3 September 2013 | Tennis West

The 2013 Women in Tennis Active Girls Live in Camp and the D’Arcy Slater Boys Live in Camp were held from the 12^th – 14^th July. Eighteen girls and 38 boys travelled from regional areas as widespread as Kununurra, Kalgoorlie and Esperance for a fun-filled weekend of tennis coaching and social activities. This was the third consecutive year that the two camps have been aligned, allowing many children from regional Western Australia to join in the fun and take part in the opportunities on offer.

The camp began with registration at the State Tennis Centre in Burswood on the afternoon of Friday 12 July. After the camp briefing and saying goodbye to their parents, all 56 participants plus the camp coaches were bussed to Lords Sports Centre in Subiaco for an afternoon of multi-sport activities such as netball, basketball, volleyball, soccer and of course, tennis.  This was a great opportunity for the children to catch up with friends made at last year’s camp and to make new friends from across the State. Following an active afternoon, the camp participants made their way to their ‘home away from home’ for the next two nights, Kent Street Rotary Residential College. After settling in, the younger children stayed at the college for a relaxing evening of DVDs and pizza while the older children went to Sizzler for dinner, followed by the cinema.

The children had an early start on Saturday morning with a Cardio Tennis and fitness session at the State Tennis Centre to wake them up. The girls were then bussed to Darkzone in Malaga for laser tag, leaving the boys on court at the State Tennis Centre for an extended tennis coaching session. Following laser tag, the girls returned to the State Tennis Centre and, exhausted from a busy morning, all participants enjoyed Subway for lunch. Re-energised, it was the boys’ turn for laser tag after lunch while the girls participated in a few hours of on-court activities. On Saturday night the younger children enjoyed dinner at Sizzler followed by the cinema, while the older children stayed in at the college and enjoyed pizza and DVDs.

Too soon, Sunday was upon us and the camp was nearly at an end. All the children returned to the State Tennis Centre on the final morning for another on-court session, followed by a mini tennis tournament that allowed them to put their skills to the test. The camp concluded with presentations and a delicious BBQ for all participants and their parents. 

Tennis West would like to thank the Women in Tennis Committee and the D’Arcy Slater Foundation for their generous and ongoing support of the Active Girls Live In Camp and the D’Arcy Slater Boys Live In Camp, respectively. Your continued support has given many girls and boys from regional Western Australia the opportunity to improve their tennis skills, take part in an array of fun activities and meet some new friends. The camp is a fantastic event and your support is greatly appreciated.