MOMBASA, Kenya, Dec 9 – Mirroring Kenya’s top Tennis player Angella Okutoyi, veteran coach Elly Madegwa has projected more players will emerge from the ongoing Kenya Academy of Sports (KAS) holiday sports boot camps.
Madegwa is one of the coaches managing the Coast region where six girls were selected from the six counties of Tana River, Mombasa, Lamu, Kilifi, Kwale, and Taita Taveta for the two-week residential training camp.
The level 2 coach told Capital Sport that he is pleased with the progress of the budding players urging KAS to make the camps consistency and also look into investing in playing equipment.
“If we can make these camps not a one-off, and do follow ups with schools, we can get an Angella Okutoyi because she (Angella) started when she was a small girl and we did not know she could come this far,” Madegwa said after taking through the girls morning session at the Shimo la Tewa Secondary School.
He added, “If we can have many tennis courts, we will get many Angela Okutoyis because the most important thing is a facility. We have girls who want to play, but they will now wait until school time so that they can play. I wish KAS could have their own facilities where these young girls could play, it will be very good for the junior development.”
“I have two girls who had never played tennis before and within the one week I have been with them, the girls have been able to play the ball over the net which is very important, they have known how to serve, they know how to volley, they know how to smash… things they did not do in school and things they have not learnt before.”
Lawn Tennis alongside Table Tennis attracted few numbers in the girls category and coach Madegwa attributed the low turnout over short notice.
“We wish these camps could have started longtime ago so that we can be able to develop tennis in Coast and our young students who are not able of getting these facilities in schools. There was a low turnout because most of the parents were unable to release girls. We have a good number of girls playing tennis in Mombasa, but some had already travelled on holiday,” the coach explained.
For consistency, Madegwa urged KAS to have a data base that will help follow up the development of the players while in school.
“I have taken the phone numbers of their school teaches (coaches) for regular follow ups. I wish KAS could also do the same and make sure when these students leave here, they don’t stop playing or practicing.”
-Player happy in camp-
One of the player Gladys Kachi fell in love with the game of Tennis when she joined form one and since then she has never looked behind.
“Training is going on well here in camp and I am learning from the coach and other tennis players from Coast region. Thanks to the camp, I have been able to sharpen my skills in serving, receiving and smashing the ball as well as how to hold a racket,” the Form Three student told Capital Sport.
The only challenge that she is facing is consistency in training; “I do not play tennis regular in school because there is no enough time. Tennis has taken me to Kisii and Kakamega during the nationals in School Games,” Kachi, who idols legendary Serena Williams said.
