Skip to main content

Free ‘tennis coaching’ for underprivileged children

Image
By

 


GEORGETOWN: Underprivileged children in Penang now have the opportunity to learn tennis from qualified coaches with at least an International Tennis Federation (ITF) Level 2 Certification and assisted by a group of senior and experienced coaches.

“The entire training programme will take six months to complete, and it is open for students aged between 7 and 14 years old,” said K. Manimaran, 56, the founder and head coach of Proace Tennis Academy, which operates from two tennis courts at the St. Xavier’s Institution at Lebuh Farquhar.

“Tennis, like many other sports, is not just about the sport itself. It is about character building and integrating life’s lessons such as discipline, integrity, and ethics into the sport itself. In the past two years, we have had students participating in Penang School Sports Council (MSSPP) and Malaysian School Sports Council (MSSM) with a few medals won,” he said.

Last year, sisters Agasini, 18, and Agilasini Chandramogan, 17, represented their respective schools in MSSPP. Agasini went on to represent Penang State in MSSM. Currently, Agasini is taking her SPM exams at SMK Tunku Puan Habsah, while Agilasini is attending SMK Convent Green Lane.

“We have about 200 children who have registered with us since our programme started in 2018. However, this is the first time we are getting funded by the Malaysian Indian Transformation Unit (MITRA). Previously, we were running the programme through public funds,” said Manimaran, who was a Penang State tennis player in the 80s.

“At the moment, we have more boys than girls, and we hope to get more girls interested in pursuing tennis as a career,” he said. “We hope to produce talented tennis players who will excel and represent our country in major tournaments overseas. With proper training, these students can also participate in international workshops and tennis clinics by professional tennis players.

"We also have 15-20 participants from Ramakrishna Ashrama in our academy, and some students even travel from as far as Juru and Kepala Batas,” he said. Ramakrishna Ashrama is an orphanage and Tamil primary school for Indian children aged between 6 and 20 years old and is located at Scotland Road in Penang.


Manimaran established Proace Tennis Academy in April 2018 with hopes of enhancing the lives of underprivileged children. “It will be my dream come true if one of our students secures a college or university tennis scholarship to further their studies overseas. In fact, some tennis scholarships cover up to 100% of the costs.

“Years back, Datuk Dhinagaran, a good friend of mine kept encouraging me to start coaching. He even sponsored me with equipment such as rackets and tennis balls to start the programme. Later on, Ramkarpal Singh, the former Deputy Minister of Law and Institutional Reforms, became our academy’s patron and continued to help us financially.” Datuk Dhinagaran Jayabalan owns Jaya Catering and Restaurant in Gelugor.

“Sports is one way to keep children occupied and stay away from bad influences. Proace Tennis Academy provides the children with skills and knowledge, and valuable life lessons such as teamwork and humility. This tennis academy adapted to the new normal and took tennis to the next level,” said Ramkarpal.

The new intake will commence classes from 22 January 2024 until 22 July 2024. The classes will be held weekly on Saturdays from 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm at St. Xavier’s Institution on Farquhar Street. Each coach will be responsible for 8 to 10 students, and equipment will be provided.

Popular posts from this blog

Hello Kitty proves action speaks louder than words

By
Hello Kitty proves action speaks louder than words Hello Kitty does not have a mouth. She speaks with her heart. Worldwide novelty ‘Hello Kitty’ had Singaporeans queuing up and tussling over a limited edition toy kitten dressed in skeleton outfit from a German fairy tale known as ‘The Singing Bones’. McDonald’s Singapore sold the toy, as the last in a series of six, which began early June. The last frenzy was Hello Kitty dressed in wedding attire in 2000. Despite having stocked up on 40% more on collectible Hello Kitty toys this year and limiting each customer to only 4 toys each, McDonald’s claim that the response for the Fairy Tale series had been overwhelming. The fast-food chain announced last Thursday that the iconic toy had been sold out, much to the disappointment and frustration of many enthusiastic collectors who braved the haze in an attempt to get their hands on the plush toy. Singapore wasn't the only country bogged by this phenomenon. Malaysia a...
Read more

Tap tourism market potential in Greater Bay Area, says Wong

By
  This article was published in TheSun on 19 August 2024. Tourism and Creative Economy executive councillor Wong Hon Wai said that there is great tourism potential in China’s Greater Bay Area, including Hong Kong. He also said that Penang should explore and expand its market share due to the Greater Bay Area’s large population of 86 million people, and economic strength. “Hong Kong alone has a population of 7.5 million people,” he said. “We warmly welcome more tourists, business professionals, and students from Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area to Penang, a unique city that blends East and West, tradition and modernity,” Wong said in a statement on   August 14. He said that the Greater Bay Area encompassing Hong Kong, Guangdong and Macao, share deep linguistic and cultural ties with Penang. He also highlighted that the Penang populace was generally proficient in multiple languages and dialects which would ease communication challenges. “Those who love cultural heritage...
Read more

Teng: It's not a scam

By
Press Statement by Penang Gerakan State Chairman Dato’ Dr Teng Hock Nan May 11, 2011 Penang Gerakan chief Dato’ Dr Teng Hock Nan pointed out today that the then State Exco did not at all offer compensation of RM1.8mil to Tang Hak Ju as compensation over a land case in Bukit Mertajam in 2004. “In fact, it was Tang who had demanded the sum from the previous state government. The State Exco decided that the amount he wanted should be justified with supporting documents including receipts on the amount of money he had spent in relation to the case. The decision was conveyed to Tang who could not produce the documents and did not come back to us. He then went to Court to seek redress,” said Dr Teng in a statement. Dr Teng, who was then a State Exco member, said the matter was clearly stated in the White Paper which was tabled at the State Assembly yesterday. “According to the White Paper, it was a technical mistake and negligence on the part of two government officers and there...
Read more