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Not just another sports camp ***NO PHOTO***

by Chuck Herrmann

For Jason Cherry, being able to give disabled children an opportunity to have fun and play sports was an easy decision. That choice led him to create Just Anther Tennis Clinic, a workshop on the courts for disabled children run at Crow Canyon Country Club.

Cherry, a student at Arizona State, created the clinic with the idea to provide a fun camp that excluded no one. He got the necessary inspiration from his fiancée Monique Chapman, a fellow Arizona State student who is majoring in special education, and from the Challenger baseball program, which provides baseball to kids with disabilities. The camp is fulfilling his internship requirement for his major at Arizona State.

"I have seen camps before that are for specific disabilities, and I wanted to make sure that we were accepting of everyone and held a camp that was accessible to everybody," said Cherry.

The camp is being held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The admission to the camp is free, thanks to the sponsors it has received.

"We have very generous sponsors," said Cherry. "Crow Canyon has supplied the courts, West Coast Sporting Goods provides every kid with a T-shirt, and Prince makes sure everyone has a racket to use."

The camp lasts about 45 minutes and is run by Cherry, Crow Canyon Country Club tennis director Steve Ward, a group of local high school volunteers and a couple parent volunteers.

Just like with any athletic endeavor, the camp begins with some stretching to prevent cramps and help muscle growth, and then switches to the kids getting chances to take some swings with their rackets.

The camp will be taking about a month break but will return in September and be run by Steve Ward and Monte Vista High School student Mark Meyer.

"This is not only a wonderful experience for the campers who really deserve it, but it's also a great experience for the high school volunteers who have not had as much experience with this," said Cherry.