Tennis is such a great sport for life: you don't age out of it, it's fun, it's competitive, there are courts everywhere, and you need only one other person to play. I'm an intermediate baller longing to advance, so I just signed up for a tennis class. It meets two mornings a week until December 15 and the cost is $88.

Yes, you read that correctly. No typo.

For this same price, you could take: jazz dance, flamenco dance, ballroom and latin dance, yoga, pilates, swim lessons, karate, mixed martial arts, self-defense—to name a few. This blog is all about insider tips for living well on a budget in Silicon Valley, and this is a pretty big tip I didn't know about until recently. Yes, please! The classes started last week, but it isn't too late to jump onboard: September 9 is the deadline for late registration.

West Valley College is a community college in Saratoga. For those of you unfamiliar with community colleges, they are public, two-year schools that provide affordable post-high school education as a pathway to a four-year degree. But, you don't have to be working on a degree in order to take a class—their classes are open to all California residents. You could take an art class, you could take a French class, or you could get physical and take a kinesiology class.

Kinesiology is the department where you'll find all of the physically active classes: sports, dance, martial arts, etc. Click here to go to the schedule of classes and peruse the options. Click Online Searchable Class Schedule, select Fall 2018, scroll down and select Kinesiology-WVC, scroll down and click Class Search. (WVC stands for West Valley College; you could also take classes at Mission College in Santa Clara.)

Classes are one semester long; fall semester runs August 27-December 15. It's possible to add a class through September 9, by obtaining an add-code from the professor.  Click here for the faculty directory; contact the teacher of your class to get an add-code, or to learn about the class and the professor's credentials. If you want to get into a class for fall semester, act now. 

Most of the kinesiology classes are one credit classes, and you pay per credit. One credit costs $46, and there are some other fees. Here is the breakdown of my tennis bill:

It costs money to park at West Valley: $3 per day, or you can buy a one semester parking pass for $50.

Signing up for my class didn't require much information, but the process could be more clear on their website. Here are some tips to speed you through:

• First, you'll create an account with California Community Colleges (CCC). It might take a few hours to receive an email with your CCC identification number. You need this number to apply to West Valley.
• Second, you'll apply to West Valley. Within 24 hours, you'll receive an email with your West Valley student ID number. You need this number to register for a class.
• Third, you'll register for your class.

Click here to APPLY — scroll to the bottom and press "Begin Your Application".

If you get stuck, contact Scott Ludwig, Director of  Communications, and he'll help you out:  Scott.Ludwig@westvalley.edu. 

I had tennis this morning. As I was leaving, I spoke with a woman leaving the pool; she raved about how great the swim program is and the beautiful, clean pool. You could take a Master's Swim Class twice a week for 4 months in a beautiful pool for $88. Ok, you get the point.

Remember, there's still time to join a class for fall semester. I'm tempted to try flamenco. 💃🏼

Links:

Apply now: http://westvalley.edu/apply

Schedule of Classes: http://westvalley.edu/classes

The Faculty Directory:  http://westvalley.edu/faculty