Watching a group of teenagers laugh as they smash a few balls around the Canberra Tennis Centre, it's easy to forget what they may be dealing with off-court - drug addiction, including to ice, alcoholism, homelessness, criminal records, broken homes, social isolation.
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The Ted Noffs Foundation runs a rehabilitation centre in Watson for 12- to 18-year-olds who come from Canberra, western NSW, the South Coast and Sydney, staying in-house for up to three months in a bid to beat their demons, learn life skills and embrace a brighter future.
The program offers a range of activities including free cardio tennis lessons which are the result of a partnership between Tennis ACT, local construction company Manteena, and the Ted Noffs Foundation. It's about trying to replace a chemical high with a natural one while fostering confidence and communication with the young people.
Manteena spokesman Richard Harriss said the tennis lessons evolved from the company building the new Tennis World complex at Lyneham, wanting to continue its good working relationship with Tennis ACT, and to give back to the community.
The Canberra Tennis Centre has been running the weekly, one-hour program for two years, helping an average of 60 young people per year.
Many Tennis ACT staff have been involved in the program, particularly Tennis World coach Airlie Chalmers who is attuned to the kids' needs.
"Sometimes we don't even hit a tennis ball, they just need to chat," she said.
Tennis is not a sport that may be readily available to socially and economically isolated young people. Some don't want a bar of it. They do laps of the court. They storm off the court, agitated.When they are persuaded to pick up a racquet, many embrace it, getting that hit of endorphins from exercise.
"Sometimes they just want to release everything and really hitting a tennis ball helps with that," Airlie said.
One 17-year-old from the South Coast, who had been taking ice since he was 13 after his parents split up, went on to commit break-and-enters and was on a downward slide. He did the rehab at Ted Noffs in Canberra and has since got a job and a driver's licence and says he hasn't touched ice since.
He said the tennis lessons were a big part of his recovery.
"I loved it. I still talk to Airlie all the time," he said. "It just gave me more motivation, more confidence."
Another 16-year-old boy from country NSW said he'd smoked marijuana every day since he was 11. He wants to beat the addiction and go to TAFE. He hits the ball on the court with confidence. You want to believe he can get through to the other side.
A 16-year-old girl from Wagga is just starting the lessons. She calmly says she has been using marijuana since she was 10 and ice since 14 after being removed from her alcoholic mother six years ago and placed into a series of foster homes. She's prepared to give the tennis a go.
She feels supported at Ted Noffs where she is facing the hardest journey of all to beat her addictions. "The first night is the worst," she said.
But she feels supported. "We're pretty much like a family; we're just not related," she said.
