It’s just her opinion, but Cornwall tennis professional Rokhsha Michael-Razi believes that, in schools in general,

tennis doesn’t get as much attention as other sports.
Now that’s no disrespect to the other sports, but as someone who very much enjoys playing, and teaching, tennis, she’s made it her mission to help direct some attention to a sport that can provide lifelong benefits to most everyone. As well, she wants to help make the sport affordable and accessible to her community.

Earlier this month, Michael-Razi was up at the crack of dawn every day teaching a five-day tennis clinic to Cornwall Central Middle School students. From 7-8 a.m. each day, 17 boys and girls gathered in the school gym to learn the fundamentals of the sport. She knew they loved it when, as the week went on, they showed up 10 minutes early every day to help set up the nets.

“These kids were just excited to play tennis!” she said.

On Thursday, they had a visit from United States Tennis Association (UTSA) Community Tennis Coordinator Austin Doyle, who spoke with students about the benefits of playing tennis and asked them what they enjoyed throughout the week. Michael-Razi has worked with Doyle previously.

“He thought what we were doing was great,” she said, “because middle school children get to try tennis and have fun, all before the first bell of their school day rings.”

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis and the recognized leader in promoting and developing the sport’s growth on every level in the United States.

Doyle has worked with Michael-Razi previously, including at a summer camp that was held in Highland Falls.

She is both the boys’ and girls’ varsity tennis coach at O’Neill High School.

This was the second session of tennis at CCMS, the first was in March. Michael-Razi’s goal is to continue to make tennis more accessible to CCMS students throughout the year.

In September 2023 Michael-Razi met with CCSD Athletic Director Jason Semo and varsity tennis coach Matt Greevy about bringing her program to the middle school. She believes that it is the right age to begin introducing and exploring the sport. She also believes that teaching in a school setting in beneficial to those students, because they are not only comfortable in it, but it provides some level of privacy – they don’t have to worry about people seeing them as they make the mistakes all beginners make.

“School gyms are secret and safe,” she said. “They are much more welcoming to the students than actual tennis courts for first time players.

“And,” she added this week, “middle school, in my experience, is the right age to invest time in teaching students a sport. It sticks. Because middle school is a transitional time in their lives, I find myself wanting to make sure they aren’t forgotten.”

As well, because her clinics are early in the morning, she knows the participants are serious, because they are there well before their long school day even begins. Eight of the 17 last week were returnees from the March program.

Across Storm King Mountain, Michael-Razi recently had a conference call with O’Neill Principal Robin Haberman and Athletic Director Travis Powers about bringing the same program to the seventh and eighth graders at O’Neill. She said she is looking forward to that in the months ahead, and hopes it will serve to help build the Highland Falls-Fort Montgomery Central School District’s high school tennis teams.