Super Saturdays
Tennis and Multi-sport Fun for Youth Age 3-18
Free-of Charge for All Participants
Youth ages 3-18 of all levels are welcome!
InnerCity Tennis’ Super Saturdays Program is an amazing opportunity for Twin Cities families to bring their children, starting at age three, to engage in fast-paced, fun physical activities and learn tennis fundamentals! Each week, staff deliver the program alongside over 50 volunteers. Older teen players volunteer to help the younger children, alongside dozens of adults and seniors.
We devote our entire 12 court facility to youth from 3:00 to 6:00 pm alternating Saturdays October through April. Each week, in addition to physical activity and tennis, students learn about life skills such as commitment, teamwork, sportsmanship, perseverance and responsibility. These skills are taught through fun & engaging games and activities. The Super Saturdays program also offers a chance to teach nutrition; we serve healthy snacks and engage in conversations about choices to fuel our bodies for sports and life!
Super Saturdays Information
Our Super Saturdays program runs Saturday afternoons Fall-Spring each year. Youth are welcome to come for as many dates as possible – there is no limit to how many sessions can be attended!
2023-2024 Program Dates:
- September: 30
- October: 7, 14, 28
- November: 11, 18
- December: 2, 9, 16
- January: 20, 27
- February: 10, 17, 24
- March: 2, 9, 23, 30
- April: 13
Support this program – Donate Online Here
SUPER SATURDAYS PROGRAM LEVELS
The program is divided up into 4 different groups, based on age and ability.
Scroll down to learn more about a specific level you are interested in.
Register Online (Ages 3-4) • Register Online (Ages 5-6)
Coaches use an array of ICT’s Kidspeed learning tools and stations to teach kids the ABC’s (agility, balance, coordination) of athletic development through fun energetic stations.
Register Online (Ages 7-8) • Register Online (Ages 9-10)
Smaller kid-sized courts and lighter kid-friendly balls and rackets are used to ensure proper development of tennis fundamentals.
Register Online
Tennis fundamentals are practiced on the full court through a variety of fun games and drills that focus on all the strokes and strategies.
Register Online
Drills are designed to be challenging yet fun for this skill level. Coaches focus on a specific shot or strategy, emphasizing consistency, footwork, and fitness.
*One of ICT’s 7 core values is SERVICE
We strongly encourage all Green Spinner and Yellow Acer players to demonstrate this value by volunteering with the younger players from 3:00-4:00 pm. Please email volunteers@innercitytennis.org with any questions.
SUPER SATURDAYS
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where do Super Saturdays take place? Super Saturdays are located at Reed Sweatt Family Tennis Center located in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park on the corner of 40th St and Nicollet Avenue in South Minneapolis.
- Address? 4005 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55409-1516
- Where do I park? Free parking in the tennis center lot is tight and limited. Additional spaces are available on the north and south side streets that intersect 40th Street. No parking is allowed on the south side of 40th Street. Be mindful of parking restrictions and allow time accordingly.
- Where are bathrooms located? ICT’s bathrooms and locker rooms are located in the hallway down from the offices. From the lobby, enter the second set of rotating doors and head down the hallway towards the right.
- What is the bathroom procedure? If a child needs to use the bathroom, a volunteer/staff will escort them to the lobby, where they alert parents/guardians. If no one is present, volunteers/staff – in pairs – will escort the child to the bathroom.
- When should I arrive? Red Runners and Orange Crushers begin at 3:00 pm. Green Spinners and Yellow Acers begin immediately after the younger children finish at 4:00pm. Please make every effort to arrive only 10 minutes before the start of your child’s session.
- Can I walk out on the courts? If your child is uneasy or shy about participating, we encourage you to accompany them to the stations until they feel comfortable.
- Can I drop my child off and leave the facility? Please do not drop off any children ages 10 and under without an adult present the entire session. One parent/guardian are expected to stay in the facility during Red Runner & Orange Crusher programs and are welcome to be on court as an observer.
- Do I need a tennis racket? All equipment is provided, free of charge, to participants.
- What shoes are recommended? Any closed-toe sports shoe is recommended. If you do not have access to quality athletic shoes, let the ICT staff know.
- Why does everyone wear name tags? All of our volunteer coaches call children by their first name. The use of names is crucial to building confidence and affirming kids’ value. We use the informality of names with the hope that kids will preface with the title coach – “Coach Sally”.
- How is the program funded? This program is provided free of charge to all participants. This is made possible through the generosity of individual and corporate donors, foundation grants, and fees generated from our tennis facility.
Additional questions? Reach out to us at outreach@innercitytennis.org
SUPER SATURDAYS
InnerCity Tennis Kidspeed Curriculum
“I had fun, I was good at it, I want to do it again!”
ICT’s Kidspeed curriculum has been developed to connect children ages 3 to 10 in a dynamic, fast-paced curriculum run at “kid speed.” Children move from station to station in intervals of 7 minutes, playing and learning. Kidspeed ignites both an enduring love of physical activity and working with others, and teaches an important life-long recipe for success: how to achieve YOUR personal best.
Defining Success
We want each and every player that comes through our program to experience success. And not the typical kind of success you may be thinking about. At InnerCity Tennis (ICT), we define success as an improvement in one’s own ability to do something. All of our stations have been designed so that kids can achieve success and see improvement in themselves.
When children notice improvement in their own skills and ability, they become inspired! We see it in their eyes. They are confident, ready to take on the next challenge. That is our goal, to equip kids with the confidence to do their personal best.
Delivery / Coaching Style
Kidspeed is delivered by our trained staff who work alongside our diverse group of volunteers ages 9-93. A unique aspect of Kidspeed is that it doesn’t expect kids to match a coaching style – it makes coaches match the kids’ playing style.
• No long explanations (kids learn through trying and repetition)
• A new stations is introduced every 7 minutes
Development with Search Institute
Kidspeed was developed together with the world-renowned Search Institute, known for their 40 Developmental Assets that young people need to become successful and contributing adults.
Additional Sports
ICT recognizes that tennis is not equally as popular in all social circles. To help our programming be more inclusive and attractive to a wide audience of young children, our curriculum uses other sports stations, in addition to tennis! The Kidspeed curriculum currently includes stations dedicated to baseball, basketball, football, golf, lacrosse and soccer skills. ICT’s Kidspeed curriculum makes sure that young children have the tools to have a successful future in whatever direction they choose, not just tennis.
Kidspeed as a Program Framework
ICT recognizes the importance of Kidspeed as a delivery vehicle and uses it as curriculum for the following Red Rockets and Orange Crushers programs (ages 4-10):
• ACE (on court portion)
• Cities Academy
• Community Outreach
• Summer Tennis in the Parks
• Super Saturdays
For more information about Kidspeed, contact Raheem Simmons at simmons@innercitytennis.org or 763.226.3252