USTA Eastern Metro Region Recap: November/December 2014

Taking It to the Streets
By Daniel Arzuaga
“Yeah I know how to play tennis!” declared Brandon Smith, an eight-year-old resident of Crown Heights when he attended the first ever “Street Tennis” clinic held in front of his building on Union Street.

“I hit hard! Watch me!” Brandon hit a tennis ball clear across the other side of the street.

“Well Brandon … you clearly possess tons of power. And you can clearly HIT the ball … but how about now I show you how to keep the ball inside the tennis court lines?”

Brandon smiled enthusiastically and agreed.

“Street Tennis” is the brainchild of Daniel Arzuaga, a USTA Eastern Metro Board member, who recalls how he grew up in an urban New York City neighborhood in the 1970’s that had no tennis courts.

“I dreamed of playing when I was a kid growing up in the Morrisania section of the Bronx, but the opportunities weren’t there for me back in the 70s,” said Arzuaga. “Now when I walk home, I see young kids on my block, like Brandon, who are just running in the street trying to amuse themselves. They have seen me with my tennis racquet in tow and have asked me many times about playing tennis, but there weren’t any courts nearby I could take them to. It was then that I thought to myself, ‘Why don’t we just MAKE a tennis court right here for the kids to play on?’”

Under the auspices of the USTA Eastern Metro Board and its President Jackie Clark, Arzuaga (affectionately called “Capi-Dan” by the kids), was able to secure a net, kid-sized racquets, youth tennis balls, orange target markers and constructed a makeshift tennis court on the sidewalk of Union Street.

Tennis for Teens at Rikers Island Correction Center
Members of the USTA Long Island Region Board, along with three tennis instructors from Sportime’s John McEnroe Tennis Academy, recently joined together to put on the first ever tennis clinic at the Rikers Island Correction Center juvenile jail.

This was a very successful day, where many boys participated. Every player was given a copy of New York Tennis Magazine, and new racquets balls were also gifted to the facility.

Rikers Island Corrections Deputy Chief Greg McLaughlin and Warden James Perrino coordinated this effort with USTA Eastern LI Board Member Bob Coburn. It took many months in order to clear the way for this event to take place.

“This was a wish for a long time and only came about because of our terrific volunteers and the great leaders at Rikers who realized the benefits of offering tennis to their inmates,” said Coburn.

USTA volunteers included Marian Morris, Akiko Tohmatsu, Danny Burgess and Kevin Tuohy. Jamie Moore, Sportime’s director of community outreach, and John McEnroe Tennis Academy pros Michael Moore and Chidi Gabriel represented JMTA. Discussions are already planned to develop an ongoing tennis program at Rikers Island.

The Metro Region Orange Ball Tournament Series
By Esu Ma’at

By now, even many of the most skeptical tennis purists have begun to recognize and extol the virtues of 10 & Under Tennis. The advent of slower balls played on smaller courts, combined with age-appropriate racquets have made the game easier, safer and more fun for kids to learn.

At this point, the question becomes, what do you do with several hundred children who, at an early age, can successfully mirror the movement, ball striking and strategies displayed by their favorite players on the ATP or WTA Tour?

Until now, competition opportunities in the Metropolitan Region were limited to Red, Orange and Green Ball Jr. Team Tennis play and a few Green Ball tournaments. The absence of more courts with blended-lines and a holistic R.O.G.Y competitive pathway, produced parents, coaches and players who were jumping to Green Ball competition long before many kids were actually ready.

This summer, USTA Eastern began addressing the situation by launching the Metro Region Orange Ball Tournament Series. With the help of Lauren Levine at Stadium Tennis Center, Tina Tapps at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Bill Racho and Kelvin Lastique from Cunningham Park, and Mark McIntyre of Riverside Park, players from the Tri-State Area competed in five one day tournaments which featured fun and competition on and off the courts.

From a Section perspective, we had three goals in mind with this initiative. One, we wanted to create more play opportunities for Orange Ball kids. Thus, we created the series concept. Furthermore, we added a first round consolation format, which guaranteed a minimum of two matches for each player. We also priced the tournaments at $25 and awarded participation prizes to the kids who competed the most. Balraj Idnani, Ishwar Idnani and Vanessa Popescu each received special recognition for participating in all five tournaments. Secondly, we set the participation goal at 16 registrants per tournament. Historically, local 10 & Under tournaments have struggled to attract half as many players.

Of course trying something new is always difficult in the beginning. Only 10 “Bravehearts” participated in the first event. But afterwards, the series caught on!

Finally, we endeavored to enhance the overall 10 & Under tournament experience. For example, “Dave and Busters” was the theme at Cunningham Park. Each player received five red raffle tickets when they checked in for their first match and for every match they won. Off the court, they received tickets for their participation in Swedish Handball, the U.S. Open Scavenger Hunt and the “Olympic Games.” Each time they won an event, they were handed more tickets. If their parents participated with them in any activity, they were awarded for that as well. At the end, the kids ate pizza and exchanged their tickets for cool prizes.

During the boys and girls finals at Riverside Park, all of the players were invited to the courts to hit for prizes such as oversized tennis balls, new sneakers, cotton U.S. Open jackets and more.

By all accounts the series was a huge success. We demonstrated the demand for Orange Ball competition. One tournament director admitted being skeptical about running the event initially, only to change his opinion after witnessing the turnout and the level of play. Several parents expressed similar sentiments. Moreover, the Metro Region Orange Ball Tournament Series was a win for the business of tennis. Not only did it generate revenue relative to court time, ball sales and player fees, it also helped create a market for families clamoring for more Orange Ball events.

USTA Eastern Metro Region Tennis Service Representative Esu Ma’at (center) recognizes Balraj Idnani (left), winner of all five tournaments in the Orange Ball Series, and Neel Krishnaswamy (right), finalist in tournaments four and five

Vanessa Popescu won Orange Ball tournaments 1 and 5, and was also awarded a prize for top female participant

Jala Atkinson (left) with Esu Ma’at (center) and Vanessa Popescu (right) as the runner-up in tournament 5

The “Dave and Buster’s” setup at Cunningham Park

Esu Ma’at; Damita Bowlers, winner of tournament 2; Vanessa Popsecu, runner up; and Larry Dillion, manager of 10 & Under Tennis for USTA Eastern

USTA Metro Board in action!

USTA Metro Board President Jackie Clark and Metro Board member Daniel Arzuaga volunteering at the ACEing Autism free kids clinic prior to the start of the U.S. Open

USTA Metro Board President Jackie Clark is interviewed by CBS News at the ACEing Autism clinic

The first session of the new Youth Tennis League featuring drills and play for kids

The USTA Eastern Board, with USTA Board Vice President Katrina Adams, taking in the action at the 2014 U.S. Open