Youngsters get chance at tennis scholarship

If you are young and have the right aptitude and attitude and play lawn tennis, there is a chance that you can win an all expense paid trip to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Camp in Miami later this year.

The trip includes tennis tuition, lodging arrangement on the Camp and all transportation fees including airfare. That’s part of a package offered by United Bank Ltd.{{more}}

United Bank’s Marketing manager Sal Porqueddu disclosed the offer last week Friday. He was at the time handing over a $12,000 sponsorship to the Bonan Tennis School. The event took place at the National Tennis Centre at Villa.

Bonan Tennis Academy was formed in 1994 by two former national players Tony Boyea and Peter Nanton. However, their enthusiasm for coaching has been boosted by United Bank. According to Boyea, “patience is a hallmark of the Academy.”

Bonan’s Academy has been training youngsters from the Calliaqua Anglican School for the past three years.

President of the local tennis Association Grant Connell commended United Bank for coming on board with the Bonan operation. He noted that the two had things in common including having stood the test of time.

Connell, a former Junior Champion, pledged to take tennis “to the rural areas.”

He acknowledged that there was a “barrier” to the sport reaching the mass of the Vincentians. But he pledged to “break down those barriers.”

He promised to spread tennis out as far as possible and with the facility at Villa dubbed as the best in the Caribbean, he suggested that tennis could “trigger a sports tourism revolution” in SVG.

He scoffed at present tourism efforts and claimed: “Tourism on its own is not working.

“We have to get rid of the crab in the barrel mentality,” he added.

Porqueddu was impressed with the organisation displayed by the Bonan Academy. He expressed the hope that the chance was available for a Vincentian to be number one in the world.

Principal of the Calliaqua Anglican School expressed pleasure that her school was part of the programme. She welcomed the venture that ensured students secured an “holistic education.”

Over the last 25 years a number of the top tennis players have graced the Bollettieri tennis camp. They include the Williams sisters Venus and Serena, Andre Agassi, Monica Seles, Boris Becker, Pete Sampras and Bjorn Borg.