Joanne Byron is hoping tennis will become the sport of choice for Wareham's youth.

Byron is conducting her free summer tennis clinic for youth aged 9 to 13 for the third year in a row in conjunction with the Boys & Girls Club of Greater New Bedford/ Wareham.

"They love tennis, they really enjoy it," said Byron, adding that she has some repeats from previous years.

The program is held on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Wareham High School tennis courts through the months of July and August.

Byron models the program after a 10-year-old tennis clinic she created at the Ron Burton Training Village Camp in Hubbardston, Massachusetts.

The Ron Burton Camp was created by former New England Patriot Ron Burton in 1985 to provide guidance and academic opportunities for underprivileged youth. Burton passed away from cancer in 1985.

Byron is hoping that her program at the Boys & Girls Club will also give youth the chance to play a sport that is often expensive and cost-prohibitive.

"Youth in Rochester and Mattapoisett all take private lessons," said Byron. "So if they do that, the kids in Wareham can't compete with them," she said.

Byron would like her program to give kids n exposure to tennis early on so that they can continue to play it into the future.

"It's a lifelong sport," said Byron. "It's something they'll have for the rest of their lives, they can play it until they're 90," she said.

At the clinic's first day on Monday, July 9, volunteers helped teach the young learners how to properly swing a racket, pivot on their foot, and keep their eye on the ball.

"All these techniques are important," Byron said. "Once you teach them that, eventually they are going to catch it."

Artemis Sivvianakis, a soon to be Decas Elementary School 5th grader, is participating in the program for her second year.

"I've been playing tennis on the Wii a lot and it was fun," said Sivvianakis, referring to the popular interactive video game console.

Sivvianakis plays softball and soccer, but is thinking of changing soccer for tennis.

"I'm really into the swinging," said Sivvianakis. "I think [tennis] will be better because I know the sport and it will be fun to play.

For Boys & Girls Club Unit Director Barbara Sullivan, helping children make those decisions is the purpose of the clinic.

"It’s important to expose children to new and different experiences, so they have a basis for making a decision about liking or disliking something,”, she said in a prepared statement.

Remaining classes will be held on July 11, 16, 18, 23, 25, 30 and August 1, 6, 8, 13, 15, and 17.

Youth aged 9 to 10 practice from 2 to 3 p.m., while the 3 to 4 p.m. slot is reserved for kids aged 11 to 13.

The tennis camp is made possible because of a network of friends who are helping the cause.

They include Jim Roberts, an old friend and tennis partner of Byron's from Wayside Racquet and Swim Club in Marlboro where Byron teaches tennis part-time. Roberts has participated in the Burton training camp and for all three years of the Wareham clinic.

They also include newcomer Sydney Holmes, whose grandmother played doubles with Byron, and her cousin Alexa Holmes.

The clinic currently has approximately 20 kids signed up in the two age groups with most of them from Wareham.

At the end of August a tournament for the two age groups will be held where two "Prince" rackets will be awarded to the winners.

Ultimately, however, the clinic is about giving kids the chance to learn tennis.

"We never had a program in tennis in Wareham when I was growing up," said Byron, adding people can still sign up. "If they want to do it, they should be able to play."