Tennis Teams Joined by 105 Kids at Brownsville Tennis Clinic

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros men’s and women’s tennis teams welcomed 105 kids to a free youth tennis clinic at the Brownsville Tennis Center.

Students from schools across Cameron County joined the Vaqueros, including nine Brownsville middle schools – Faulk, Garcia, Lucio, Manzano, Oliveira, Perkins, Stell, Stillman and Vela – that brought their teams.

Women’s tennis head coach West Nott led the first hour of the clinic which provided the aspiring tennis stars a glimpse into how the student-athletes practice at UTRGV. The Vaqueros practiced through a variety of drills that covered groundstrokes, net play, and live point simulation. The men’s and women’s tennis teams showcased their abilities for all to see while providing helpful insight Nott and men’s tennis coach Nate Robinson provided helpful insight along the way.

“It was great to see the fire and energy from all of the middle school kids today,” Nott said. “I think there’s a great passion for tennis in the valley and we’re happy we could meet that challenge. We’re always grateful to have people come out and see what we do.”

After the demonstration hour, schools split off across 12 courts to do drills and compete, replicating some of the things they learned from the Vaqueros early on. Each group was accompanied by a men’s and women’s tennis student-athlete. All three coaches in attendance roamed the courts giving insight and stepping in to run drills for the campers.

Sophomore Paolo Bonaguro and freshman Luna Buijtenhuijs led a group of young campers on the center court where they competed in drills and helped them refine their basic tennis skills including forehands, backhands, and volleys.

One court down, sophomore Ivo Isqueiro and junior Yaiza Vazquez led campers through live doubles competition and the participants were running around the court in an old-fashioned game of king of the court.

“We are really grateful for everyone that came out and it’s great to see all these schools that encourage kids to start playing sports at a young age.” Vazquez said. “We love tennis, and we want to share the love that we have for the sport.”

On another court, Robinson helped another group of campers refine their forehand by explaining how to correctly get in position, hold the racket, set up their backswing, swing through contact point, and finish over the shoulder.

Junior and the longest-tenured men’s tennis student-athlete, Sam Whitehead, could be seen leading campers through various drills and cheering on the youngsters as they gathered on center court at the end of the clinic to compete in live singles points against members of the UTRGV men’s and women’s tennis teams.

“It’s important to come out and host clinics because this is who we are representing in the valley and we want them to enjoy tennis,” Whitehead said. “We like coming out here because they’re really passionate and they have a lot of fun being here with us.”

UTRGV tennis teams consistently host free youth clinics in Edinburg, Harlingen, and Brownsville and continue to influence hundreds of young, local tennis players. Robinson was happy to see the joy on not only the faces of 105 campers but their student-athletes as well.

“It’s just great to be out in the Valley, seeing all these teams here having so much fun and just enjoying the sport of tennis on an amazing day,” Robinson said. “One of the most special parts about being at UTRGV is that we get to be the school for the region. It’s amazing for us to support and feel the support from the entire Rio Grande Valley.”