One of the amazing parts of living in a small town like Cloverdale is that often, if you build it, they will come. That’s exactly what Tani Hatcher, mother to four active children, did when she created the Cloverdale Kids Tennis Club this summer.
“For the last three summers, I would take my kids to the tennis courts and have them play and try to hit the ball. I have never played tennis but my kids really enjoyed it so I brought them to the courts every Wednesday morning. The regular adult tennis group in the neighboring courts saw us and started giving us some pointers and even donated junior sized rackets and balls,” said Hatcher a longtime resident and active community member in Cloverdale.
“When friends and family started asking about our tennis meetings and showing up to join us, I knew it was time to reach out to other children in the community. We don’t have a parks and rec department in our town that can offer summer lessons, and most of the organized sports for kids in Cloverdale are organized by involved parents.”
Realizing the interest in tennis for kids in the community was growing, Hatcher took to Facebook and created a page called the Cloverdale Kids Tennis Club. She invited all interested kids and encouraged others to spread the word. Hatcher was able to keep the price low at $11 per child, which included a team shirt and seven tennis “practices,” as she called them.
“I didn’t call them lessons,” she said with a laugh, “because I am not a trained tennis player. But I knew that each week that I could gather other volunteers who are talented tennis players to help teach these kids the basics and make it fun.” In total, 26 kids joined the group and showed up each week with good attitudes and a racket. They played and learned the game of tennis.
“I couldn’t be more proud of these kids and the whole experience,” Hatcher said with a smile. “The community of Cloverdale is so special because we really believe in our kids and giving new opportunities a fair shot. We may not have all the amenities or rec centers available to us, which we sure could use, but we do have involved, caring parents and people who are so supportive.”
Numerous scholarships were given by anonymous donors to ensure that any child who wanted to play, regardless of cost, could join the group and have a junior sized racket and balls to play with. Hatcher plans to organize the group again next summer.
