“That’s good, really good,” Gupta told a fourth-grade boy when he hit the ball. “You’re on the right track.”
Last year, Gupta, a Troy High School junior, started an after-school tennis program for fourth- and fifth-grade boys at Kyle. He wanted to teach the boys about the game that he loves. But he wanted also to teach them character traits, such as leadership, teamwork, honesty and responsibility.
“It’s not just a tennis program,” he said. “We’re trying to make them leaders.”
Gupta, the son of Sarita and Subhash Gupta, has been playing tennis since age 5 and has been successful on the court. He was the first singles player for Troy varsity team both his freshman and sophomore year, and he takes lessons and competes year-round.
Starting the tennis program required much more than tennis skills. After developing the idea for a tennis program for elementary school children, Gupta was linked up with Mike Nygren, director of the Troy Idea Factory. The nonprofit group trains and equips teens to serve their community.
“He was passionate about it,” said Nygren, who worked with Gupta to get the program started at Kyle Elementary School.
It didn’t take Gupta long to discover that students were interested in participating and enthusiastic about it.
“I wasn’t sure if kids would sign up,” he said. “I wasn’t prepared for how excited they would be.”
Eleven students are participating in the program and more have expressed interest in joining. Many never played tennis before nor knew the rules of the game.
At first, Gupta had to improvise with the equipment. He let the boys use his old rackets and found other players who donated rackets. He set up chairs to simulate a net. Later, he applied to the Troy Foundation and received a grant for equipment.
“I was so happy to have all of the right people (come together and help) at the right time,” he said.
Because Gupta is a high school junior with plans to attend college, he knows he has to make provisions if he wants the program to continue after he graduates from high school. Because of that, he recruited another Troy teen, Daniel Sehlhorst, a sophomore at Lehman Catholic High School in Sidney, to assist with the program.
Together, the two teens keep the program moving along and the boys interested and learning.
At the end of a recent hour-long session, the boys gathered around the instructors, and Gupta asked what they learned. They mentioned brushing the ball, coming to the ball, and teamwork.
As the boys left, Gupta gave them high-fives.
“I want to be the best role model I can,” he said after they left.
Do you know of someone who should be featured in Hereabouts? Send an
to Beth Sears at sears@erinet.com or call (937) 448-0101.
About the Author