Junior Tennis Program

In 2004, the MRTC introduced its first youth program with 22 members. Up until then the club had been for adults only. Since our first season, things have changed dramatically! In 2007, we had over 80 junior members, which by all measures has become one of the most successful tennis programs anywhere in BC!

So what makes the MRTC youth program so popular? There a few reasons: First and foremost, our goal with Junior tennis is to introduce the game to young people and show them how much fun tennis can be. Second and by no way the least important, is Coach Malcolm Lissone. Malcolm makes everyone feel welcome! And the kids all leave with smiles on their faces because they feel they have accomplished something positive and had a good time doing it! As their skills advance and interest in tennis blossoms, we hope to eventually build a core group of youth players that will represent the MRTC and participate in inter-club competitive play.

The MTRC Junior Program takes place each Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from 4 pm to 6 pm. The first hour is reserved for warm-up and practice with other juniors while the second hour focuses on tennis fundamentals such as learning a proper tennis stroke, the rules of the game and improving hand-eye coordination. Teaching is disguised in the form of play with games like Ghost and Jail. This makes it fun to learn and kids love it!

Special Events: Rix Rookie Tour

Each year we also host a special B.C. wide event called the Rix Rookie Tour. This year will be our fifth season. The Rix Rookie Tour is a non-elimination event for both boys and girls ages 8-14 years. This is fun way to introduce competitve play to recreational players in a tournament style environment. It reaches hundreds of junior players each summer in locations across BC in May through September.

Players are ensured of multiple matches and receive a Rix Rookie Tour shirt at each event. The Under-10 (U10) division play is often held on 3/4 court with "winners" balls, which are 1/2 the pressure of a regular ball to ensure longer rallies. The Under-12 (U12) and Under-14 (U14) divisions are played on full court with "E-Z play" balls that are 3/4 the pressure of a regular ball. These fun events do not count for provincial rankings.

For information on Junior Tennis, please contact Malcolm Lissone at 604-467-0023

Rix Rookie Tour Summer 2008

A FUN time was had by the players and parents and helpers on the court.
A special thanks to the MRTC members and the parents who helped with the court monitoring.

Back Row: Ethan Coumont, Aaon Iqrel, Peter Whalen, Kershaw Malcolm, Mikayla & Krysta VanderHelm, Riley Wendt, Tristan Coumont and Rooktie Tour Coordinator Malcolm Lissone
Front Row: Simon Udell, Jeevin Kang, Matthew Wendt, Madalynn Armstrong, Navneet Nanra, Maya Yalamanchili, Cienna Wendt and Mike Kim