tuition workshop this week organised by the Ministry of Education.

The three-day project will involve experts on tennis, cricket, softball, physical education and marine safety, advising teachers from the public school system on how best to supervise children in sports.

The workshop starts tomorrow morning with a session on instructional strategies at CedarBridge Academy and continues at various venues throughout Thursday and Friday.

David Lambert, director of tennis at Elbow Beach and recently elected president of Bermuda Lawn Tennis Assocation, will take the tennis session at the Government Tennis Stadium on Friday morning.

Lambert said his workshop, run with coaches Eldon Daniels and Walter Burgess and 22 PE teachers, would concentrate on introducing primary school aged children to tennis.

"Most of the junior champions we have nowadays started playing at four-and-a-half or five years-old -- so by the time they reach 10, they've been playing tennis half their lives,'' said Lambert.

"They grow up knowing how to play the game, how to deal with the mental aspects of it and how to condition themselves for tennis.'' Lambert added that Sasha Fisher, 13, and Jovan Whitter, 14, who beat older opponents to win the 18-and-under categories in the Cromwell Manders tournament last weekend, had enjoyed phenomenal success after starting young.

"Teachers have a very important part to play in the future of tennis. There are around 9,000 children in our education system and we will be happy if 10 percent of those students grow up to enjoy tennis and play on a regular basis,'' said Lambert.

"The BLTA works on the idea of a pyramid structure with the target of getting students playing collegiate tennis. That provides us with a pool from which to pick our Davis Cup and Federation Cup teams.

"We will be working on some of the latest teaching techniques from the International Tennis Federation. The ITF model is based on more tennis, more often, more fun. And fun is a vital part of encourging kids to learn.'' The cricket session will come under the auspices of Wendell Smith, principal of Paget Primary School, who enjoyed a great cricket career, while national athletics coach Gerry Swan will conduct the track and field workshop.

Overseas experts have also been drafted in. Physical education experts Vicki Worrell and Bobby Harris, both from the Wichita State University in Kansas, will be giving local teachers the benefit of their vast experience.

Worrell, who has taught PE for more than 20 years, now works in the university's Department of Sports Studies, while Harris is a past chairman of the National Association of Sports and Physical Education's Council of School Leadership for Physical Education.

The workshop also includes a "waterwise'' section, led by Gus Miller, president of the Waterwise America Programme and former coach of the US Olympic sailing team.

Held at White's Island and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, these sessions will be aimed at helping the teachers give students a better understanding of their marine surroundings.

The thriving sport of softball will also be covered, with Erica Smith, chairman of the Bermuda Softball Association, joined by Braxton Stowe, Anthony Mouchette, Mike Preece, Carla Zuill and Stacy Hill to advise teachers on the fundamentals of the game.

SPORTS SP