{"id":18320,"date":"2019-07-03T10:30:07","date_gmt":"2019-07-03T01:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/sa\/?p=18320"},"modified":"2019-07-03T10:33:51","modified_gmt":"2019-07-03T01:03:51","slug":"st-teresas-school-reception-students-receive-brand-new-racquets-thanks-to-anz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tennis.com.au\/sa\/news\/2019\/07\/03\/st-teresas-school-reception-students-receive-brand-new-racquets-thanks-to-anz","title":{"rendered":"St Teresa\u2019s School reception students receive brand new racquets thanks to ANZ"},"content":{"rendered":"

47 reception students<\/strong> at St Teresa\u2019s School Brighton <\/strong>received brand new tennis racquets on Tuesday, thanks to ANZ.<\/p>\n

As part of the visit, students were thrilled to meet National Academy athlete, 14-year-old Edward Winter<\/strong>. Winter, a two-time Australian singles champion, handed out racquets and shared his experiences of playing tennis around Australia and the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cSt Teresa\u2019s School Brighton was excited to once again be a part of the ANZ Tennis Hot Shots Racquet Roadshow,\u201d said St Teresa\u2019s School Brighton Physical Education Teacher, Jamie Mulcahy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cTennis forms a large part of our physical education curriculum here at St Teresa\u2019s, so Tuesday\u2019s event was a fantastic opportunity for students to meet Edward and receive their racquets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Now in its third year, the Racquet Roadshow<\/strong> has encouraged kids Australia-wide to pick up a racquet and get involved in physical activity.<\/p>\n

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<\/strong>.*<\/p>\n

A further 30,000<\/strong> racquets will be handed out to first year primary school students across Australia in over 500 schools <\/strong>this year, as ANZ\u2019s ongoing support of the new school starter racquet initiative will see a total of 140,000<\/strong> racquets delivered across Australia at the end of 2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve 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,\u201d Three-time Paralympic gold medallist<\/strong> Dylan Alcott<\/strong> said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s extraordinary to think that playing tennis can add almost 10 years to your life and I\u2019m sure this is a statistic that will encourage more families and kids to pick up a racquet and get out on court.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of our customers and staff are passionate about tennis and we\u2019re thrilled to be renewing our significant support of tennis in Australia.\u00a0 This program enables us to support the sport throughout hundreds of Australian communities,\u201d ANZ Group Executive, Australia Business and Private Bank<\/strong>, Mark Hand<\/strong> said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re committed to growing this sport across the region and ANZ Tennis Hot Shots is a continuation of our investment into grassroots participation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs 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,\u201d Tennis Australia\u2019s Chief Tennis Officer<\/strong> Matt Dwyer<\/strong> said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy 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\u2019t you start playing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re proud of our partnership with ANZ and grateful for their ongoing support of tennis and their commitment to growing the game at all levels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr Carolyn Broderick<\/strong> Associate Professor at UNSW\u2019s School of Medical Sciences<\/strong> agreed, adding, \u201cThe recent findings from the Copenhagen City Heart Study show an association between playing tennis and improved longevity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

*Study<\/strong>: https:\/\/www.mayoclinicproceedings.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

ANZ Tennis Hot Shots Racquet Roadshow fast facts<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n