Twins Taking to Tennis at Arlington Players Club in New Jersey
/May 5, 2014 11:42 AM
By Benjamin Snyder, snyder@eastern.usta.com
While the Bryan brothers are known across the United States for being the best doubles team in tennis history, they’re also famous for being identical twins. At the Arlington Players Club’s youth tennis program in Kearny, New Jersey, there are seven sets of twins, out of 90 youngsters, learning to get into the game.
With all the twins picking up racquets in her program throughout the summer, Carolyn Oelz jokes that there may just be something in the water in Kearny. During the youth tennis series of programs, Carolyn says the club’s goal is to introduce the twins and other children to playing tennis for a lifetime. “We do the whole program, including everything from teaching balance to placing ladders on the ground to working on fitness,” she said. “We do very creative things in our program and they’re great, great kids.”
The commitment from the children’s parents makes the program even more successful. “The kids are coming back thanks to the families’ involvement. During our USTA Play Events, the parents are helping. We challenge our kids to play against their mothers and fathers, too,” said Carolyn.
Olga Costeira, the mother of twins Sofia and Isabella, was shocked and happy that so many other twins played in the program. “I was quite surprised with the amount of twins. It was great to see them at different ages and stages of tennis,” she said. Although her girls aren’t familiar with the Bryan brothers, they are already passionate about tennis at age seven. “They love the program and look forward to it every year. We have to plan our summer vacations for after the program is finished because they don't want to miss any days,” said Olga.
“Each group learns the tennis basics of the stage they are in developmentally. I think this is important as it doesn't frustrate the children since they’re learning at their pace. They also make it fun with games,” added Olga. “What kid doesn't like to learn through games?”
Sean Mara’s twin boys recently turned nine and look up to the Bryan brothers, having played in the program for the last four years. “They are very fond of the instructors and they have a lot of fun taking lessons with the other children,” he said. “Having other sets of twins in the program only enhances the experience for them.”
The six week junior clinic starts June 23. For more information, visit www.apctennisclub.com.