RAF Ladies Tennis

Welcome to 2012 season!

Firstly can I just say what an epic season last year…being part of the winning Ladies team and taking all 4 trophies at the Inter Services A Competition at Wimbledon was certainly a personal memory that I will cherish for a long time. But combined with being Joint winners at the IS B Competition and welcoming a plethora of new talent, it really was a special year. Thank you to all of you that took part, supported and were part of the wider RAF Tennis community as it really did help having such a good base of support.

So, can we do it again? Of course we can. And I hope we enjoy it as much as we did last year. Highlights last year included some great coaching weekends, some excellent times in La Manga trying to dodge the rain clouds (where was the sun?) and some truly inspirational performances at both Inter Services and RAF Champs. There are a lovely bunch of girls across the squads who epitomise the strengths of the RAF such as a wonderful camaraderie, great team spirit, supporting each other and a competitive and focussed squad who really came together to ultimately win. The best bit about last year for me though is the strength and depth of Ladies tennis, from the social player who turns up for the Novice events, Inter Station and the RAF Champs and has a laugh, to the A and B Squad stalwarts who continue to improve throughout the years whilst enjoying themselves and making good friendships.

However, it’s not all about last year, we have new challenges this year, new talent, new coaches and a new direction. Andy Keeley has an excellent coaching programme for all levels, which is very inclusive and allows complete novices through to A Squad regulars to improve their game. As per last year, I would like all A Squad players to come down to the B Squad trg sessions at the start of this year as I believe we benefitted greatly all round to have As and Bs playing with each other. Plus the As could do with the practice if I’m anything to go by! The coaching team are focussing on an all round tennis performance this year, so don’t be surprised if you find yourself in the gym or getting a core stability session over the trg weekend or learning how to improve your mental focus. Equally, trg camps are being organised for Lincolnshire and I know that some of us up north are starting to think about a Northern league for station tennis, so watch this space.

Flt Lt Emma Clamp will be taking over as the B Squad Captain this year due to my work commitments and the fact that RAF Boulmer is really quite far north. Please give her all the support you gave me and make her life as easy as you can by giving her your availability and sticking to it where possible.

If you are new to RAF Tennis and think you may be interested in joining in, you don’t have to be a star player, we welcome everyone and we cater for all standards, from complete novice to someone who wants to play for a squad immediately. So just get in touch with myself or Emma (95751 8214) and make it happen! There is a wealth of information on this website so please please get involved.

Looking forward to seeing you all this season,

Kate Frayling

Sqn Ldr

Ladies Captain

95818 7202

BOU-202-AFlt-OC

Kate.frayling886@mod.uk

Commitment- I know how much commitment and time it takes to play Representative sport. It is one of the best bits about the RAF and you should feel rightly proud of being part of RAF Tennis. I know it is getting harder and harder to make time for sport, especially as the RAF gets smaller and our commitment to Operations gets larger. Equally, the weekends are time away from your family and friends. So I would like your experiences of RAF Tennis to be, therefore, enjoyable and worthwhile but challenging. Please give it everything you have in terms of effort, commitment and time which will mean playing as much tennis as you can at a local club, getting lessons, getting match fit and entering competitions.

Behaviour- I expect all of you to behave impeccably on court, especially when we are on display such as at the RAF Championships or at the Inter Services. Yes, there is space for competitiveness (in fact it is positively encouraged!) but what I don’t want to see is un-sportsmanlike behaviour, or poor team spirit. Ultimately, we are all in it to win the Inter Services, so remember we should compete as a team. Tennis is difficult sometimes as we are pitched against each other at the RAF Champs, but this should be in the spirit of improving each other and getting some of the best competition and match practice as we can.

Selection- This year, we have a large squad of players for the Bs which is great news for both the Bs and the As. Despite a few pregnancies and people leaving the RAF, the A Squad has great strength and there is huge potential from the Bs. So girls, it is all there for the taking. There is a great opportunity for lots of players to get good exposure at competition level, so get practicing! I hope to provide all players the opportunity to play each other, to get quality match practice but also to see how everyone performs in a competition environment. Hopefully, it will make selection more transparent and give people a good idea of where they stand.