RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women’s tennis team showed great love for their community as they welcomed 200 kids to a free youth tennis clinic at the Brownsville Tennis Center.
Students from schools across Cameron County joined the Vaqueros, including 10 Brownsville middle schools – Besteiro, Faulk, Garcia, Lucio, Oliveira, Perkins, Spartan, Stell, Stillman and Vela – that brought their teams.
The first hour of the clinic gave the young netters a glimpse into what a typical practice is like for UTRGV. The Vaqueros showcased a variety of drills, techniques, grips and, of course, the incredible energy they bring to the courts every day. The student-athletes were instructional and competitive, even going one-on-one against some of the brave participants after sharing some advice that helped them make their way to a NCAA Div. I team.
Women’s tennis head coach West Nott has made it a priority for his program to get involved with the community and regularly hosts free tennis clinics across the Valley to grow the game. Saturday’s clinic in Brownsville saw the largest participation in Nott’s five years at UTRGV and it was special to see.
“It meant a lot to see so many kids come out and to see them engaged and listening and wanting to take in the knowledge,” Nott said. “They were really soaking it up and they were energetic about the team aspect of it. It was really contagious, that energy between everyone. These events are a great way for the student-athletes to give back and be connected and to get people interested in coming out to our matches to see us compete in the spring.”
After the demonstration session, the Vaqueros challenged the groups to do their best team cheer on center court. UTRGV did its signature team huddle and chant to set the tone, and the participating schools showed enthusiasm to get everyone fired up for the second portion of the clinic.
Schools split off across 12 courts to do drills and compete, replicating some of the things they learned from the Vaqueros early on. Nott, assistant coach Maria Fernanda Gonzalez and the student-athletes roamed around the courts offering tips and advice and feeding balls to the participants.
Senior Lea Karren could be seen sharing her incredible knowledge with many attendees, often stopping as she walked from court to court to move a player’s hands or show them swings.
“It’s nice to share the experience we have. Some of the players don’t know the basic techniques and it’s important that we can give them some tips and bring them up to the next level and maybe make them great tennis players in the future,” Karren said. “I just want them to know the basic things so they’re starting out the right way. It’s simple tips but it can change their games and make them like tennis more.”
Karren and graduate student Isabelle Bahr are the longest-tenured Vaqueros and have been a part of many clinics during their time at UTRGV. They enjoy these community service events and hope they encourage tennis players across the Valley to continue with the sport and support the Vaqueros at their matches at the Orville Cox Tennis Center.
On Saturday, Bahr was back in her usual clinic role working with the younger participants who are new to the game. She is great at making it fun to learn fundamental skills, like hand-eye coordination or racket control, in the proper way and shares a plethora of knowledge.
“It’s special for us to give back. We want the community to feel supported and it’s fun for us to have them come to our matches and see what college tennis looks like,” Bahr said. “For me with these clinics, we have such a short time with them and it’s important for them to learn the basics, so I want to give them a good experience and get to know them and make it a fun time for them. That’ll make them want to come back to tennis more and pick up the racket as much as possible.”
UTRGV’s women’s tennis team will be hosting another free youth clinic Saturday, Oct. 28 at the HEB Tennis Center at Pendleton Park in Harlingen. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Please visit GoUTRGV.com/TennisClinic to sign up. The clinic is open to boys and girls ages 4 to 18 of all experience levels.
UTRGV will be hosting the men’s and women’s Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tennis Tournament in April 2024 at the HEB Tennis Center at Pendleton Park.
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