The sport of tennis continues to enjoy a renaissance here in Osoyoos.
Only weeks after being formed, members of the Osoyoos Tennis Club (OTC) have agreed to team up with the town’s community services department to offer summer tennis camps for junior players. The first of two camps will take place from Monday, July 17 to July 21 for players between the ages of six and 12.
A second camp will take place from Aug. 8-11 for players ages six to 15.
Gerald Davis, the town’s director of community services, said he contacted the leaders with the OTC and they quickly volunteered to get involved by helping organize and run the junior summer camps.
“We approached members with the new tennis club in town … and they said they wanted to help,” said Davis. “I think it has been something like going back 10 years that the town offered junior tennis camps, so we’re hoping there will be good response.”
Sam Dimou, one of the founders of the OTC and club secretary, said numerous members have jumped on board and are more than willing to assist by lending their tennis skills to the juniors who will be attending the summer camps.
“We will try and get five or six members out every day of the camp to help out … and I know a couple of volunteers have already said they will be out at least two or three days during the five-day camps,” said Dimou. “We’ve been pleasanty surprised that our membership has grown to 25 members already and we’re getting one or two new members signing up with each passing week.
“When our members found out the town was going to be putting on a junior tennis camp, we had no problems at all recruiting members to get involved.’
The junior tennis camps will be all about teaching the basics of playing tennis, said Dimou.
“Our job is to be there and help out … as long as the kids are having fun, that’s what really matters,” he said. “We will try and keep things simple and teach the basics and go from there.”
Dimous has lived several years in Osoyoos and admits he’s never seen the tennis courts adjacent to Osoyoos Secondary School as busy as they have been since the OTC was formed several weeks ago.
“The courts have been very busy with our members, but if someone comes out who isn’t a member or some of the tourists in town want to use the courts, we’ll always try and make sure they can access court time,” he said. “I think we’re going to be close to 30 members very shortly and those are fantastic numbers considering we just started the club a few weeks ago.”
Davis said if the junior tennis camps are a success this summer, he sees no reason they won’t become a fixture in the future.
Registration can be made online by visiting the town’s website at www.osoyoos.ca.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
