47 reception students at St Teresa’s School Brighton received brand new tennis racquets on Tuesday, thanks to ANZ.
As part of the visit, students were thrilled to meet National Academy athlete, 14-year-old Edward Winter. Winter, a two-time Australian singles champion, handed out racquets and shared his experiences of playing tennis around Australia and the world.
“St Teresa’s School Brighton was excited to once again be a part of the ANZ Tennis Hot Shots Racquet Roadshow,” said St Teresa’s School Brighton Physical Education Teacher, Jamie Mulcahy.
“Tennis forms a large part of our physical education curriculum here at St Teresa’s, so Tuesday’s event was a fantastic opportunity for students to meet Edward and receive their racquets.”
Now in its third year, the Racquet Roadshow has encouraged kids Australia-wide to pick up a racquet and get involved in physical activity.
The Racquet Roadshow comes as an extensive 25-year observational study has confirmed that racquet sports, including tennis, can increase life expectancy by almost 10 years.*
A further 30,000 racquets will be handed out to first year primary school students across Australia in over 500 schools this year, as ANZ’s ongoing support of the new school starter racquet initiative will see a total of 140,000 racquets delivered across Australia at the end of 2019.
“We’ve always known tennis is a fantastic sport for people of all ages and abilities to play as part of living a healthy lifestyle, and the ANZ Tennis Hot Shots program is a fun way to get kids active,” Three-time Paralympic gold medallist Dylan Alcott said.
“It’s extraordinary to think that playing tennis can add almost 10 years to your life and I’m sure this is a statistic that will encourage more families and kids to pick up a racquet and get out on court.
“Having the opportunity to put racquets in the hands of so many kids is a great way to motivate them to get outside, get active and have a hit with their friends.”
“Many of our customers and staff are passionate about tennis and we’re thrilled to be renewing our significant support of tennis in Australia. This program enables us to support the sport throughout hundreds of Australian communities,” ANZ Group Executive, Australia Business and Private Bank, Mark Hand said.
“We’re committed to growing this sport across the region and ANZ Tennis Hot Shots is a continuation of our investment into grassroots participation.”
“As a national sporting body, we have an opportunity to make a positive contribution to getting kids active. I believe tennis is uniquely placed to help put an end to the inactivity crisis that is currently facing this next generation of children in Australia,” Tennis Australia’s Chief Tennis Officer Matt Dwyer said.
“By introducing a racquet to these children in their formative years at school we can help play a role in their approach to physical activity and create lifelong memories through tennis, and with the recent research that suggests tennis can add a further 9.7 years to your life, why wouldn’t you start playing.”
“We’re proud of our partnership with ANZ and grateful for their ongoing support of tennis and their commitment to growing the game at all levels.”
Dr Carolyn Broderick Associate Professor at UNSW’s School of Medical Sciences agreed, adding, “The recent findings from the Copenhagen City Heart Study show an association between playing tennis and improved longevity.
“Whether it is the social interaction or the physical activity component of the sport that contributes to the longer lifespan, the findings are very encouraging for people of all ages taking up the sport of tennis.”
*Study: https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/
ANZ Tennis Hot Shots Racquet Roadshow fast facts
- The ANZ Tennis Hot Shots Racquet Roadshow will visit all states and territories across Australia for the third consecutive year
- By the end of 2019, ANZ will have delivered a total of 140,000 racquets to primary school aged children since 2015
- ANZ Tennis Hot Shots is one of Australia’s most popular junior sports participation programs, with a record 543,850 participants in 2017/18, up 41% on 2016/17
- ANZ Tennis Hot Shots is popular with both genders: 44% girls and 56% boys participated in the program in 2017/18
- Tennis Australia’s School Partnership Program aims to give children the opportunity to pick up a racquet and play tennis as part of their health and physical education curriculum
- There are more than 3100 Tennis Australia primary partner schools in Australia delivering tennis as part of their health and physical education curriculum
- Tennis was the number one delivered sport through Sport Australia’s Sporting Schools initiative in Term 4 2018 and Term 1 2019.
For further information about ANZ Tennis Hot Shots please visit www.hotshots.tennis.com.au.
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