Project Description

Hi there! I am a student and member of the Occidental College Men's Tennis Team in Los Angeles. Recently, members of the men's and women's tennis team, along with our coaches, decided to try to implement a Tennis and Education Program for disadvantaged youth in the Los Angeles area.

Utilizing some of the resources of the college, we hope to bus inner-city kids to Occidental College where the players and coaches will teach them tennis in a fun, relaxed, and safe environment. Once this aspect of the program has been established, we hope to extend the mentoring aspect of the program to include academic tutoring, either from members of the Occidental Tennis teams, or through one of Occidental's other community outreach programs such as Gear Up, a tutoring program that is already in place.

The initial goals of the program would be threefold

(1) to keep children off the streets and engaged in a productive, self-esteem enhancing activity such as tennis

(2) to provide opportunities for children to improve their academic performance and help them make choices that enrich their lives; and

(3) To introduce at-risk children to college and help them develop the academic and sport-specific skills that will allow them to go to college by obtaining academic and/or athletic scholarships.

Currently, this program is an idea which I am trying to build support for both within the College and in the broader community- including inner city elementary schools in order to obtain the necessary funding. Hopefully the initial stages of this program can be implemented within the next couple of months, and, given an affiliation with a school such as Occidental, I feel that such a program could continue to operate for a long long time.

Project Description

Through my struggle in making the Girls' Varsity Tennis Team I have learned the invaluable lesson that with hard work and determination, I can accomplish anything. In addition, I have also discovered that making a difference in people's lives by teaching proper tennis technique is the most important experience I've had in my tennis career. Coaching beginner tennis players makes me proud and it also relates to the patient, determined, and goal oriented person that I am.
Failing to make the Girl's Varsity Tennis Team was a reality check, and my last resort was the second tryout before tennis season began. During the summer of '05, with the help of my family and private tennis coach Anna Wells, I changed my lifestyle as I set my goal to make the team. I became more organized, fit, and healthy as I improved my game. I obliged to better eating choices and made running a daily habit. With the help of my coach, I intensified my lessons by drilling everything from footwork, to ground strokes, serves, and volleys and developed innovative playing strategies.
Through my hard work and determination I was awarded the last varsity spot. Making the varsity tennis team taught me not to expect anything, for I clearly expected to make the team again solely on the fact that I was on it the previous year. Most importantly however, it taught me that when a goal is set in mind, it is achievable through hard work and determination. As a team the highlight of our high school tennis career was when we reached the City Finals, individually it was when I defeated Cleveland's Gabby Fernandez, a favorite, in the 2007 Quarter Finals in a three setter 3-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Making Granada's tennis team was my personal goal and foundation; however, sharing the love for tennis in my community by teaching proper tennis technique is the most valued quality that I have contributed throughout my tennis career. While training during the summer of '05 for the upcoming tennis season, I decided to take a tennis class at Pierce College thinking that it would improve my game. I was pleasantly surprised that on the first day as I stepped onto the court I saw a class full of amateurs. Although not a professional, I soon found myself giving advice to the tennis beginners. At first they would just ask me technique questions in class, but then many more stayed after class as I showed them a variety of pointers, drills, and skills that they needed to improve their game. I could never forget one student named Jose. Jose came to class with an old wooden Wilson racket and had zero prior tennis experience, but incredible energy and enthusiasm to learn and play. His favorite shot was the serve. As I drilled him on the correct motions, he began to improve. In fact he picked it up so fast that he was soon acing me! To this day it fascinates me how fast he was able to adapt and retain knowledge, and how he was able to apply that knowledge in the right circumstance. I'm proud to say that although it wasn't easy I was able to help many people like Jose. During the following two summers, I returned to Pierce College as a class assistant to Anna Cox, to teach basic tennis skills.
In addition to spreading the tennis love around my community, I also apread the tennis love around my school campus by opening up The Tennis club. As club president I am able to raise tennis awereness throughout my high school by holding weekly lunch meetings, and setting up Saturday practises. It is through tennis club that I am able to share my love for the game. Tennis Club gives everyone the opportunity to play the game, and not only the people that have made the team. It gives everyone the chance to develop as a tennis player while becoming a fit and active member of the community.
Tennis has become an important part of my life and development. My personal accomplishments and contributions as a leader demonstrate the kind of person that I am, they also predict the kind of person that I hope to become: one that stays active by playing tennis and one that gets everyone involved.

Project Description

Teens Teach Tennis is a community service project I started in the spring of 2005. My belief in community service comes from early experiences with my mother who teaches kindergarten. Helping her in the classroom from an early age, I quickly became aware how rewarding teaching others and sharing knowledge can be.

As an advanced junior tennis player, I helped teach tennis to young beginners at a local tennis club. This experience reinforced my enthusiasm for teaching and gave me confidence in my ability to teach others.

While I have volunteered for service club and helped the elderly, my true passions are both teaching and tennis; therefore, it seemed natural to me that I should somehow combine these activities as a volunteer in our community. My idea was to bring skilled junior tennis players together with children who are eager to learn the game of tennis but do not have resources for equipment and instruction.

A family friend suggested that I contact the city of Aiken to see if there were any recreation programs that would allow me to help teach tennis to children in the community. I met with the Director of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism for Aiken; he liked the idea of Teens Teach Tennis and offered two tennis courts at Eustis Park in the Toole Hill neighborhood of Aiken to start the program.

With the help of several volunteers and donations provided by community groups, I was able to hold the first tennis clinic in June of 2005. My most memorable experience was on that first day of the program. Having worked very hard to prepare for this day, I did not want anything to go wrong. We had handed out fliers in the neighborhood, making sure we contacted homes with young children so that students would show up on the first day.

First to arrive were the twins, Anastasia and Danika . Soon, one by one, more children began to arrive. When I saw their smiling faces and eagerness to start, I knew that I had done the right thing and all would turn out well.

Looking back over the last three years, all has turned out well. Teens Teach Tennis has not only provided free tennis lessons to many, but also provided structure, guidance, and healthy alternatives for deserving children. Teens Teach Tennis helped to revive a neighborhood park and tennis courts. Teens Teach Tennis brought together members of the community to improve their neighborhood and provide new opportunity for their children.

The most valuable lesson I can pass on to other young people is to find something they like to do or a skill that they have developed and share their knowledge. If you are a math whiz, find a school that needs a tutor. If you have a green thumb, help a neighborhood start a garden. If you are an artist, find a community center and start an art class. All it takes is a little passion for your activity and your willingness to share your knowledge. Once you take the first step, others will follow. Be a leader and contribute your knowledge and energy to helping those less fortunate. The rewards are many and the opportunities are endless.

Project Description

My name is Andrew Sheets and I currently live in Tampa, Florida. I have been working for the City of Tampa for over a year now and have come in contact with a variety of people. I am employed at The City of Tampa Tennis Complex at Hillsborough Community College, which is one of the largest tennis facilities in the south. There are 16 hard courts and 12 clay, totaling 28. Although over half of our customers are 55 and up, there are also young children, high school students, and the Hillsborough Community College Lady Hawks team that share a love for these courts. This facility is home to many of these people, some of which have found recreation here for the 20 years it has been open. Each year the complex sponsors many events, some of which include a professional tournament for the top 1000 players in the world, high school season and district matches, Division 2 Conference Championships, the three-day a week Round-Robins, and also a school/camp put on by the facility’s pro, Steve Smith, called Tennis Smith. For the past two years, the HCC Lady Hawks have been ranked #2 in the nation under the Community College division. These girls spend on average 4 hours Monday-Friday practicing on these courts, and even more when preparing for districts, regionals, and nationals. Every Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday as many as 40 people come to play in the Round-Robins where they can relax, socialize, and escape life’s daily stress. During fall, winter, and spring, the facility and the Lady Hawks sponsor a once a week, hour long camp called the DollarClinic. Hour long drills and lessons are provided for the less fortunate interested in playing tennis; however, cannot afford it. Racquets are provided for the participants. From 2003-2004, I taught children and did drills with the adults and it was a wonderful experience for me. My co-workers and I have been aware of the fact that the lease on the land expires in March of 2008 and also the possibility that it would be destroyed was there hanging over our heads. In mid-July the possibility became reality when Tampa mayor, Pam Iorio laid off 100 city employees, including me and two of my fellow employees. 75 of the other people laid off were from Tampa parks and recreations. At this time, the city has a plan for the land but no funding. Even if funding DOES become available for them, the facility could sit unused for up to two years. If the complex is torn down, many people will be affected, including the Lady Hawks, Round-Robin enthusiasts, and other estimated 20,000 people that use it each year. Because of how much this could impact not only me but the community, a 20-year attendee, Ed Erickson, and I started a petition and have 160 names so far. Erickson has planned, scheduled, and attended many meetings to fight for the place he has called home for so many years. This issue has been highlighted in many newspaper articles and Iorio better expect more to come her way in the near future!