Shiloh Baptist Church has adult and junior programs called Tennis at Shiloh (TAS). The USTA awarded TAS a Diversity Signature grant last spring to create an 18-and-under Junior Team Tennis team, cardio tennis and adult clinics on Saturday mornings in DC.
DC Mayor Adrian Fenty is popular with tennis fans.
DC Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, was joined by Ximena Hartsock, Acting Director of the DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), Lucy S. Garvin, President and Chairman of the Board of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), and Jeff Newman, Legg Mason Tennis Classic Tournament Director, at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park to announce a new partnership between DPR and USTA. Through the new partnership, USTA will continue to expand their support for tennis and tennis programs across the District of Columbia. Mayor Fenty said, “I'm very proud to announce a partnership between the United States Tennis Association with Washington, DC, through the Department of Parks and Recreation. Providing our residents, and especially our youth, with high-quality recreational opportunities is a priority for my administration."
Role models make a difference. Alice Lee, a retired DC math teacher, started playing tennis because of Zina Garrison. In the late ‘80s, Zina Garrison was a role model for Lee. Garrison, who was ranked as high as No. 4 in the world, was a Wimbledon finalist, an Olympic Doubles Gold Medalist, and a three-time Grand Slam Mixed-Doubles Champion. “Zina came to our school promoting tennis and hitting balls to kids down in the gymnasium,” said the athletic teacher, who used to participate in gymnastics and basketball. “Because of her, I started watching tennis and thinking that I wanted to play. I am athletic and I just like sports. I just started doing tennis because it was something I could do at school.” When the 73-year-old Lee was growing up, sports were different. “Gymnastics more like tumbling,” she said. “When I played basketball, we were limited to one bounce.”
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—USTA Serves awarded the Recreation Wish List Committee in Washington, DC, a $10,000 grant. Other Washington, DC, organizations receiving grants were the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC), Reach for College!, and the Washington Tennis & Education Foundation (WTEF). USTA Serves Chief Executive Karen Martin-Eliezer said, “It is extremely rewarding to see how programs across the country are using USTA Serves funding to help children improve academically and learn positive life skills which will help them grow to be healthy, productive adults. We are grateful to the USTA, and so many corporations and individual donors for the generous support that empowers USTA Serves to allocate life-changing funds.”
Two Washington organizations received USTA grants totaling $59,000. The Washington Tennis & Education Foundation received $50,000 and the Latin American Youth Center was awarded $9,000. The WTEF was founded in 1955 as an organization designed to help disadvantaged youth through tennis. Since then, it has evolved into an organization that provides academic help to at-risk children by helping them to apply the lessons learned on the tennis court in the classroom and beyond. Today, WTEF is a leader in the best practice of providing academic enrichment, supplemented by tennis and life skills instruction, as a means for developing the skills necessary to achieve academic and personal success. WTEF’s mission is to improve the life prospects of DC-area youth, particularly those from lower-income communities, by providing athletic, academic, and life-skills activities that teach discipline, build confidence, and improve academic performance.
The Washington Area Tennis League announces the 2009 USTA/WATL League Rules and Regulations. The rules and regulations govern all league play within the Washington, DC District of the United States Tennis Association.
At the Shiloh Baptist Church in Northwest DC, 10 USTA/ Washington District Awards were presented Oct. 25, including Willis Thomas Sr. as the Lifetime Service Award Winner and James Ridgley as the Community Pro of the Year. Other annual-award winners are: Organization of the Year: Active Aces Super Senior Tennis Club. Volunteer of the Year: Alice Lee. Leagues Coordinator of the Year: Eva M. Bell. Community Program of the Year: Ward 8 Tennis Council. Tennis Facility of the Year: Washington Tennis and Education Foundation. Outstanding Media/Press Coverage: Ethelyne Wilkes. Official of the Year: Ruth Dupree. Adult/Senior Sportsmanship (Male): H’Cone Thompson.
After being the Mid-Atlantic Junior Competition chair, Kelly Jackson was elected as the Washington, DC, president. She will succeed Maurice Patterson next year. The Washington Board of Directors are -- President Elect: Kelly Jackson. First Vice President Elect: Stephanie Marshall. Treasurer Elect: Willie Graves. Secretary Elect: Sharon Sellers. Washington Tennis Association Delegate to Mid-Atlantic Section Elect: Lynn Duventre.
Like a rocket, Jr. Team Tennis has taken off in Washington, DC. After starting a league last year, the numbers are skyrocketing. Jr. Team Tennis will be the next big tennis boom of this decade. With 1,779 players in 2008, we are already at 1,718 players in March. Mid-Atlantic Jr. Team Tennis Manager Elena Branker said the Section is 61 registrants away from bypassing last year’s total numbers. “We are growing very rapidly and still have the biggest season, summer, to go,” she added. “It should increase as the DC District and West Virginia District look to expand their leagues as well.” The Jr. Team Tennis concept emphasizes fun, fitness, and friends in intermediate and advanced divisions, competing in District, Sectional, and National Championships. To become a program coordinator or to join a team, contact Carmela Goodall (Washington, DC) at carmela_goodall@msn.com; Caroline Downs (Virginia) at caroline@virginiatennis.com; Alicia von Lossberg (Maryland) at avonloss@isiglobal.net; or Alice Ann Sarver (West Virginia) at aliceann@westvirginiatennis.com.
Anacostia High School is beginning a new tennis tradition to match its success in major sports like basketball, football and track. Richard King, a PTR (Professional Tennis Registry) Certified Instructor, has been brought on as the new Anacostia tennis coach in Southeast Washington. King is looking for tennis players to practice at 3:30 p.m. after school. Tennis At Shiloh (TAS), a Community Tennis Association, will continue its program of Family Fun Tennis at the Family Life Center at Shiloh Baptist Church (1510 Ninth Street., NW). It is free from 9:30-11 a.m.. Children learn tennis lessons with music, aerobics, and stretching. TAS is also forming three new Jr. Team Tennis teams for children between the ages of 7-18. If you are interested, e-mail King at rakingjr@verizon.net or call 202-251-3469. The Fall Jr. Team Tennis Team, the Crusaders, won the 2008 Fall DC Competition. The Department of Parks and Recreation, in partnership with TAS, offers a weekday summer program of tennis, softball and academics at Banneker Recreation Center on Georgia Avenue and Euclid Street in Northwest DC. Initiated by DC City Council person Harry Thomas and Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Thomas KD Smith, the seven-week program is run by Executive Director Melissa Johnson will start two weeks after school ends. Call DC Parks and Recreation at 202-671-0295.
