A CASE FOR SUPPORTING PLATFORM TENNIS AT EPISCOPAL
By Thomas "Tim" Kent, Jr.

I’d like to share with you my observations about the incredible game of platform tennis (affectionately known as “paddle tennis”) and why, as an educator, I think it is such a good game to teach our students.

1. Paddle is almost entirely played as a doubles game and as such is utterly dependent on teamwork, communication and mutual support.

2. It is a strategic game in which brains and well-honed skill will win out over muscles and machismo every time. It is exactly for this reason that I’ve often introduced my varsity tennis players to paddle, for I can directly demonstrate to them the value of brains over brawn, (a concept, I readily admit, that seems to be very difficult for the adolescent male.)

3. It is also a game of great patience and perseverance. (The rules of paddle make it almost impossible to put the ball away since bouncing it over the fence is a loss of point rather than a winner as in tennis and the ball bounces too much for even the best drop shots to work too often.) At the higher levels of competition, points can last many minutes which makes this sport a great cardio workout.

4. It is a game played outside in almost any weather …and when players get good, even in the coldest weather, the gloves and hats come off and one plays in short sleeves. Great winter fun.

5. It is relatively easy to learn which gives even the non athletes a chance to enjoy physical exercise and healthy competition. This is just the sort of game that can easily become a “lifetime” sport.

6. Paddle is primarily a socially oriented sport and therefore inspires a culture of mutual respect and genuine honesty. It represents a healthy alternative to the increasingly cut-throat, win-at-all cost mentality that pervades competitive tennis or squash: In my experience, platform tennis is one of the most honorable games being played.

I trust you can understand why, as an educator, I have come to the conclusion that Paddle is a perfect game to illustrate the core values we want to instill in our students here at Episcopal: the values of intelligence, perseverance, teamwork, and impeccable sportsmanship. Indeed, could anything fit in more seamlessly with Episcopal’s stated mission? I should point out also that since there are so few public courts available, many of our students are learning this sport only because they are a part of our small program. However, if we were to include paddle tennis as part of our physical education curriculum as well as an after school sport, we not only help this great sport grow, but we expose our students to a healthy winter activity that is infinitely more constructive than sitting inside watching TV*. And besides, the kids clearly love it: EA’s program is now in it’s 3rd year and has more than doubled in size from the original 8 students to the more than 20 that signed up or expressed interest this year (A shame that I had to cut it down to 16 just to make the transportation work.) One thing is for sure: the enthusiasm with which our students have taken to this game is inspiring, and in their positive response, they earn high applause for both themselves and Episcopal.

* This is true particularly in the Philadelphia area where our winters provide such little snow that sports like cross country skiing, snow shoeing and outdoor skating rinks are now a thing of the past.

Ed Note: Thomas Kent (a.k.a. Tim) is a teacher of Classics and varsity boys tennis coach at the Episcopal Academy in Merion Pennsylvania. Prompted by his daughter’s passion for Paddle, he started a Platform Tennis program in the winter of 2006. Now that the school is building a brand new campus 10 miles westward in Newtown Square, PA, Tim has been lobbying for the inclusion of paddle courts on the new campus. It was in this effort that he wrote the above document

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