Fifty local kids came out to hone their tennis skills during the 13th Annual Toe River Racqueteers Tennis Camp held at the Mountain Heritage High School tennis courts this month. Under the guidance of local resident and renowned coach Michael Baldwin, USTPA Master Professional, campers learned a variety of foundational tennis skills while enjoying some active summer fun and making new friends.
This year Partners Aligned Toward Health also hosted its first-ever Pickleball mini-camp, which had sixteen participants. Campers and volunteers learned pickleball, America’s fastest growing sport, for the first time. A mix of tennis, badminton, table tennis, and racquetball, pickleball is so easy to learn that campers were able to play a full game by the end of the two-day mini-camp.
Partners Aligned toward Health would like to thank Yancey County Government for sponsoring this year’s camps. Thanks to their generosity, the camp was able to provide free tennis racquets to all participants and purchase equipment for the pickleball camp. Thank you to “Coach Mike” and Willi Baldwin for providing their enthusiasm and experience, as well as the numerous volunteers who made the event possible.
Coach Mike, the founder of Tennis Insights, is restarting his junior and adult programs after a cautionary pause during the COVID-19 surge. The adult class is currently scheduled for Monday evening from 6:00-7:30 starting August 15th. The junior classes will begin Saturday, August 13th. Early class is for children grades K thru 5th from 9-10 am. The second class is for children in 6th grade and up and is scheduled from 10:15-11:30 am. The cost per session is $15.00. To register: Call or text Coach Willi at (828) 208-4438 or email at wbaldwin927@yahoo.com.
