GREENVILLE – The Greenville Lady Wave tennis program held its four-day, three-night tennis camp at the Light Foundation’s Chenoweth Trails under the direction of head coach Lori Keller.
“We’re trying to build the program from middle school up through high school,” Coach Keller said. “It takes a team, it’s not a one-person show at all.”
The camp included incoming seventh graders through high school, with table talks each day by various speakers. Eileen Schulze led the girls in discussions about meeting each other and team-building conversations, and led the group in Yoga each day. Rachel Jones, a former educator at Greenville City Schools, spoke with the team about leadership. Suzie Brown gave a talk about setting goals, and Greenville Athletic Director Aaron Shaffer spoke with the girls about sportsmanship.
Coach Keller spoke to the tennis team on Wednesday evening about the inner game of tennis, focusing on how players talk to themselves and how their minds can sometimes help or hinder their play.
Each day, the team traveled to Greenville for afternoon tennis workouts and play on the Greenville High School tennis courts.
Overnight accommodations had the Lady Wave sleeping in the yurts on the grounds of Chenoweth Trails.
“They are sleeping in the yurts,” said Keller. “The girls are taking showers out here in the shower house. We’ve enjoyed the facilities out here, it’s phenomenal.”
Missing for most of the camp were cell phones, allowing for more time to foster team camaraderie.
“They realize they don’t need that right now,” Coach Keller stated. “There have been a lot of face-to-face conversations and upperclassmen that are building up the younger girls and making them feel part of a team – that is why we are here.”
Coach Keller noted that the idea of an overnight girls’ tennis camp originated from Greenville cross-country coach Stephanie Lind.
“I have to give a shout-out to the cross country program,” Keller noted. “Coach Lind takes her kids away to a camp, and when I saw the way those kids responded, I said I want that for our team. That’s when we started the discussion about creating a camp here for the girls.”
“The Light Foundation has been wonderful with the use of their facilities,” Coach Keller stated. “Our athletic director, Aaron Shaffer, has helped me with all the logistics of getting this set up. Our other two coaches, Eileen Schulze and Suzie Brown, have been part of the planning process for this. The parents are providing all the meals, so we don’t have to worry about meals. They show up and bring us the meals.”
“I have been impressed by the way these girls have bonded,” Coach Keller concluded. “They have also helped out around here. They see trash, they just go pick it up. That’s just the way they are; they’ve been great.”
