Tennis clinic held in Pittsburgh for blind and visually impaired people

Nate Smallwood | Saturday, August 31, 2019 4:39 p.m.

Nate Smallwood | Tribune-Review

Thomas Kovacs, 9, of Plum is assisted by Slippery Rock University student Viola Lugmayr and Olivia Warner during a blind and vision impaired tennis clinic hosted Saturday by Highland Park Tennis Club and Envision Blind Sports in Pittsburgh’s Highland Park.

The Highland Park Tennis Club, with help from Envision Blind Sports, hosted a blind and vision impaired tennis clinic on Saturday afternoon.

Catering to each participant’s ability, volunteers from the tennis club and Slippery Rock University’s women’s tennis team gave hands-on instruction free of charge.

Jessica Kovacs of Plum watched from the bleachers as her son, Thomas, 9, was given specialized lessons.

She says Thomas gets a great deal out of events like this and will hold onto the memories for years.

In addition, she added it’s good for the average person looking on “to see a kid roll up with a (guiding) cane, and go do stuff like this.”