Written by Spencer Mackoff and Marshall Mackoff, Co-Founders of Summer Smash Tennis
Entering its fifth season of programs, Summer Smash Tennis and Tennis BC’s “Indigenizing Tennis” initiative is slated to provide fully subsidized ongoing tennis programs for children and adults to each of Vancouver’s three local First Nations starting Fall 2024. In partnership with Squamish Nation, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, and Musqueam Nation, Summer Smash Tennis is working to make tennis accessible as a non-traditional sport to Indigenous communities, providing sustainable opportunities for wellness and connection through the sport of tennis.
Summer Smash Tennis, which is run by founders Spencer Mackoff and Marshall Mackoff, was one of the deserving recipients of the Game. Set. Equity. Community Tennis Grant presented by National Bank. For over 20 years, The Mackoff brothers have worked to expand public tennis programs in Vancouver. Spencer and Marshall founded Summer Smash Tennis in 2012, which has since then developed into Vancouver’s largest provider of public tennis, offering programs for all ages and levels to community centres, Vancouver Parks Board, schools, and now First Nations.
In Spring 2023, Summer Smash Tennis partnered with Tennis BC to launch the first-of-its-kind “Indigenizing Tennis” pilot project offering fully subsidized tennis programs on-reserve at Squamish Nation. The project was subsequently expanded to Tsleil-Waututh Nation in Fall 2023 and is set to begin providing programs to Musqueam Nation in Fall 2024.
“What we’ve seen in our 12 years of providing public tennis programs, and participating in the sport since childhood, is a systemic underrepresentation of Indigenous persons in tennis across Canada,” says Summer Smash Tennis Director, Spencer Mackoff.
“This isn’t a surprise considering the inaccessibility of tennis on First Nations reserves and tennis’ perception as a wealthy settler sport. This initiative seeks to overcome those obstacles and create a positive, ongoing relationship between these communities and tennis through which Indigenous persons can receive the benefits of the sport,” added Summer Smash Tennis Director of Tennis, Marshall Mackoff.
Marco D’Angelo, Senior Recreation & Sport Coordinator, Squamish Nation, has coordinated the project’s programming at Squamish Nation since its inception. “Our philosophy is to promote health and wellness through movement,” explains D’Angelo. “We offer a lot of traditional and cultural programming, which is really important for the community. But I think exposing youth to untraditional sport, like tennis, is also vital for what we aim to accomplish.”
Indigenizing Tennis – Summer Smash Tennis x Squamish Nation
In consultation with Squamish Nation, Summer Smash Tennis determined that minimizing barriers to participation was central to the success of the pilot project and providing free-of-charge junior and adult lessons on-reserve would be the most effective means of facilitating meaningful accessibility and engagement. The feedback from both parents and participants has been highly positive, advises D’Angelo.
“Our goal is to create ongoing and self-sustaining communities of play. This means that every participant is given a racquet to keep, the program offerings change from season-to-season as participants advance, and each First Nation is provided with all of the equipment necessary for play to continue even when lessons are not taking place,” says Mackoff.
The initiative has already seen significant success in terms of both junior and adult engagement and development at Squamish Nation and Tsleil-Waututh Nation. As programs continue, participation and skill development become more robust across all ages. This growth has culminated in one of the Tsleil-Waututh program’s regular adult participants and community members, Celina Dorame, training regularly with Summer Smash Tennis and assisting as a supporting coach for beginner lessons, in preparation to become certified as a Tennis Canada Instructor in Fall 2024. The Mackoff brothers see developing Indigenous tennis players and coaches who can facilitate play within community being central to this capacity growing project.
“Tennis is a difficult sport to learn and the creation of tennis players and communities takes time. It’s incredibly rewarding to see our passion for the sport starting to take root in these communities,” says Mackoff.
For more information about the Indigenizing Tennis initiative, please visit www.summersmashtennis.ca.