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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Tennis Changes Lives of Young People in Washington
Andrea Nichelson likes to play tennis after a day at school. She is only 10 years old, but she has been playing the sport for five years, and she loves it.
"The one thing I like most about tennis is the game. It just really gets my attention [more] than anything I do. It just brings up the fire in me."
Andrea lives in Washington, D.C. She is one of around 900 children who use the free services of the Washington Tennis and Education Foundation1.
The Foundation was set up in 1955. It gives children from eight to 18-years-old a chance to play tennis, and learn school-related and other skills. By combining sports and education, the group helps young people keep physically2 active and continue working on their studies.
Skills and sense of belonging
The Washington Tennis and Education Foundation has two programs. In one, tennis coaches go to schools around the city, and teach the game to students there. In the other program, children go to the group's tennis center to learn the game on indoor courts. Teachers also help them with homework from school, design robots and play games like chess.
Audra Bell works4 with the Foundation. She says the lives of children change when they decide to join the program.
"They learn discipline and they learn mental toughness and all of the things that tennis teaches you as a whole, it's really amazing to see."
The group’s president, Rebecca Crouch-Pelham, agrees.
"You're on the court, you're playing singles, you're by yourself, you're relying on yourself."
She says that is the same strength and ability to react to change that the children need in the classroom.
Children in the program are successful in school. Crouch-Pelham says all children should have this kind of contact with sports and educational services. It gives them a sense of belonging to a community, she says. Children who have completed the program come back to help in the summer as coaches.
Coming back
Mike Ragland is one such graduate. He says joining the program at age 13 changed his life.
"I was doing things I shouldn't have been doing, got myself in a lot of trouble. When I started playing tennis, it gave me a different path to life."
Because of his skill on the court, Ragland went to college and received enough financial assistance5 to pay for all the college costs. He then launched6 a career as a tennis coach.
Coaches, in many cases, are like a parent for young players. They teach young players more than how to play tennis. Ragland explains that they teach the children good behavior.
"We take the kids in, we talk to the kids about life, how to carry themselves, how to behave and give them a structure, something that they can go forward with."
Coach Ragland visited 18-year-old Xavier Boone's school 8 years ago to get young children interested in playing the sport. Boone says the program helped him learn much about tennis and life.
"It teaches you not to give up and it teaches you just to kind of push through life. Everyone here is doing very well in school, and that's just all thanks to the tutors7 and the teachers that we have here."
The Foundation’s coaches say a few of their kids go on to become tennis pros8. Others excel9 in other fields and receive full financial aid for college, while the rest - officials say - get a solid basis to help them succeed in whatever they do in life.
I’m Jill Robbins.
Words in This Story
coach - n. a person who teaches and trains a player or performer
court - n. a large flat surface that is used for playing games like tennis and basketball
discipline - n. the ability to keep working at something that is difficult
toughness - adj. strong and not easily broken or damaged
rely - v. to need (someone or something) for support or help; to depend on (someone or something)
pro3 - n. (short form of professional) someone who is paid to take part or play in a sport or activity
1 foundation | |
n.[pl.]地基;基础;基金会;建立,创办 | |
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2 physically | |
adj.物质上,体格上,身体上,按自然规律 | |
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3 pro | |
n.赞成,赞成的意见,赞成者 | |
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4 works | |
n.作品,著作;工厂,活动部件,机件 | |
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5 assistance | |
n.援助,帮助 | |
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6 launched | |
v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 );[计算机]开始(应用程序);发动;开展(活动、计划等) | |
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7 tutors | |
n.家庭教师( tutor的名词复数 );导师;(大专院校的)助教;课本v.当家庭教师( tutor的第三人称单数 );任大学导师;任课 | |
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8 pros | |
abbr.prosecuting 起诉;prosecutor 起诉人;professionals 自由职业者;proscenium (舞台)前部n.赞成的意见( pro的名词复数 );赞成的理由;抵偿物;交换物 | |
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9 excel | |
v.胜过,优于,杰出,善于,擅长于 | |
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