Gatesville ISD tennis camp draws record crowd of young players

More than 60 children a day packed the Glenn & Sue Vernon Tennis Courts at Gatesville High School, turning Gatesville ISD’s three-day tennis camp into a record-setting summer draw. The June 2-4 camp brought first-through ninth-grade students onto the courts for fundamentals and team building, and the turnout showed how strongly local families are leaning on school-run activities that are close to home and easy to reach.

Head coach Wendell Jones said, "This was the largest camp Gatesville tennis has ever hosted." He credited the student coaches and assistant coach Alex Scott for keeping the camp moving smoothly and for helping younger players improve on court. The varsity players who helped out, including Lexi Bryant, Annabelle Lea, Elijah Tyson, Rogan Smith, Olivia Potts, Riley Butler, Paislee Moseley, Jillianna Kim, Donnovan Herrera and Quinton Ivy, gave the camp a built-in leadership group while also gaining experience of their own.

The record crowd matters beyond one busy week in summer. Gatesville ISD opened its sports camps to incoming first-through-ninth-grade students, and tennis was part of a broader schedule that ran from late May through the end of July. For parents looking for affordable local options, that matters in a place like Gatesville, where a full slate of school-based camps can keep children active without long drives or heavy costs.

It also puts a spotlight on the district’s court capacity and coaching pipeline. The camp was hosted at the Glenn & Sue Vernon Tennis Courts, which were renamed Feb. 6, 2024, and the courts were filled to capacity during the three-day run. If Gatesville tennis is going to keep drawing that kind of response, the district will need enough court time, staffing and follow-up opportunities to turn first-time campers into repeat players.

That follow-through could shape Gatesville’s future teams in the next few years. With current varsity athletes serving as student coaches and younger children already spending time with the program, the camp looked less like a one-off summer event than the start of a deeper athletic pipeline in Coryell County.