Hopatcong Youth Tennis Program Gears Up

Hopatcong's got just about every popular youth sports program imaginable.

Children can spend their summers playing baseball, on the track, playing roller hockey or shooting hoops at Modick Park. In the winter, indoor soccer and basketball reign. In the fall there's football and cross country. And the spring offers soccer and other sports.

Last year, Hopatcong kids were able to add tennis to their list of youth programs. And, since it was so popular, it'll be back in September.

Starting in just about a month, kids ages 3-13 will be able to play on the Civic Center's courts. That's not all. They'll be instructed by First Play Tennis Academy on the game's nuances.

"All they have to do, really, is bring their sneakers and their racquets and it's a fun-filled hour of tennis," Recreation Coordinator Sue Parachuk said.

The lessons occur every Sunday. The six-week program costs $95. The pupils are split in two several learning groups: ages 3-6, 7-9 and 10-13. There's also a second 7-9 years old session held each Sunday afternoon, after the first sessions.

Greg Morgan, a First Serve Tennis Academy instructor with nine years under his tennis shoes, said each age group would have six kids per instructor.

He added it's important to get kids into tennis early if parents want it to remain in their lives.

"With the hand-eye coordination and the movement, there's so much going on," he said. "So, when you get kids into it early on, it's easier for them to grasp the fundamentals and stick with it as they go."

Morgan believes tennis makes kids more well-rounded athletes.

"You can take a guy like [New England Patriots quarterback] Tom Brady or someone and throw him on a tennis court and he won't know what he's doing," he said. "But if you give Andy Roddick or Rodger Federer a football, they can probably look like they've thrown it before."

Morgan also said tennis' "learning curve is pretty big."

Parachuk said the program last year was a clear success.

"You know something is going good when you don't hear from the parents," she said. "I had no complaints from the parents."

She added the Civic Center's tennis courts are in pretty good shape, despite a couple of dead lights, a slight slope in one court and a few cracks here and there. She said Hopatcong High School tennis coach Traci Duffy was impressed with the place, and that was enough for Parachuk.

"[Duffy] said it's the best it's ever been in years," said Parachuk, who added the town soon plans to order at least two new tennis nets.

Hopatcong's high school tennis programs have had a recent history of underachieving. Perhaps that's because it lacks the feeder system many towns possess. The school's other athletic programs, such as football, basketball and baseball, have youth organizations with long, storied histories within the town.

Morgan said it's important kids find tennis fun at a young age. "Tennis is kind of in a funky spot," he said. "It's a little bit tougher to learn than with a sport with a big ball.

Parachuk said the town's also planning on organizing a winter bowling league at Roxbury's Circle Lanes.

For more information on the tennis program, call Sue at [973] 770-2701.