The list of athletic competitions in which a 10-year-old can successfully go up against a high school senior is a short one.

Put Iowa State’s summer tennis camp on that list.

“It’s good for younger, more inexperienced players to be exposed to the stronger players,” said ISU head coach Michele Conlon, who also directs the four-day camp for boys and girls between 10 to 18 years of age.

“Everybody learns from everybody,” she said. “We have a variety of [skill] levels within the camp.”

Camp participants said the chance to compete in singles and doubles tournaments during the camp made the event more fun.

“I’m about to go into the final,” said Stephen Bock, 14, of Kansas City, Mo.

“The tournament is the best part, because it’s competitive,” he said.

Michael McCall, 14, of Clive, said the camp’s instructors made his experience at Iowa State’s camp better than some others he had attended.

“There are more [coaches] here,” he said. “I like the stuff and the way that they teach.”

While many players were in the first years of playing the sport, usually preparing to try out for a high school squad, at least one camper grew up with a tennis racket in his hand.

“[I’ve played] for about five years,” said Connor Young, 10, of Davenport.

Saturday, the diminutive Young, alone on the north side of a Forker tennis court, won a 30-second rally against three taller, older players during a drill.

“I liked the games that we played,” he said.

Technical aspects of tennis aren’t the only things people can learn at the tennis camp, said 16-year-old Laura Baker of Waverly.

Baker said she came to the camp looking to better her skills. She didn’t know any of the 25 other campers when she arrived.

“It’s been a really good experience in learning to reach out to try to make friends,” she said.

Most campers stay in ISU dormitories during the camp’s three nights. They also attend social events in the evenings, like a Des Moines Menace soccer match or a big meal at Hickory Park, 1404 South Duff Ave.

“For the dorm people, it’s a real good bonding experience,” Baker said.

Conlon said the camp covers a wide variety of topics beyond technique.

“We try to work and keep it a fun and challenging environment,” she said.

She said the camp staff teaches technique, tactics, mental toughness, overcoming emotions and rules.

Baker said the instruction was helpful.

“They’re really specific,” she said. “There’s a big variety in the different drills.”

Conlon said the summer camp has grown steadily during her 11 years as ISU tennis coach.

“In our first group picture, it was just a handful of campers,” she said.

“We’ve been at or near capacity the last few years.”

The camp and tennis program’s visibility, Conlon said, can be attributed in part to the success of Iowa State’s other teams.

The Cyclone football team played Florida State in a season-opening game in Kansas City, Mo. last season. This summer, three tennis campers came from Kansas City.

Sara Dale, 15, of Marshalltown, said her tennis coach recommended the ISU camp. She said it was a good decision to come.

“The instructors helped [my] volleys — my reaction,” she said.

Dale put that improvement to use in a long consolation match which she won 7—5 to end a singles tournament.

Bock said matches like that made the ISU camp better than another he attended this summer.

“Here we actually had a tournament,” he said. “They’re a lot of fun.”