Great River Tennis Association

Great River Tennis Current Youth Programs

Jan 18, 2005

The Great River Tennis Association, formerly known as the Muscatine Tennis Association, is a volunteer organization of tennis players in the Muscatine Community that share their skills, time, talents, and mentor our youth players to help them become better tennis players, as well as better athletes in general. Whether our children?’s tennis aspirations are purely recreation, varsity high school level play, or inter-collegiate level play and beyond, we have designed our youth tennis programs to provide the skills and encouragement needed to develop proficiency and sportsmanship and the love of a very physical sport; a sport that they can participate in for the rest of their life.

Our youth tennis programs are available for boys and girls from pre-kindergarten through seniors in high school. The development of tennis skills is centered on a series of instructional clinics directed by Dr. Robert Weis, Mr. Bill Chrisman, both of Muscatine, and by Dr. Charles Darley of Iowa City. For a number of years, Bob Weis and Diane Olson have organized a weekly Sunday afternoon youth tennis clinic for the high school boys?’ team and girls?’ team players. Over the last couple of years, with the help of our coach, Charley Darley, the programs have developed to include some younger talented pre-high school players, as well.

GRTA youth tennis programs continue year round. In the summer, lessons, clinics, and challenge ladders are played at the high school from around May through October. During this past summer, the GRTA Summer Youth Tennis Camp was held in late June at the Weed Park Courts. Winter season tennis is played indoors from about mid-October though late April on two indoor courts at Supreme Fitness on Cleveland Street.

A major asset to our organization is Coach Charley Darley. Charley retired from the University of Iowa?’s Athletic Department in 2002, where he had served in various coaching capacities from 1984 through 2002. Coach Darley was the UI Women?’s Head Coach from 1984-1987, and Assistant Men?’s Coach from 1995-2001. Coach Darley has also had the privilege of coaching several US Junior Teams in international competition. Coach Darley graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1968 with a Bachelor?’s Degree in Psychology. In 1974, he received his Ph. D. in Cognitive Psychology from Stanford University. While at Berkeley, Coach Darley was the 1966-1968 No. 1 Men?’s singles player. He was also a three time Northern California Intercollegiate Singles Champion. Besides the fact that Charley is a very accomplished tennis professional himself, he has a superb ability to communicate with, teach, and motivate children. He makes learning a challenging sport fun and enjoyable.

Coach Darley has an admirable mission:

?“Tennis has been a focus of my life since I was eight years old. It has provided me invaluable challenges, opportunities, and friendships. My first coach, Don Klotz, was a wonderful mentor and friend. One of my goals as a coach is to carry on his special qualities of inquisitiveness and warmth. Another is to help students develop a thorough understanding of the game of tennis and the ways in which they can continue to be their own coaches after they leave an instructional session.

Young people profit from guidance, compassion, and accomplishment. Learning a complex mind/body game like tennis in the company of a demanding yet caring ally -- as every good coach should be ?– helps them become fulfilled competent adults. Learning awareness and control of the body is an empowering experience for people of any age, but especially for those in search of acceptance and identity.

It is gratifying to help juniors and adult tennis players reach their potential and goals. While it is a welcome challenge to teach the intricacies of expert footwork and shot-making to already accomplished players, another inspiring aspect of teaching involves opening up the world of expressive movement and competent body language to those who have felt unsure and inhibited about their athletic abilities. Athleticism and expert stroke and footwork techniques can be learned. They are not the property of ?“natural athletes?” alone. And, more often than not, with bodily assurance and competence comes social assurance and competence.

Sport is fun. And sport can be spirit giving. This is why I find coaching so challenging and so fulfilling.?”


The current GRTA Winter Youth Tennis Program consists of the following clinics held at Supreme Fitness:

Session Description Day Time
Intermediate Junior Clinic Saturdays 9:00 am ?– 10:00 am
Open Junior Clinic Saturdays 10:00 am ?– 11:30 am
Beginning Youth Clinic Saturdays 11:30 am ?– 12:30 pm
Beginning High School Clinic Saturdays 12:30 pm ?– 1:30 pm
Advanced Junior Clinic I Sundays 3:00 pm ?– 4:30 pm
Advanced Junior Clinic II Sundays 4:30 pm ?– 6:00 pm
Advanced Junior Match Play Thursdays 4:30 pm ?– 6:00 pm

Private and semi-private lessons are also available from Coach Darley.

Summer youth tennis clinics have a similar Saturday and Sunday schedule. Organized match play and challenge ladder play is held after school is out for the summer on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. GRTA also hosts a four-day summer tennis camp, organizes at least one tournament trip for our Junior players each summer and hosts two United States Tennis Association (USTA) sanctioned tournaments; the Muscatine Adult Open Tournament and the Muscatine Junior Open Tournament. GRTA also helps organize a summer adult industrial tennis league, with teams that are sponsored by and represent several of our major companies in Muscatine County.

On January 23, from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, at Supreme Fitness, GRTA will host four University of Iowa Men?’s Team players for a brief tennis singles and doubles exhibition. Also included in the program will be a question and answer time where our students can ask the Iowa players about what it takes with respect to ability, athleticism, and hard work to be a collegiate player. Following the exhibition will be a potluck dinner, and a chance for the kids to spend some additional time talking to some very talented Big 10 Conference athletes. It?’s a good opportunity to inspire our younger players to work hard, develop their own skills, and establish their aspirations for play in high school and college.

For more information on how you or your child can be involved in some of our GRTA programs, please contact Bill Chrisman, GRTA Youth Program Director, ph 262-8815, or Coach Darley at 319-354-6310.