Westbury’s high schoolers haven’t had the chance to play tennis for their school in years. In a few months, that’s set to change.
The Westbury school district is slated to bring a boys’ and girls’ tennis team to the high school in the fall, said Kevin Boston-Hill, the USTA-certified coach who will help coach the team.
The district is working in collaboration with the sports education non-profit Aspiration Concepts, headed by Boston-Hill, to develop and run the high school team. It will compete as both a JV and Varsity team depending on competition availability in the Nassau County Public High School Athletic Association against other local schools.
To help kick off the program Boston-Hill is bringing a week’s worth of tennis lessons to each of the district’s elementary schools, starting with coordination and tossing lessons at Dryden Street School’s kindergarteners last week.
“We’re teaching the basic foundational skills of tennis, then progressing to showing them how to hold the racket, different positioning, how to serve forehand vs. backhand,” said Boston-Hill, who added that the district plans to incorporate tennis units in elementary gym classes next year to support the growth of the program through the entire district.
“I think this is just such a great opportunity to engage our students in becoming lifelong athletes and in developing habits and personal growth,” said Dryden Street School Assistant Principal Dr. Christy Baralis.
“Champions have to start somewhere,” she added. “Future U.S. Open and Wimbledon champions could be right here at Dryden.”
Boston-Hill, who brought the week-long introductory program to Drexel Avenue School this week, will take it to Powells Lane School next week and to Park Avenue School the week of May 12.
Currently, the district has girls’ and boys’ tennis teams at Westbury Middle School, which Boston-Hill said was reactivated this past school year.
The CEO added that he may help coach those teams next year while integrating STEM-focused lessons into the program, like teaching physics through the game and providing academic support to athletes.
Boston-Hill said Aspiration Concepts helps to bring sports and the arts to underserved towns and school districts. Through its partnership with the USTA, the organization will provide coaching and equipment to the district at no cost or a low cost.
Though he and Baralis were unsure of when exactly the district’s tennis team was discontinued, they thought it had been roughly 10 years since the high school had a tennis program.
“We’re really seeking to create an additional sport opportunity for different underserved communities,” said Boston-Hill, who added that his organization was working to hold community-wide tennis clinics in Westbury and other nearby villages. “We just want to make sure that not only the students but also their families get involved in a fast growing sport.”
Tryouts for the Westbury High School tennis team will be held next academic year.
