Kay McDaniel demonstrates how to correctly serve during the girls’ tennis clinic in 2017
Lee University will host its 27th annual Kay McDaniel Summer Tennis Clinic, held at Lee’s tennis courts, June 4-8. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from former world-ranked professional tennis player and clinic director Kay McDaniel, along with over 40 staff instructors.
Starting April 1, parents can register their children for the 2018 tennis clinics. The first 400 entrants are accepted and over 300 spots have already been filled. The remaining spots will fill quickly as participants from all over the state come to learn from Ms. McDaniel. Last year, more than 30 cities were represented at the clinic.
The girls’ session will take place from 8-10 a.m. and the boys’ session will follow from 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. This free clinic welcomes children ages 6-13, and all skill levels are accepted. Beginners are encouraged to attend.
“I always look forward to seeing so many kids flood Lee’s tennis courts for a fun-filled week of not only teaching tennis skills, but showing the love of God to them,” said Ms. McDaniel. “Even though ‘love’ means ‘nothing’ in tennis terms, it means everything in my clinics. Not only do these kids learn to play a sport that can last a lifetime, but they learn that God’s eternal love lasts longer than a lifetime.”
In these clinics, Ms. McDaniel strives to inspire all kids to dream big and dare to believe that God can help them reach their goals, despite formidable challenges.
During the camp, Ms. McDaniel shares inspiring stories of how she overcame difficult obstacles in sports and in life.
From age 11, she dreamed of becoming a professional tennis player. Her first tennis racquet was a Green Stamp racket, which Ms. McDaniel collected over 10,000 stamps to obtain. Her mother sewed all her tennis clothes until age 15 when her achievements earned her tennis’ top sponsorships (Fila, Adidas, and Nike) that lasted throughout her career.
Ms. McDaniel played #1 position for Louisiana State University and then went on to realize her ultimate dream of competing at tennis’ Grand Slams for six years against legendary players such as Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, and Steffi Graf. She rose to the top 35 in the world in singles and held a top 20 world ranking in doubles.
Prizes such as tennis grips, string dampeners, sweatbands, water bottles, posters, magazines, T-shirts and other items are given away during the week of clinics. On the last day, an awards event will take place where four special prizes are allotted for the boys’ and girls’ sessions. Parents are encouraged to attend as well.
For 26 years, Ms. McDaniel has been a professor at Lee in the health, exercise science and secondary education department. She currently counsels Lee students, helps students find their career paths, and coaches students on how to successfully overcome obstacles.
For more information about the clinic or to register, visit http://kaymcdanieltennisclinics.com/.
Kay McDaniel with participants from the summer 2017 tennis clinic