Lowell High School Grad Brings Tennis and Pickleball to the Community

Caleb Kaufman has made tennis his life passion. The founder and head coach at Rally Point Sports, his goal is to bring tennis to people of all ages and abilities in the Lowell community. In July, pickleball tournaments and leagues will also be offered.

Growing Up on the Court

Kaufman grew up in Lowell and has lived in the community for 18 years. He is a 2017 Lowell High School graduate who played on the varsity tennis team in both singles and doubles while he was in high school. He spent his first two years playing doubles and in the last two, he took to the court in singles. While he would have liked to have played in college, where he attended did not have a team. However, he still played frequently and joined Intramural and Club Tennis during his college years. 

Kaufman started playing tennis at the age of five. His parents enrolled him in the Lowell Summer Tennis Camp. He recalls loving the sport the minute he picked up a racket even though there were times he resisted criticism and advice offered by coaches. 

“I loved the fast-paced gameplay and, eventually, the strategy involved in playing the game both physically and mentally. I haven’t stopped playing since,” says Kaufman of picking up tennis at a young age.

Having more than eight years of experience coaching, he has taught more than 370 players of all experience levels, ranging in age from 3 to 60. Kaufman has taught at country clubs, YMCAs, schools, groups, one on one, and he has even coached abroad.

Bringing Tennis to Lowell

Kaufman began coaching tennis in 2014. He says Lowell’s tennis program has shrunk some since he was involved, camps are shorter, and the skills of players have decreased. This is part of the reason he wants to focus on the Lowell community and surrounding areas. 

He comments, “I’ll always have a soft spot for Lowell, I grew up here. It’s what drove me to start this business. I think tennis is something everyone will enjoy!”

Kaufman has a love of sharing what he has learned and enjoys seeing the excitement and improvement in those he works with through the various programs Rally Point Tennis offers. The idea of giving back to the sport and community where he got his start is great motivation.

Offerings for All Ages and Experience

Rally Point Tennis offers programs for kids aged four and up as well as adults. Every skill level is welcome. 

“We use skill-based matchmaking to pair similarly skilled players together to better challenge and improve them,” Kaufman remarks. “Many of our programs are tailored, but generically everyone can expect to learn how to effectively improve their groundstrokes, strategy, fitness, mental toughness, and a lot more.”

Programs include  Camps, Matchplay, Tournaments, as well as Cardio and Adult Sessions. These groups typically have 8-10 participants, however, they are expected to grow as more people sign up. Individual and group lessons can also be scheduled.

Most of the events take place at Lowell High School, of which Kaufman is thankful for the support of the school district. Individual and group lessons are more flexible when it comes to the location and could take place on courts in Lowell, Ada Park, or Grand Rapids Township Park if that’s more convenient. Events are offered during warmer months but private and group lessons are held year-round. 

If a less is canceled due to weather, a credit for the next lesson will be provided or a full refund will be given. For camps, if two or more days are missed they will typically be made up over the weekend or later in the day.

The Schedule and Signing Up 

Kaufman aims to have a dialog with those who want to participate in programming to try and find days and times that work best for those who are interested. Cardio Tennis and Adult Only Sessions are planned through a Facebook group. Private and Group Lesson registration scheduling is done via this Calendly link

For general information about programming and events visit the Rally Point Sports website. Kaufman notes the .net address with a smile. And a Facebook page also offers information on what is coming up.

Kaufman concludes with, “I’m very excited to be adding a new and unique business to the Lowell community!”

Photos courtesy of Caleb Kaufman and used with permission.

Editor’s note: This article was updated on July 21, 2022 to add include information about pickleball.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*