Posted on: April 17, 2017

The park district offers lessons for kids as young as 4 all the way up through adults, beginning in late April.

“Our after-school program starts next week,” said tennis pro Mark Cunnington, staff instructor.

Players ages 4 through 10 will play at the Sunset Park courts beginning April 24, while summer tennis lessons for the same age groups begin in June at Memorial Park.

Cunnington said his approach to teaching is to get players moving so they learn by doing, rather than by listening to instruction.

“It’s all about them hitting balls and not about them hearing people talk,” he said.

Cunnington said there are several one-week programs that players can sign up for weekly and there are longer-term lessons available as well. Players can also opt for taking a weekly session for a series of five weeks at Sunset Park.
“It allows them a little bit of flexibility,” he said.

A Cardio Tennis class for adults begins in June at Memorial Park.

“It doesn’t matter what people’s skill level is,” said Cunnington. “It can be beginners or people with experience playing in college, it can be men or women.”

He said the Cardio Tennis class puts an emphasis on improving fitness while practicing hitting balls at a fast pace.

“We had strong numbers on that last year. It’s obviously a fun class,” he said. “Last year, between summer and fall, we had about 600 adults and juniors. That’s pretty solid for a park district tennis program.”

Parents who want to play tennis with their kids aged 5 to 12 can choose the Saturday Parent/Child Tennis classes available beginning in June at Memorial Park. Cunnington said all skills levels are welcome.

“We focus more on parent and child being involved together,” he said.

Cunnington, a USPTA certified tennis pro who is entering his second full year with the Glen Ellyn Park District, is assisted with supervising the tennis program staff by Blake Schafer, a high school tennis coach who also teaches indoor tennis at Courts Plus.

“It’s a very good crew. It’s comparable to a staff you’d have at a good country club,” he said.

For more information on the Glen Ellyn Park District or to register for tennis lessons, please visit www.gepark.org.