JUNIOR INTERCLUB UNCOVERED For many juniors and parents, there are many questions they have surrounding Junior Interclub. We endeavour here to outline to both the juniors and parents how the Mission Bay Tennis Junior Interclub programme operates. Juniors find interclub a lot of fun and it certainly develops their game. There is often some trepidation at the beginner of the season or when they are first introduced. Like many sports, this is natural. We do find that once they have participated, they really enjoy the experience, and are keen for more competition. Mission Bay Tennis approach Mission Bay Tennis enters junior teams according to the level of interest and ability shown by juniors. We try and ensure that grades entered are of a similar ability so matches are even. Participating in Junior Interclub competition will substantially develop your tennis skills and provides an ideal environment to apply some of the skills being learnt in the coaching programme. Mission Bay encourages juniors to participate in interclub and history has shown that those that do, typically develop tennis skills significantly faster than others. We do not force juniors to play if they are not interested. What exactly is Junior Interclub? Interclub is tennis matches between different teams from clubs with affiliation to Auckland Tennis. Currently there are approximately 45 clubs in Auckland. This does not include clubs on the North Shore. There are over 300 teams (at least 1,200 juniors) participating in Junior Interclub each year of all ages and abilities Each year there are 2 competitions run: - Pre Xmas competition which runs during Term IV of the school year - Post Xmas competition which runs during Term I of the school year. There are Beginner Grades (for those who have never played interclub before) and the Open Age Group Grades. Beginner Grades are played on a Saturday afternoon (12.00pm) Open Grades are played on either a Saturday or Sunday morning (8.30am) Typically 4 players play each weekend, each playing a singles and a doubles, although up to 6 players can participate, with 2 players only having one game. Am I good enough to play Junior Interclub? Frequently one of the coaches will suggest you think about Junior Interclub. They will not suggest this unless they think there is a suitable team and you have the ability to play at that level. As a general rule of thumb, if they can serve the ball into the court approximately 50% of the time, and they are interested in trying Junior Interclub, they will be fine starting in a Beginners Grade competition. You will find most of the other teams are at a similar level. We are Interested - What Should We Do? If you are interested, speak to Bruce Wickes, Club Manager or Kevin Wright or any of the coaches. Even if the season has started, we may be able to fit them into an existing team. Attached is a memo, which is issued to all team members, which outlines what is expected of you as a team member and what the club organises for you. We hope that this answers many of the questions that you may have had. If there are any more questions or queries, please feel free to contact Bruce Wickes or Kevin Wright. We are happy to help.