Tennis pro using experience to grow the sport in Saline Co.

Certified tennis professional Brandon Kiker is leading tennis camps and training sessions this summer at Tyndall Park in Benton. Kiker is certified as an elite professional by the United States Professional Tennis Association and has been a fulltime tennis coach for five years.

“I picked up tennis late in life. I don’t have the normal background. I was a baseball kid and I started playing tennis as a teenager in Texas,” said Kiker.

By the time he was a senior in high school, Kiker was ranked first in the state of Texas.

Kiker hopes his story of learning the game later in life can encourage those who may feel like it’s too late to pick up the sport.

He started teaching tennis on the side while he was working in retail. After three years of parttime coaching, Kiker was hired for the full-time tennis coach job at Chenal Country Club.

He is now using his experience as a player and coach to help grow the sport of tennis in Saline County.

“The goal is to grow tennis in Saline County,” he added.

Kiker and Benton Parks and Recreation have come together to host three-day tennis camps are available for ages 5 through 18 from Tyndall Park. The partnership between the two started in 2021. Kiker’s first anniversary with Benton Parks will be this upcoming August.

Registration for session three is still open. It will run from July 18 through 21.

Kids in the age group of 5 to 11 years old have their camps from 9 to 11 a.m. Registration for this age group is $100. Ages 11 through 18 have their camps from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the registration cost for this group is $125.

Kiker is also offering tennis lessons for groups or private sessions. These lessons are open to all age groups.

He said participants can expect to learn the basics. They will learn how to serve, learn how to hit forehand and back and they will also learn how to keep score.

Kiker’s wife, Melanie Kiker, is the tennis coach at Benton

High School and he said that the amount of kids that come to the team and have never played is too high.

“I looked and I saw there was no program to help these kids grow,” he said.

“Kids coming in freshman year have never picked up a racket and I wanted to offer a low-cost highquality option and hopefully develop some pretty good players.”

Kiker said the number one thing participants can expect is to have fun.

“I have a group right now that I started with five years ago. Now,

these families go camping together and have become great friends, that’s what tennis is about,” said Kiker.

In addition to being a certified tennis pro, Kiker is also the founder of the Arkansas Cup Tennis Foundation, co-creator

and director of the High Stakes Shootout, which was awarded the United States Tennis Association Adult Tournament of the Year award in 2017 and 2019. In 2021, Kiker was awarded the Special Olympic Volunteer of the year award.

For those wanting more information on the camps or lessons, they can contact Kiker at 501-6729005 or by email at kiker_brandon@yahoo.com. They can also register online by visiting https:// apm.activecommunities.com/bentonrec/.