Tennis instructor Sibo Kangwa encourages a group of tiny tots during a clinic at the Barbara Manzo Tennis Center in Three Oaks Park. RANDY KAMBIC / FLORIDA WEEKLY
Tennis instructor Sibo Kangwa gently tossed colorful sponge balls one at a time to four children who easily swatted them back over the net on a recent late weekday afternoon at the Barbara Manzo Tennis Center in Three Oaks Park in south Fort Myers.
Nearby, parents gushed about how she instills early confidence in the sport and eye-hand coordination and more.
“Sibo said she usually doesn’t start kids at 2, but she did it for us last year and we’re so glad,” said Jennifer Zaleta of her and husband Julio’s daughter MacKenzie, who recently turned 3. Julio added, “It was a no-brainer to get her into this. Sibo is phenomenal.”
“She’s kind and loving, and makes it fun,” said Kelly Losada of her 4-year-old son Frankie’s participation in these regular clinics. “The kids just adore her.”
Meanwhile, a few courts away, Sibo’s husband Patrick showed a youngster proper forehand hitting form from the baseline with the aid of a ball machine. “If your arm is too far back, you’ll rotate too much instead of just moving forward in hitting the ball,” he explained. Exchanging volleys with sisters Jordan Scott, 9, and Jaylyn Scott, 8, directly followed.
Proud parents Sibo and Patrick Kangwa flank their daughter Thandiwe who was inducted into the Fort Myers High School Sports Hall of Fame on October 19. RANDY KAMBIC / FLORIDA WEEKLY
At the same time, a few miles away, Patrick’s brothers Fred and Stephen were giving tennis lessons to members of their respective clubs.
Such was an average hour in an average day for the Kangwas. From public parks to private clubs and from tots to seniors, the four natives of Zambia have been spreading tennis in our area for a quarter century, earning them USTA Florida Family of the Year honors in 2017.
Sibo has been director of the Barbara Manzo facility since January 2016; longtime director of the nonprofit Lee County Community Tennis Association’s programs at both Rutenberg Park and Wa-Ke Hatchee Community Center; and was girls’ tennis team coach at Canterbury School from 2014 to 2020, twice earning Fort Myers News-Press Coach of the Year honors.
Forest Country Club Director of Racquet Sports Fred Kangwa talks to some members during a recent women’s tennis clinic.
Along with clinics and lessons, the Barbara Manzo courts host open play, USTA youth and wheelchair tournaments and more. “It’s a beehive of activity,” exclaimed Sibo.
In her youth, while playing volleyball on the Zambia national team, she met and married Patrick Kangwa who captained and was the number one-ranked player on the country’s Davis Cup tennis team. She switched sports before they came to America in 1999 with Patrick becoming an assistant pro at the Dunes Golf & Tennis Club on Sanibel. He was then tennis director of The Landings Yacht, Tennis and Golf Club, in Fort Myers from 2000 to 2011, the year he assumed the same position at his current worksite, The Club at Rapallo at Coconut Point, in Estero.
Fred Kangwa, who also played on Zambia’s Davis Cup team and then competed on the men’s pro satellite circuit in Europe and the U.S., is in his 25th year at The Forest Country Club, in Fort Myers, now as director of racquet sports thanks to the addition of pickleball courts.
Patrick Kangwa, director of tennis of The Club at Rapallo at Coconut Point, plays with sisters Jordan Scott (left), 9, and Jaylyn Scott, 8, during a lesson at Barbara Manzo Tennis Center in Three Oaks Park.
“I didn’t think I’d become a teacher, but I’m so glad I did,” said Fred, crediting participating in USTA Zone junior training programs as the catalyst years ago. “It’s all about relationships.”
Stephen Kangwa is head tennis pro at the Seven Lakes Golf & Tennis community in Fort Myers.
Sibo and Patrick have also attended many USPTA early development workshops to keep adding new techniques and programs to their skillsets. Sibo cited how one edition focused on improving kids’ agility on the courts.
“Running on a tennis court is different than just plain running; you are anticipating where the ball will bounce while also preparing to hit it,” she assessed. “The earlier they learn this, the better,” she said, noting that she follows a USTA rating system to get each child into the most-appropriate skill group for lessons.
The Kangwa brothers conduct group clinics and individual lessons plus round robins and other tournaments along with coordinate league play for members of their clubs. Along with hosting youth tennis camps, Fred and Patrick also give back in other ways. Fred has supported Special Olympics with tennis fundraising events and The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program, with club members donating holiday toys for collection. Patrick has hosted several exhibitions by the FGCU women’s tennis team that encourage his members to attend the team’s home matches.
Francie Mourad’s son Julien and daughter Melana, who both trained with Patrick at The Rapallo club for 10 years, are on the Ave Maria University men’s and women’s tennis teams.
“When they’re on break from school, they want to see him,” enthused Mom. “They also often call him after their matches. The way he teaches, it’s not just tennis; it’s life lessons.”
“As a teacher, your value is in the ease in which you impart knowledge,” cited Patrick on his endeavor.
“We help each other out, share ideas and still learn from each other,” said Sibo of the family’s tennis dynamics.
Sibo and Patrick’s daughter Thandiwe, who was a three-time All-Area Tennis Player of the Year and earned four Fort Myers News-Press Player of the Year honors (two each in tennis and overall athlete categories) while attending Fort Myers High School, was inducted into the school’s Sports Hall of Fame on October 19. She played tennis for four years at Seton Hall University and is currently an executive with the Mount Sinai Health System, in New York City.
Dad wasn’t disappointed that she didn’t follow her parents’ path to be a tennis teacher. “She loves the game, but we knew a long time ago that’s not what she wanted to do in her career. She’s helping people,” he smiled. ¦