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What's all the Racket About?

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Hey, Tennis Players!

Sports are a great, healthy, and entertaining way to feed your competitive nature and keep yourself physically fit. There are literally hundreds of sports, but today is about only one of them: Tennis. Happy Play Tennis Day! Folks have been playing the time-honored sport of Tennis (or something resembling it) for centuries and it’s remained a favorite for so many people!

Tennis History
The Tennis that we know and love has actually only been around for less than 150 years. One Harry Gem, an Englishman, went over to his friend Augurio Perera place and the two developed the game there on Perera’s lawn. This led to the first Tennis club being formed in 1872 which initially consisted of only four members. Predecessors to the sport, however, are traced back to the 12th Century in France where it was called Jeu de Paume,which is French for ‘Game of the Palm’. Originally, there were no rackets and the game was played by hitting the ball with your open hand.

Popularity
It helped Tennis along that King Louis X was a big fan of the game. He is considered to be the world’s first tennis player to be known by name. Since the days of King Louis X, Jeu de Paume changed greatly. Rules were added. Some were taken away. Rackets were thrown into the mix. And the competition we know today started to take form. It seems that, along with the game itself,today—Play Tennis Day—has likely been celebrated for centuries.

Play to Celebrate
Of course, the best way to celebrate Play Tennis Day is to pick up a Tennis ball or two and visit your local Tennis court, maybe with a friend. If you’ve never played before, introduce yourself to it. It’s lots of fun. And you can always play ‘against’ a wall if you don’t have a partner. Tennis is a really cool game—one that makes you face your opponent one-on-one without the help of teammates and only yourself on which you can rely. It’s a great sport to develop your sense of independence, drive, and determination.

It’s commonly found at summer camp, but you certainly don’t need to wait till this summer to get to playing! Your school may offer Tennis classes or maybe you can find a qualified instructor to teach you.However you choose to celebrate, Play Tennis Day is a great way to appreciate this beloved sport. As always, thanks for reading, Camp Fans. Your serve!

 

- John

Posted in The ESC Funzone

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