Last weekend the Guyana Tennis Association (GLTA) in collaboration with sponsor, Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI), started its free tennis summer camp for both children and adults at the GBTI Tennis Courts located opposite the Diamond Hospital. The camp had one of the largest number since its beginning, with persons young and old from all walks of life. There were a great atmosphere of light moments mixed with some hard work.The sessions were absolutely free to the public and were held daily from 15:00hrs to 18:00hrs and will progress for another two consecutive weekends.
Tennis-Caption-President of GTLA, Jamal Goodluck with participants and coaches at the Diamond Camp.
Guyana over the years has steadily made strides to regain its once top ranked position among the leading Caribbean countries for the game of tennis and bringing it back to the days of regularly hosting and winning famous regional tournaments such as the Brandon Cup. There is greater push to encourage communities to be active and build that closeness around the sport. President Jamal Goodluck at the opening ceremony expressed the joy he felt at the gathering of over 50 persons. He thanked the bank who was represented by the Manager, Surendra Samdass for their many years of continuing the tradition and providing an opportunity for children to discover their abilities. As he noted, “you never know where the next Serena or Nadal will come from.”
Therefore, the tennis camps increase awareness of the sport as the association aims to increase participation and foster volunteerism, which will undoubtedly build Guyana as a nation while promoting a sport that is both fun and invigorating. One need not to know to play tennis, since there are competent coaches that engage children and adults in the basic of the game and provide fun activities that give a good physical workout. The most anticipated activity, the mini competitions, provided the public with an opportunity to put their skills to the test as they simultaneously had fun in the competitions of playing against each other. There will be a competition at the end of the camp which seeks to involve beginners and provide a space for the community to interact.
The Guyana Lawn Tennis Association thanks GBTI for facilitating this summer program offered by GLTA and coach Andre Erskine. If anyone is interested in playing Tennis or joining the Guyana Tennis association, please [email protected] or look for Guyana Lawn Tennis Association on Facebook.
