The Study 2 Lead program is empowering younger ladies to develop the talents, confidence, and information to contribute to, and have an equal voice in, their native tennis communities.
Sydney, Australia, 25 July 2024 | Nadia Dimattina
The 17-year-old from Sydney is among the current graduates from the NSW Study 2 Lead Program.
This system, being rolled out nationally, goals to interact younger ladies aged 14 to 18 years inside the sport to construct their life and management abilities.
This system has helped Hayley overcome the heartbreak of an damage and consequential finish to her karate profession, permitting her to deal with her management abilities and proceed pursuing tennis.
“Her confidence stage from the begin to now’s simply insane. She has obtained a ardour for sport typically, but additionally studying,” Thompson mentioned.
“For her to come back from being in martial arts at a very elite stage to beginning on the very base stage of tennis with not even having the ability to make contact with the tennis ball has been wonderful.”
Naomi Dyer added: “I believe as a result of she was reaching a lot in a single sport after which to be an absolute newbie in one other concurrently managing this damage challenge, I seen that there was an enormous dip in her confidence.
“Even after just a few days of the Study 2 Lead program, I seen such an uplift and that that spark of confidence that she used to have was again already. And that’s continued to develop all through the entire program.”
Hayley mentioned she learnt that you simply don’t should be loud to be a pacesetter.
“I at all times had a purpose of gaining extra confidence and since I joined the Study 2 Lead program I positively have gotten extra assured and I’m able to tackle new adventures now. I really feel I’m extra assured speaking to individuals and speaking to children once I coach them,” she mentioned.
Since Study 2 Lead launched final yr, 12 applications have been delivered throughout the nation, with a complete of greater than 130 contributors.
This system was co-designed with younger ladies and is delivered over eight weeks. Subjects coated in the course of the face-to-face and on-line classes embrace constructing connections with different contributors of their state and native tennis neighborhood, confidence and resilience and public talking.
Members see management in motion by way of Q&A classes with visitor audio system from the tennis and broader neighborhood.
Kelsey Lewis is Hayley’s mentor and in addition a former graduate of Tennis Australia’s different neighborhood management program – Ladies Leaders in Tennis.
“I used to be very, very fortunate that she chosen me as her mentor. It means so much. I’m very captivated with feminine empowerment and dealing with younger females to get higher and develop,” Lewis mentioned.
“I hope that she continues to push herself and to push the boundaries of what she thinks is feasible. I hope she continues to get out of a consolation zone and push herself as a result of there’s actually no restrict to what she will do.”
Former Grand Slam champion Casey Dellacqua leads this system in NSW and believes it’s crucial for our subsequent era of feminine leaders.
“It’s so vital to have applications like Study 2 Lead for future generations for younger ladies in tennis,” Dellacqua mentioned. “I do know from my perspective had I had alternatives off the court docket, then little doubt it might have helped me keep within the sport, have a ardour and have a goal.
“I hope that these younger ladies resolve to return to the golf equipment, implement the motion studying tasks, and actually proceed that keenness and see how rewarding it’s to wish to be, a volunteer or actually make a distinction inside their neighborhood as a pacesetter.
“I believe they’ve obtained the talents, they’ve obtained the boldness now and now it’s only a matter of them going again to their golf equipment to simply actually take the lead and go in and put all the talents that they’ve discovered into motion.”
