Mom, daughter find quality time together on tennis court

When Clarendon Hills' Nancy Delaney was looking for a way to spend more time with her 19-year-old daughter, she came across a tennis program at Midtown Athletic Club in Willowbrook which promises to turn beginners into players in just three short weeks.

Two weeks into Midtown Athletic Club's 'Tennis in No Time,' she and daughter Taylor were in the midst of some seriously fun skill building drills and a bit of competition on the courts. With five of the six 90-minute sessions now complete, the two look forward to a summer of tennis together.

The program has developed more than 100,000 beginners since its inception in 1972, according to Midtown Tennis Director Zane Fulton. “Each three-week session is comprised of six 90-minute lessons, two per week, “he explains. “Participants learn the basics of tennis including the serve, forehand, backhand and net play for singles and doubles.

Tennis in No Time is open to everyone and for the $155 program fee, non-members get full use of our club for those three weeks. Making the program unique are the four different types of balls used as the players progress in their skills: Red (25% compression), Orange (50%) Green Dot (75%) and regulation yellow.

“Using tennis balls that bounce slower is the key to being able to learn the right techniques,” said Taylor, who just completed her freshman year at Indiana University. “My serve and overall knowledge of the game has really improved over the past couple of weeks. I have a lot of friends, both here and at school, who play regularly so now I have no reservations about being able to play with them.”

For Nancy, it's fun to be able to not only learn a new sport with her daughter, but actually be able to beat Taylor on the court. There were plenty of heart-felt laughs between the two during their recent session when mom blew a forehand shots past her daughter.

“Shots like that are the ones that motivate me to continuing with the game and to keep getting better and better.

So what's next up for mom and daughter?

“Cardio Tennis, quips Nancy. That's supposed to be incredibly fun.”

The next session of Tennis in No Time begins June 2. For more information or to register, call (630) 325-8888 or visit www.midtown.com/tennisinnotime.