Sybile Fleurian

Le Petit Tennis - Bringing tennis TO kids in schools

Jean and Sybile Fleurian are former tennis champions: Jean, formerly ranked in the top 40 in the world with wins over players like Andre Agassi and Sybile, a former junior world champion who was also ranked in the world's top 100. While originally from France, they have lived in the United States for nearly 20 years and are soon due to become American citizens. So with this background, why aren't they coaching top French junior players? Involvement of elite athletes at this, the earliest of grass roots levels, is extremely rare.

Jean says, "We love the USA and moved here to give our children, Nina and Emma, a chance to grow up in a place where everything is possible. People with ideas are encouraged to pursue their dreams and taught that with dedication and perseverance, all is within your reach."

Sybile explains, "The idea came to us when we were looking to introduce our daughters, who were 3 and 5 years old at the time, to tennis. We just wanted what all parents want: to give our kids a path towards a healthy lifestyle. We looked for tennis programs adapted for young children as they have in Europe, but could not find anything comparable. When we saw that other activities were being offered at Emma's Day care and Nina's Elementary School, we thought we should do the same for tennis."

Thus, Le Petit Tennis was born in January of 2001 and has since grown beyond the Fleurian's dreams. The Fleurian's designed a tennis program that DOES NOT NEED TENNIS COURTS and is completely mobile. Parents and schools do not need to buy equipment as the Le Petit Tennis certified coaches bring all the age-adapted tennis equipment, including the specially-sized rackets and mobile nets that enable the lesson to be run on playgrounds, basketball courts and even empty classrooms.

Jean explains, "We thought there would be a demand, but were pleasantly surprised with the tremendous response. We found that with so many parents working these days and the number of schools that cannot afford to have a comprehensive physical fitness program, there was a need for convenient, high-quality sports programs that teach the basics of a sport while also developing the general fitness, coordination and social skills learned from general sporting activity. And, of course, tennis is appealing since it is a lifelong sport that you only need one other friend be to able to play."

Parents seem to agree. Karine Eagle, parent of three-year-old Noah who attends the Le Petit Tennis program at Little Friends in Delray Beach says, "At Noah's age, we didn't want him to be in a competitive environment, but we still wanted him to be active and learn to play tennis in a constructive way. We tried a club program, but he is much more comfortable playing with friends and classmates at school. He is learning the basic tennis strokes and technique through exercises and I can also see an improvement in his general coordination and body balance."

Rafica Horn, mother of five-year-old Megan playing at Summit Private School in Boca Raton, adds, "We encourage Megan to play many activities, but we wanted to make sure she was introduced to tennis as it is an activity that my husband and I can play with her as well. We want to make sure she is involved in at least one sporting activity that does not require her to make a team at some point to continue participating."