Tennis players start competitive season

WINDHOEK – First National Bank has been the financial backbone behind tennis development in the country since 1997, when the Namibia’s Tennis Association started the School Tennis Initiative (STI) mini-tennis programme.

Ten years later, and still with the support of First National Bank, the tennis season has started brilliantly for schools participating in the Junior Tennis Initiative (JTI) programme for children under 10 years of age who compete in the STI programme and for players over 10 who compete in the Performance Tennis Initiative (PTI) programme. The year’s first STI mini-tennis tournament in March boasted a field of ten schools, with 12 teams and a total of 96 participants battling it out for gold and silver places.JTL Beukes Primary School from Rehoboth, whose dominance over the past 10 years in mini-tennis tournaments is well established, was once again victorious.Suiderhof and St Paul’s Primary shared the second place.The head of the JTI, Elizma Nortje, gave these schools credit for their persistence over the years and for the enormous improvement they have made over the past year.Orban, the Convent, St George’s, Windhoek Gymnasium, WAP and Eros Primary were fierce contenders and emerged as schools with great tennis potential.The PTI tournament was the first of its kind in Namibia.It is a tournament designed to assist players in making the transition from mini-tennis to real tennis.Five schools and a total of 40 players competed, playing their first event on a full-size tennis court and using transitional tennis balls.Orban Primary pleasantly surprised everyone with a solid team performance, grabbing the gold medal with 452 points, while Windhoek Gymnasium was runner-up with 401 points.Third place went to Suiderhof Primary; fourth place belongs to AI Steenkamp and fifth to Van Rhyn Primary.”All credit must go to the teachers.They are the secret of the success of this programme,” remarked Nortje, who actively promotes the training of teachers in schools throughout the country.”I feel very strongly that the better you are able to equip, motivate and inspire the teachers, the better results you will produce.”This past month Nortje conducted teachers’ workshops at Keetmanshoop, Mariental, Rehoboth, Gobabis, Outjo, Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, working to identify the needs of the teachers and various schools and helping them with the practical skills, games and tennis drills they need to teach mini-tennis and performance tennis.”The positive response and hunger to learn more about tennis and how to teach the game to students is overwhelming,” she added.By supporting tennis development in Namibia, First National Bank is investing in the future of young tennis players.FNB also encourages young players to establish sound financial practices by offering them savings opportunities.First National Bank’s commitment to tennis development in Namibia makes it possible to train hundreds of teachers and players so that they can enjoy the game of tennis, a game they can play for life, she said.With a fully packed tournament schedule and regional workshops throughout the country, the success of this programme is tremendous and the future for tennis in Namibia has a firm foundation.The year’s first STI mini-tennis tournament in March boasted a field of ten schools, with 12 teams and a total of 96 participants battling it out for gold and silver places.JTL Beukes Primary School from Rehoboth, whose dominance over the past 10 years in mini-tennis tournaments is well established, was once again victorious.Suiderhof and St Paul’s Primary shared the second place.The head of the JTI, Elizma Nortje, gave these schools credit for their persistence over the years and for the enormous improvement they have made over the past year.Orban, the Convent, St George’s, Windhoek Gymnasium, WAP and Eros Primary were fierce contenders and emerged as schools with great tennis potential.The PTI tournament was the first of its kind in Namibia.It is a tournament designed to assist players in making the transition from mini-tennis to real tennis.Five schools and a total of 40 players competed, playing their first event on a full-size tennis court and using transitional tennis balls.Orban Primary pleasantly surprised everyone with a solid team performance, grabbing the gold medal with 452 points, while Windhoek Gymnasium was runner-up with 401 points.Third place went to Suiderhof Primary; fourth place belongs to AI Steenkamp and fifth to Van Rhyn Primary.”All credit must go to the teachers.They are the secret of the success of this programme,” remarked Nortje, who actively promotes the training of teachers in schools throughout the country.”I feel very strongly that the better you are able to equip, motivate and inspire the teachers, the better results you will produce.”This past month Nortje conducted teachers’ workshops at Keetmanshoop, Mariental, Rehoboth, Gobabis, Outjo, Walvis Bay and Swakopmund, working to identify the needs of the teachers and various schools and helping them with the practical skills, games and tennis drills they need to teach mini-tennis and performance tennis.”The positive response and hunger to learn more about tennis and how to teach the game to students is overwhelming,” she added.By supporting tennis development in Namibia, First National Bank is investing in the future of young tennis players.FNB also encourages young players to establish sound financial practices by offering them savings opportunities.First National Bank’s commitment to tennis development in Namibia makes it possible to train hundreds of teachers and players so that they can enjoy the game of tennis, a game they can play for life, she said.With a fully packed tournament schedule and regional workshops throughout the country, the success of this programme is tremendous and the future for tennis in Namibia has a firm foundation.