Editor’s note: The Dart is a weekly feature, where reporters throw a dart at a map of Selma to find a random location for a story.

By Scottie Brown

The Selma Times-Journal

 

Emily Sherrer is just trying to share her love for tennis with those around her.

Every Wednesday at four o’clock, Sherrer teaches tennis to six and seven-year-olds at the tennis court behind Memorial Stadium.

“I’ve grown up playing tennis,” Sherrer said. “Now, I get to teach them and get them to love the sport. Just spending time with them is fun, just seeing their happiness and getting to see how much they’ve enjoyed it.”

Sherrer is a sophomore at Morgan Academy and has been teaching the girls tennis every Wednesday since the beginning of June.

“My sister used to teach little girls and little boys tennis at the country club, and so I’m doing it for them,” Sherrer said. “I just kind of followed in my sister’s footsteps.”

While the girls she teaches are young, Sherrer has been able to teach them some of the ins and outs of the sport.

“They’re pretty young, so I’ve been teaching them proper form, forehands, backhands, volleys,” Sherrer said. “That’s all we’ve really gotten through so far.”

Like most teenagers, Sherrer stays busy. If she is not at the tennis courts teaching a lesson, she is at Morgan’s team practices or life guarding at the country club in Selma.

“I’ve just scheduled it where I do one after the other,” Sherrer said. “I usually have to ride my bike around Selma to get to stuff. That’s usually my transportation since both of my parents have to work all the time.”

Sherrer hopes to be able to continue to teach her girls once she gets her driver’s license.

“When I turn 16, I’m going to see if I can keep doing it and if I can maybe get it at the club,” Sherrer said. “But, for now, I think it’s mainly just going to be a summer thing, because once school starts I’ll have team practices.”