In an effort to provide top notched training for BLTA juniors, the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association extended an invitation to our top tennis junior athletes to participate in a Developmental Clinic last week. The Clinic focused on the development of some of our top female players. The full week high-performance Clinic was facilitated by Coach Jim Lavender of North Carolina. Emphasis was placed on shot selection, doubles play and strategy. In attendance at the clinic were: Sydni Kerr, Sydney Clarke, Sierra Donaldson and Afrika Smith, all of whom are junior national team members.
The Clinic comes as a follow-up to a developmental clinic held by the BLTA in December 2015 where approximately 30 children participated. The focus of these clinics is to develop the overall game of tennis athletes. Sierra Donaldson represented The Bahamas in the recent Fed Cup and Junior Fed Cup events. Afrika Smith participated in the Junior Fed Cup event. Sydney Clarke was a semi-finalist in 2015 JITIC 14U (ITF tournament), participated in JITIC 16U, World Juniors 2015 and in this year’s Junior Fed Cup. Sydni Kerr participated in World Juniors 2015 and 2015 JITIC 14U. Some have served on as many as 5-9 national teams. The individual attention and small intimate group allowed the players to maximize all the benefits offered.
The goal of the Association is to continue to raise the level of play as these athletes now prepare to catapult their tennis game to new heights. The BLTA intends to foster the environment for development and growth as more opportunities to sharpen skills become available.
Original Post Date: 01/06/2016
