Selma park and recreation leaders are looking at bringing tennis back to Selma after a more than 10-year hiatus.
The effort started Saturday when the US Tennis Association and the Big 10 hosted their first Selma Tennis Clinic to teach children and youth how to play the sport at the courts next to Memorial Stadium.
The clinic was free and aimed to introduce the sport to boys and girls in the Selma area in hopes they would want to participate in a citywide league that could return for the first time in about 14 years.
Mayor James Perkins Jr., who stopped by the city-owned courts to check out the program, said the city had a tennis league for kids when he was mayor last, but it ended after he left around 2008.
Selma High School is starting a tennis team this year for the first time in years. Last time, the city and school district split the cost of a tennis coach, Perkins said.
Dr. Denisha Hendricks, director of Selma’s Parks and Recreation department, said participants will be given a free tennis racket and balls as part of the class. It also includes lunch.
The class is from 9 a.m. to noon at the tennis courts. It will be taught by student-athletes and coaches across the BIG 10 Conference, including Rutgers, Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin.
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