During my time with Hylands I was a part of the Hyland Cubs scheme promoting tennis to youngsters and encouraging them to get out and enjoy the game. Most of my Saturdays at that age were spent on the courts of the club going through training sessions with Giorgio and other coaching staff. In particular I recall the drill to improve your serve; lining up cones in the corner service box and attempting to knock them over. Each session would end with an individual competition across all the courts; the winner from each would go up a court and the loser down. I remember trying my hardest to get to the top court, and I did on a few occasions but inevitably I was returned to court 2 very quickly by an old rival – Daniel Blyth. In addition to weekly sessions there was a yearly competition involving all members where I earned one of my proudest early memories – winning the division 2 league; I still have the trophy.
The Hylands Cubs scheme was the precursor to the Tennis Leaders programme running today and it is great to see it still going strong. The Cubs scheme helped me to appreciate competitive sport and understand the importance of sportsmanship.
I have very fond memories of my time at Hylands Tennis Club, as do very many other people, and in particular the personal ability of Giorgio (and other coaching staff) to bring out the very best in each and every child. I am not just talking tennis here but his own influence on our attitudes and belief of our own and each other’s abilities, expectations and potential.
The principles learned in sports training at Hylands I found were directly transferable to academic education. In 2001 I completed secondary school and carried on to study at sixth form; my early appreciation for sport carried on through school, competing in tennis, squash, football and cricket. This keenness for sport I can trace back to the courts of Hylands. Following sixth form I gained a place at the University of Nottingham to study Chemistry and finishing after four years with a MSc in Nanoscience. On completion I interviewed and gained a place to begin officer training with the Royal Marines in September 2008. After 15 months of rigorous military training I passed out for duty in December 2009 and I am currently based in Taunton serving with 40 Commando Royal Marines preparing for a deployment to Afghanistan this September.
I found sport an inspiration through my life and continue today to take part as much as I can; having taken up triathlon I completed the Swiss Ironman in July 2012 in aid of the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund, raising over £3,200.00. I encourage all those young people a part of Hylands Tennis Club to enjoy and use tennis and sport not only as a stepping stone but also as an integral part of life whether for recreation or as a career choice. Programmes like Cubs and Tennis Leaders running at Hylands are brilliant at promoting sport and personal self-belief to young people. The recent success of Team GB in the Olympics should also serve as a massive inspiration to what can be achieved if you have the determination and the will. While we may have won gold in the tennis this country is still waiting for a Wimbledon Champion after 35 years in the women’s and 76 years in the men’s tournament, perhaps the next champion will come from Hylands Tennis Club.
