Sunday, May 19 proved to be a great day for tennis and for the national “Hit to Be Fit Day.” As part of the “May is National Tennis Month” celebration this year, more than 300 facilities across the nation played tennis simultaneously, creating the largest collaborative cardio tennis event in the country.
The Bucks County Tennis Association joined in the fun and hosted an event at the Council Rock High School North tennis courts in Newtown. A sold-out crowd of 25 tennis players worked their cardiovascular systems in Red Ball warmups that prepared them for the cardio-pumping Triples that followed.
“It was great to see so many people from Langhorne to Quakertown and everywhere in between having fun, making friends and growing our sport,” said BCTA coach Steve Johnson, who, along with BCTA coach Craig Batten, ran the event. “That’s what community tennis and National Tennis Month are all about, for sure.”
Batten added, “A unique feature of this event is, we ensured each participant played with, and against, all other participants through multiple and creative rotations. With the use of lower compression red and orange balls, the ‘playing field’ is neutralized in terms of skill level, which enhances the overall fun of the event. We hope to offer more Adult Red Ball and Orange Ball Triples events in the future.
Played on a 36-foot court with larger balls and shorter rackets, Red Ball is a great way for those new to the sport to learn tennis and for experienced players to get a fun workout. The Cardio Triples format using Orange Balls kept everyone moving as they rotated around three positions on the court. The advantage of the volley became very clear as did that of teamwork.
“This is fun,” remarked Natalia Lindner during a break from cardio activities. “I’d much rather be doing this than going to the gym.”
All participants left with prizes, and Patrick Tierney nabbed the Most Enthusiastic Player Award, while Lindner and Emily Curry, both of Quakertown, earned the Longest Distance Traveled Awards.
