The Saskatchewan Summer Games is just around the corner and Team Southeast is looking to leave its mark in the competition. The Estevan Tennis Club will be sending 10 athletes to Lloydminster next week.
"I'm very excited to see this number of kids in [the] Estevan area trying out for tennis. It's just great. They're all very pumped. They're so excited to be playing and they have come a long way in the last two weeks, and I'm really looking forward to the last week of practice," shared tennis coach Arnold Betzema.
The ten players who will be representing the southeast in tennis are:
- Jerome Kim
- Abigail Jutras
- Max Froese
- Bella Hammett
- Zyla Hammett
- Taylor Lisafield
- Madelyn Stead
- Parker Kosier
- Brynley Rosengren
- Brooks Cote (missing in photo)
The team will be coached by Arnold Betzema and Kaila Jutras. The athletes have been hard at work the last few weeks to train for the event, and he noted that they've progressed well. "With anybody that plays tennis, you always have to work on the serve and the serve is the most important part to get the point rolling. But it's coming very good. They have improved immensely and I'm very proud of all the work that the kids have put in."
Tennis as a sport continues to grow in the southeast, with the Estevan Tennis Club leading the charge to that goal. As the president of the club, Betzema is hopeful to keep the push going post-games and expand tennis in the area. "It's very rewarding to see that we have 10 active players. We also have a couple of players that have been practicing with us that aren't going to the game. So, post-games, we're hoping to keep this momentum going and keep the young people playing this game because it is a great game."
The Saskatchewan Summer Games is set to start next Sunday, July 21, and runs through the 27th in Lloydminister.