OKMULGEE, Okla. – Muscogee Nation Festival’s Jr. Tennis Clinic saw students pick up rackets to learn the fundamentals of the sport. The free clinic was open to young students and was held at Hawthorn Park in Okmulgee on June 14. This marked the first Festival Jr. Tennis Clinic since 2023. Last year’s clinic was cancelled due to rain. Over the years the annual event has seen tennis coaches from across the state share tips and tricks on how to master the fundamentals.
MCN Compliance Examiner Vicki Tate (Mvskoke) coordinates the Jr. Tennis Clinic and the Tennis Tournament. She grew up locally on the Mvskoke Reservation where tennis is popular.
“I grew up in Henrietta. Henrietta is kind of like a tennis city,” Tate said. “We started about five years ago on the clinic because we would get children here for the tournament and they didn’t know how to keep score, they didn’t know how to do a lot of things.”
McAllister tennis coach Chris Burns (Cherokee) is a coach at the MCN Jr. Tennis Clinic and is familiar with Oklahoma public schools’ tennis programs, particularly rural tennis programs. Burns also helps with the Oklahoma Tennis Foundation Hall of Fame Clinic, a free clinic open to all students within the state and reaches out to underserved committees.
Both Tate and Burns have played tennis throughout most of their lives. Burns believes tennis is a sport that can open up many opportunities down the road for college and beyond.
“In McAllister, I don’t know about Okmulgee, but you don’t have to stay here,” Burns said. “Go experience some stuff. Go invest in yourself a bit and have some fun.”
For Burns, his favorite part about teaching at clinics is seeing the joy of a student picking up a tennis racket for the first time. For Tate, it’s how the sport is one that can be enjoyed by anyone of all ages.
The Jr. Tennis Clinic plants seeds of future Mvskoke tennis players– the goal, if given the right conditions, is to foster a love and enjoyment of the sport for life.
“Tennis is something you can play for the rest of your life. I see older people playing it all the time,” Tate said. “From little ones to big ones. The joy I see is when they (students) get so excited when they’re playing a game and it goes perfect. They hit that sweet spot and it goes right where they want it.”
To learn more about the Oklahoma Tennis Foundation Hall of Fame Tennis clinics, visit their website, oktennisfoundation.org.
The Festival Tennis Tournament is scheduled to run from June 21 to June 22. It will start at 8 a.m. at Hawthorne Park on both days, which is located at N Okmulgee Avenue and W Fairfax St.
