Women Main Women Tennis is a ardour undertaking for Mary-Anne MacDonald and her daughter Lillian Pappas, an initiative that has helped develop the sport in Nova Scotia whereas offering an surroundings for women to develop a love for tennis, and a pathway to foster robust management expertise.
Their efforts haven’t gone unnoticed, they usually had been not too long ago named one of many inaugural recipients of the newly established Recreation. Set. Fairness. Group Tennis Grant introduced by Nationwide Financial institution.
GLG Tennis got here to fruition as the results of Pappas, who began enjoying herself at 9 years outdated, getting a gaggle of her pals collectively to placed on some Strive Tennis occasions for women. They proved to be fairly common, and Pappas rapidly realized that it could possibly be one thing larger. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, she and her mother determined to construct a extra structured program with weekly periods all year long that would come with mentors to assist encourage the brand new, youthful gamers who joined to remain in tennis.
“I feel one of many issues that’s actually essential for women in sports activities is having a gaggle of ladies they’ll work with and what we did for our program was we made it girl-centric, and we got here up with issues that may make women motivated to play and likewise assist them enhance. That is what made our program distinctive,” defined Pappas, Co-founder of GLG Tennis.
A complete of 80 women between the ages of 6-18 who’re from the Halifax and Bedford areas participated in GLG Tennis this yr and had been divided into 5 completely different teams: purple ball, orange ball, inexperienced ball in addition to U10-14 and U16-U18 aggressive teams. MacDonald, who’s at all times in search of methods to create areas for ladies, and Pappas be sure that GLG is current in as many various communities as potential to maximise this system’s attain. Pappas, now 16, leads all the on-court periods together with the mentors and has been doing so since she was 12.
A technique that GLG distinguishes itself is its method to the youngest purple ball group. It includes a warmup routine with music that entails tennis footwork to assist make the ladies extra comfy. In addition they use ribbon racquets after they first begin to allow them to mirror the actions extra naturally. Because the gamers develop up and enhance, they advance by means of the completely different teams, and a few even transfer into the competitors stream. Pappas has seen how most of the women have grown in confidence since taking over the sport and the way proud they’re to let everybody know they’re tennis gamers.
Discovering Inspiration in One One other
Beforehand, Nova Scotia had only a few U12 and U14 women enjoying tournaments with no one else within the pipeline. As we speak, they’ve 16 gamers competing in these age teams and GLG Tennis is a giant motive why. Pappas and the opposite mentors assist the ladies put together for the occasions and have begun figuring out areas the place particular person gamers want help.
A number of weeks in the past, Nova Scotia’s personal Joni Colburne, who’s a GLG mentor, captured the doubles title on the Fischer U12 Nationwide Indoor Cup in Calgary and likewise completed second in her singles spherical robin group, a formidable achievement contemplating the province’s prior historical past.
Along with rising the pool of gamers, GLG Tennis can also be growing the following technology of feminine coaches due to its mentorship program. It’s essential to have these position fashions for the brand new, youthful faces to look as much as. It’s simply as essential to offer alternatives for women to grow to be leaders and expose them to a profession path they could have considered unattainable.
Working Collectively
Pappas and MacDonald used the funding from the Recreation. Set. Fairness. Group Tennis Grant to placed on a showcase occasion in March to advertise GLG Tennis and invited gamers from all 4 Atlantic provinces. In addition they introduced in coach Laura Pola from the Mount Royal Tennis Membership for the event to assist practice the mentors. A complete of 90 gamers took half and it was an opportunity for the 5 teams of GLG to return collectively, work in unison and share priceless experience amongst themselves. It additionally allowed the ladies to see the completely different ranges which can be attainable in the event that they keep the course.
What does the long run maintain for GLG Tennis? Pappas and MacDonald at the moment are collaborating with Tennis Nova Scotia who’ve proven a robust perception in this system from the beginning. Collectively, they are going to look to enhance the format getting used to maneuver gamers from purple ball to orange ball to inexperienced ball to the aggressive stream. They’ve additionally created video sources for different provinces which have proven curiosity in working one thing much like GLG Tennis. The purpose is to have foundational help in place to finally have it run on a nationwide stage.
“My mother is my position mannequin and I’ve liked working along with her and none of this could have occurred with out her. I simply get actually comfortable every time I’m on the courtroom as a result of I really like serving to all the ladies, I really like seeing them comfortable. I really feel actually proud every time I consider what we’ve completed,” stated Pappas about GLG Tennis’ rise to prominence.
Not solely are Pappas and MacDonald fostering the expansion of tennis in Nova Scotia, however they’re additionally giving women a way of goal in addition to a much-needed house the place they’ll make a distinction and be ok with themselves and for that, they’ve each motive to really feel a way of gratification even when they’re simply getting began.
