 The high school tennis season is over but that doesn't mean the courts in Bemidji are going unused. Bemidji's summer tennis program is thriving and attracting kids of all ages to the sport. Kids as young as first graders up to high schoolers take part in the program that's separated into different age groups. It brings together veterans of the game and first-timers just starting out. That's one of my favorite parts about the program. We have people out here on some of these courts who I mean they've been in tennis since they were about this big just tiny second graders and then we've had kids in the program who are just starting their first year. The backbone of the program is the volunteer coaches many of whom began in the program and give back to teach kids the sport that they love. They're a great group of kids all them are pretty happy they show up and they're excited to be here at tennis and I'm excited to be helping them because I started out here and it's been great. Tennis is one of those sports it's awesome because you can play your whole life so we're always very excited when kids come out and they say you know what I don't really know if I'll like this or I don't even know if I'm really all that good at it but I want to try it and often those are the kids who have some of the best experiences out here so it's fun to see that. And even if you don't pick up a new lifelong hobby the coaching staff works hard to make it a fun environment for all involved. All the coaches here are really like welcoming and they do a great job of making you feel like you're part of it and it's just a really fun experience. Still plenty of time to get it in on the fun this season you can head to our website for more information there you can also register for their big tournaments the Lumberjack Open in late July. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.