Tennis instructors Bitrus Isifanus and Philip Raeburn had barely moved beyond checking attendance Friday when they divided the four middle school girls and began hitting a few easy shots across the net to each one.
“Just hit a forehand shot back to me,” Isifanus said to the two girls on the opposite side of the net from him. “I just want to see where you are and where we need to start.”
Isifanus, the tennis pro at the Eden YMCA, was joined by Raeburn and former McMichael tennis coach Steve Spencer last week to provide free clinics for middle school and high school girls at Western Rockingham YMCA. The lessons were co-sponsored by the Eden and Western Rockingham YMCAs, and the Madison-Mayodan Recreation Department.
Thad Shermer, athletic supervisor for the recreation department, said the idea for the clinics came from Barry Mabe, CEO of the Eden and Western Rockingham YMCAs.
“He wanted to hold something over here to provide a good foundation for some of the girls in our part of the county before springtime gets here,” Shermer said. “We basically just helped register the girls for the clinics.”
In addition to the four middle school girls in the 2-hour morning session, five girls attended the afternoon session for high schoolers.
“I think things went well for this first clinic and it worked out well to come during teacher work days,” Shermer said.
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