I definitely haven’t been present very much the last few years with tennis on the Coast, and that needs explaining. Ever since moving here around 9 years ago I have been involved with tennis to various degrees, always trying to find the balance of lifestyle and work and never quite getting it right.
I moved here for a more relaxed lifestyle and at times I found myself working full time and coaching on top of that which definitely didn’t leave a lot of spare time to enjoy the Coast. Other years I cut back on ‘normal’ employment and focused more on coaching, but it would only take a month of rain in Spring (like now!) and I’d be struggling financially. I also had a few years with a bad back injury that made even standing painful, this definitely lessened my involvement.
Then Autumn comes and most families drop tennis for winter sports like a hot potato and this makes it difficult to be a viable business all year round. Tennis coaching on the Coast doesn’t seem to make smart business sense when the clubs are only active with coaching 16 weeks of the year, but I’m back giving it another go, and really looking forward to it!
The seasonal participation of sports on the Coast was very different to where I’d come from. In Christchurch most families wouldn’t commit to more than one summer sport and one winter sport (possibly due to logistics and depth of competition), and it was normal for players to continue training through winter, especially if they are at representative level.
I’m hoping that with some involvement again, families on the Coast can once again see the value of coaching and private tuition. There is a big world of tennis outside of the Coast ‘bubble’ and it would be great to see more dedicated players emerge, and then chase some dreams! There has previously been large groups of juniors playing at all clubs, strong representative teams involving players from all clubs and some depth to the interclub competitions in both juniors and seniors. Now for the most part, a lot of this has disappeared. I get it that life has got busy, money is tighter, children have more options, and the xbox doesn’t help either. However, spending a few hours a week playing tennis on a great summers day revitalises the soul, keeps oneself healthy and creates community connections!
This time around I have some flexible work from home options that I can do when the weather is poor, or when it’s the off-season. This should balance out the variable tennis seasons. I also have restringing on offer so don’t forget to get that racquet ready for the upcoming season!
The weather at present may not seem like tennis weather but the season is here. With the club’s about to open for registrations over the next few weeks, it is time to get things sorted for this season. Need some refresher lessons or a restring? Dust that racquet off and send me a message.
Happy hitting,
Vaughan