs T. Long, of Australia, once one of the world’s finest players, visiting the school for the second time, has a group of promising girls, including Canterbury’s leading juniors, Misses R. Legge and R. Dillon; Mr A. Salter. Of Hutt Valley, has a group of boys; and the manager of the school, Mr S. F. Clarke, of Canterbury, and Messrs D. Smith, of Auckland, and N. Hoskin, of North Otago, have mixed groups. The players, who come from Christchurch, Canterbury sub-associations, Southland, Otago, West Coast, Marlborough, Nelson and Hutt Valley, began residence

at the Christchurch Boys’ High School hostel on Sunday evening. They were taken to the courts yesterday morning by cars provided by the sponsor and by private cars to begin an exhaustive day’s coaching. Early Start They rise at 6.45 a.m. and they are at the courts at 9 a.m. for a session of physical fitness training. They then have three sessions of coaching with breaks for morning and afternoon tea and lunch before returning to the hostel. Each day is similar. Last evening a film was shown at the hostel, this evening a former national champion, Mr R. S. McKenzie, who is managing director of Slazengers (N.Z.), Ltd, will

lecture, another film will be shown tomorrow evening, the Olympic medallist, P. G. Snell, will lecture on Thursday evening, and a social evening will be held as a farewell on Friday evening. Well Organised The school has been organised to the last detail and any mistakes made last year have been rectified. Among staff assisting Mr Clarke are Miss J. Cromb, a resident chaperon, and Miss J. Bishop, assistant chaperon, Mrs M. Jackson, the caterer—those who attended last year had high praise for their meals—a physical training instructor from the Department of Education, and Dr W. J. Smith, honorary doctor. R. Webster, the leading Canterbury boy, is the boys’ captain, and Miss Dillon the girls' captain. Yesterday could hardly have been better for the start of the school, but bad weather has been prepared for. Messrs Clarke and R. B. Brown, chairman of the Canterbury management committee, were among those who last week marked out a court at the Royal New Zealand Air Force Base, Wigram, which will be used if Wilding Park is too wet. This sort of organisation

extends to instructions to players who are asked to be correctly dressed for meals and lectures, to be punctual, to keep beds and rooms tidy, and not to smoke.

The photograph shows Mr Clarke coaching his group in stroke production.