While Poplar Bluff has had a youth summer clinic for tennis for many years, it added a high school and junior camp this summer with coaches from Murray State University visiting to teach the older students.
"I'm going to take everything they saw into the season. I'm really hoping to improve. I want to make varsity this year. There's a lot of competition so I want to take everything I can and they are giving me a lot to work with," said soon to be senior Sam Traxel, who finished last season ranked 12th on the team.
Among the tips he's gotten, Traxel is planning wo re-working his serve and many of his swings to add more power.
"Mine is basically the opposite," added Kaitlyn Lloyd, who finished last season ranked second on the team. "Instead of hitting so hard, just getting a lot of them in."
While Lloyd's game has less to fix than Traxel's, the Murray State coaches have challenged her, as well as the campers of every skill level. Both plan on taking the lessons into next season, and hope the rest of the team does, as well.
The clinic was taught by Mel Purcell and Raymond Simms of Murray State. Purcell played professionally from 1979-88 and was ranked as high as 21st in the world.
The older kids' clinic finished Friday, and the younger kids the following day. Their experience focused more on having fun, with learning opportunities mixed in. Both Carson Todd, 11, and Gracie Massey, 9, said the games were their favorite.
Todd was partial to "jail", a dodgeball like contest that focuses on shot placement.
"So you try to hit it as close to the net as you can," said Todd, who has been coming to the clinic ever year since he was 4.
Massey, who has been coming to the clinic since she was 6 or 7, enjoyed "Crocodile Dundee".
Named after the famous movie, the game focuses on punch shots.
"I think it's always fun because they have games," Massey said. "And besides, my mom always asks if we want to do it because it is cheap."