Recognition for free tennis courses urged
Published on: Sunday, November 17, 2019
SANDAKAN: Assemblyman Calvin Chong Ket Kiun praised to Kelab Tenis Remaja Sandakan (KTRS) for their unwavering determination to introduce and promote tennis to youngsters in Sandakan.
He was speaking at the closing ceremony of the annual free tennis clinics organised by KTRS at Pui Gin Kindergarten.ADVERTISEMENT
Present were KTRS President Taren Sunil Manoharan, Secretary Jocelyn Lee, Pui Gin Headmistress Ngai Sui San, the teachers, the coaches and the kids.
Calvin gave a pep talk to the kids who were all seated in neat rows.
“Calvin’s presence was a boost to our morale. It gave strong encouragement to all those involved in the programme and made us all eager to do even better next year,” said Taren.
“We have been collaborating with Pui Gin for six years and we will certainly make it seven in 2020,” added the KTRS President.
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Calvin promised to update the State Youth & Sports Minister Ginger Phoong on the sustained efforts of KTRS in introducing and promoting tennis among kindergarten kids.
It had been confirmed previously that KTRS is the only tennis club to have been conducting regular free tennis lessons for kindergarten kids over a long period of time.
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“It wasn’t easy to sustain such a programme for so many consecutive years but our desire and determination to introduce tennis to young kids has pulled us through. Since the lessons are free, our annual expenditure for this programme is quite heavy but we still managed to continue year after year,” said Taren.
He attributed the success of the programme to the superb cooperation that Pui Gin Kindergarten has been extending to KTRS ever since the pilot project started.
“Our initial objective was to get very young kids ‘addicted’ to tennis and to some extent we have succeeded,” he said, and hoped that their “Taking Tennis To Schools” programme will get some sort of formal recognition.
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“Maybe the Sabah Youth & Sports Ministry could consider giving formal endorsement to our programme and allow us to use their logo on our certificates,” he suggested.
KTRS also organises more advanced lessons for older age-group players, many of whom are now ranked among the state’s elite junior players.