James Bolzonello wanders around the courts on Sunday morning, casting his eye over the talent gathered at the Launceston Regional Tennis Centre finally at his disposal.
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It’s a rare opportunity to have the best 10 to 12-year-old boys and girls from the North, North-West and South head to head to play off for the state regional challenge.
“We might be a small state, but we’re all quite spread out,” Bolzonello said, “so to get everyone in the same location at the same time is great because kids can see where they’re at with other kids in the state but also get strong match practice.”
Tournament matchplay over special 35-minute timed matches has given the Tennis Tasmania head coach a better understanding to how players react to the pressure of game situation.
But Bolzonello also had the chance to pull them aside and have a word in their ear about putting the finishing touches on their game.
“It’s a completely different setting from when you’re coaching them on court to watching them play,” he said.
“This is an opportunity for coaches to be able to see how they play, what they need to focus on, on and off the court – it’s great that we can interact with them and help them through the matches.”
For the record, the South took the regional honours in the under-12 and under-10 boys and girls finals over the North hosts.