After the success of last year’s regional roadshow to the West Kimberley, Tennis West’s regional roadshow continued with the participation team bringing tennis to remote schools and communities across the East Kimberley region and reaching towns such as Kununurra, Wyndham, Warmun and Halls Creek last week.
The journey covered over 1,000 kilometres in four days and delivered tennis to more than 300 students across five schools, with 62% of participants identifying as First Nations.
Most of the trip was based in Kununurra with the first day seeing the team take the one hour trip north to Wyndham to run tennis activations to three classes and 36 students at Wyndham District High School and two classes of 30 students at St Josephs Primary School.
The students ranged from pre-primary to as old as Year 9, with the participation team delivering engaging and interactive activations based on the student’s skill levels.
That evening, Tennis West and Kununurra Tennis Club hosted the East Kimberley Regional Talent Series for local 13 years and under players. The Regional Talent Series was created off the back of feedback from regional stakeholders and the Tennis West Regional Working Group, identifying the need for further talent identification and tournament pathways.
Jibril Sankoh took top honours defeating finalist Blake Gray which saw a total of 13 entrants. The winners in each region will be invited to a two-day talent ID camp in Perth at the State Tennis Centre. There was also a category for over 13 years old players which saw Jasper Phillips defeat Felix Bunny, however they didn’t qualify for the ID camp.
Tennis West also ran a volunteer upskilling session on the Monday night with four participants as well as a club meeting audit with the Kununurra Tennis Club.
The next day saw the team head to East Kimberley College in Kununurra for a full day of teaching tennis to four classes. The team saw over 70 students across the four sessions, with some picking up the tennis racquet for the first time.
The team was back at Kununurra Tennis Club that evening for a full evening of coaching and activations. There was a red ball and orange ball group session before delivering a coaching lesson to the green ball and yellow ball groups. Across the four classes, we saw a total of 35 participants.
After the three coaching classes the participation team put the adults to work with a high-energy and fun cardio session. It was great to see such great numbers across the junior coaching sessions and the adult cardio session which saw 16 participants.
On Wednesday, the team hit the road on the way to Halls Creek, stopping at Warmun Ngalangangpum School delivering tennis to 20 students before continuing on to Halls Creek in the afternoon for a community “Come and Try” session which saw over 30 children across the town come and experience tennis, some the first time.
The ‘Come and Try’ drop-in community sessions run in Halls Creek were hugely valuable. Not having a coach based full-time, their exposure and opportunity to play tennis is lower and more infrequent in comparison to the year-round tennis provision in Kununurra.
The final day of the roadshow saw the team head to Halls Creek District High School to deliver three classes and 48 students the basics of tennis.
It was important to build connections with the Shire of Halls Creek and Wyndham East Kimberley and the Sport and Recreation Officers in both those locations to ensure they have the equipment and capability to deliver ongoing tennis. The engagement from both communities was fantastic, with great numbers of kids dropping in to play under the beautiful Kimberley sunsets.
Tennis West Schools and Pathways Officer Charlotte Connon applauded the attitudes of all the participants and reflected on the success of the trip.
“It was fantastic to see the enjoyment and quick improvement in the students throughout the sessions, as we typically start off sessions doing balls skills refining their motor skills. This sets the students up for success throughout the session as we progress into more technical and tactical game-based play activities.”
“We didn’t come across one student who wasn’t willing to give tennis a go and it was great to see the high engagement levels showed by all the participants, with many students wanting to continue playing after their sessions.”
“To be able to head out to different remote regions throughout the Kimberley and provide opportunities for children and adults within the communities we visited to experience tennis, some for the first time, and to leave them armed with the skills to continue playing is very special,” said Charlotte.
In total, the East Kimberley roadshow delivered 307 total participant engagements across schools, clubs and community settings, driving strong regional activation and meaningful engagement for each community.
The aim of the trip was to work towards tennis being delivered more sustainably across the region starting with seasonal delivery and progressing towards sustainable year-round tennis. By identifying Champions within the regions, Tennis West can help to up-skill, provide equipment and resources, and build the tennis volunteer and coach base across the East Kimberley, all to support the delivery of sustainable tennis.
Tennis West would love to build stronger connections and partnerships with our stakeholders across a wider area within the region to support the continued growth of tennis and participation in the Kimberley, with a big focus on providing opportunities for First Nations people to experience tennis.
Tennis West extends its thanks to the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport for its ongoing support of our regional roadshows through the Inclusive Participation Grant.
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