How much can they improve in one week of mornings?
CF: With about five or six kids per teacher, we can only cover basic forehand and backhand, volleys, serves and scoring points. Technique-wise, there’s not a ton of teaching possible. We spend two hours on instruction, then play different games: tournaments, relay races. But, after four hours a day here, they definitely all get better. SD: Are they serious about tennis? CF: Some take outside lessons. Others maybe will never pick up a racket again. SD: I’m guessing that you were serious about it while growing up. Is your family athletic? CF: Well, my dad’s a psychiatrist and my mom’s a psychologist. But my [maternal] grandmother, who lives in Florida but summers in Stowe, paid for my younger brother Eli and I to have lessons once or twice a week. I started at 6. SD: It was always your sport, then? CF: No. I also loved baseball and basketball. But, in the middle of my freshman year at Mount Mansfield High School, I realized I was much better at tennis. To make a real commitment to it, I
