Thomas Reynolds of Lake Placid participates in a Whiteface Club Tennis Center youth clinic. (Photo provided — Diane Chase)

I’ve heard over and over how tennis is a life-long sport. All you need is a can of balls, a racket and a place to play. Of course, with any sport you still need to know the rules. The nice thing I’ve found about tennis is even though I’ve never known the formal rules, I’ve still been able to go out and casually hit the ball with family and friends.

With a help of a tennis playing husband and son, I’ve been encouraging my daughter to learn this “lifelong sport.” She quickly brought up my own lack of tennis skill. I took tennis lessons when I was young, but I never got beyond the rudimentary level of the game. Sometimes it takes a bit of encouragement for me to take my own good advice. Thankfully there are area tennis clinics and lessons available as well as plenty of free local tennis courts.

I’ve always been curious how the tennis scoring system came about and apparently so is the rest of the tennis world. No one really knows. Various historians have researched the scoring system, but no definitive answer has been reached. One theory is that a clock face was used to show the score.

As a general overview of the tennis scoring system, there are four points in a game (Love=zero, 15, 30, 40, game). A player may reach game, but still needs to win the game by a two-point spread. The first person to win six games, wins the set. Then each set needs to be won by two games. Typically, a match is won when someone wins two out of three sets. There are other aspects and points involved, but I’ve never gone beyond my general knowledge to explore the intricacies of the game.

The Whiteface Club and Resort on Whiteface Inn Lane, Lake Placid hosts three youth clinics each Thursday and Saturday throughout the summer. The cost for the youth clinics are $16/person and are offered according to the age of the student. The times are 1 p.m.: Pee Wee (under 7 years old); 2 p.m.: Juniors: (ages 7 to 12); and 3 p.m.: Teen (children over 12).

There are also adult clinics each Wednesday and Saturday at 10 a.m. The cost of the adult clinic is $20 for members and $30 for non-members. There is no extra charge for rackets.

Even if you don’t know the intricacies of the game, there are free courts located throughout the area. Getting outside and moving around is just as fun whether you are hitting the ball against a backboard or trying to return someone else’s serve. Once I’m able to get the ball consistently over the net, I’ll be able to get more of a workout. I can only get better, plus it’s always nice to be able to spend a few hours with my child. For more information about the tennis clinics call 518-523-2551 ext. 445.

Diane Chase is the author of the Adirondack Family Activities guidebook series, Adirondack Family Time: Your Four-Season Guide to Over 300 Activities.” For more

family-friendly activities go to www.AdirondackFamily

Time.com.