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Sams Valley Principal drives team to<br />
Ralleyball Showdown…literally<br />
W<br />
hen Ginny Anderson approached Walt Davenport, Principal at Sams Valley<br />
Elementary School in Central Point, Ore., about off ering an aft er-school<br />
Ralleyball tennis program at their school, Davenport gave her the green light. Th e<br />
two worked together to organize an informational meeting for those students who<br />
were interested and with that, the Sams Valley Elementary Ralleyball program<br />
was in gear.<br />
Anderson volunteered to run a six week beginner’s tennis program for fourth,<br />
fi ft h and sixth grade students, and Davenport put his wheels to work when it came<br />
time to transport the Sams Valley team to their fi rst-ever Ralleyball Showdown at<br />
Southern Oregon Tennis Club in Medford. Th e principal drove the six players 18<br />
miles to face Ralleyball teams from other elementary schools in the Medford area<br />
and even acted as coach and ultimate cheerleader, encouraging the Sams Valley<br />
team to do well on court but most importantly, to have fun.<br />
For more information about bringing tennis to your school, please turn to page 16.<br />
Whidbey Island <strong>USTA</strong> Jr. Team Tennis is truly a family aff air<br />
Every year we have the privilege of working with tennis parents, coaches and<br />
<strong>com</strong>munity leaders who want to give kids a fantastic experience through <strong>USTA</strong><br />
Jr. Team Tennis. Over the years we have written about some of those leaders in<br />
an attempt to share their stories, passion and experience of coordinating leagues<br />
but in this edition of Tennis Times, we’re going to show you <strong>USTA</strong> Jr. Team Tennis<br />
from a diff erent angle.<br />
One year ago, Karyle Kramer contacted the <strong>USTA</strong> Pacifi c Northwest about<br />
running a <strong>USTA</strong> Jr. Team Tennis summer league on Whidbey Island, a <strong>com</strong>munity<br />
on the Puget Sound. Over the next several months, Kramer contacted parents,<br />
players and local high school coaches to get the ball rolling. She contacted and<br />
followed-up with hundreds of potential players and parents and posted signs<br />
advertising <strong>USTA</strong> Jr. Team Tennis sign-ups. Additionally, Kramer learned to<br />
use TennisLink for registration and scheduling, and adopted the <strong>USTA</strong> Jr. Team<br />
Tennis rules to fi t Whidbey Island’s needs. Th ese are just a few of the many other<br />
details that Kramer devoted herself to.<br />
Below you will read a fi rst-hand account of Kramer’s experience with <strong>USTA</strong><br />
Jr. Team Tennis. Tennis Times asked her to share her perspective about the volunteers,<br />
players and parents who made this program a success in her <strong>com</strong>munity.<br />
O<br />
pening night of <strong>USTA</strong> Jr. Team Tennis league matches on Whidbey Island<br />
produced two revelations. Th e fi rst was that many of the 31 players<br />
standing with me in the circle were related to someone else in that circle. Th e<br />
second discovery was the signifi cant number of parents who were present,<br />
[ Continued on page 30 ]<br />
Community<br />
Tennis<br />
Development<br />
Workshop <strong>com</strong>ing<br />
to West Coast<br />
2010 Community Tennis<br />
Development Workshop<br />
January 22-24<br />
Sheraton San Diego Hotel &<br />
Marina, San Diego, Calif.<br />
REGISTER NOW FOR A DISCOUNT!<br />
Enthusiasm abound for the inaugural season of JTT on Whidbey Island.<br />
Mark it on your calendar! Join us for the 2010 Community<br />
Tennis Development Workshop (CTDW) and bring back a<br />
wealth of information that will benefi t tennis in your <strong>com</strong>munity<br />
and build a strong network that will have an impact<br />
for years to <strong>com</strong>e.<br />
Need convincing? Consider the following:<br />
Unbeatable Programming<br />
Sessions off ered at the CTDW will feature the following<br />
topics presented by experts in the non-profi t and tennis<br />
industry:<br />
� Hone your on-court skills through the QuickStart Tennis<br />
play format and other tennis programming.<br />
� Be<strong>com</strong>e a stronger tennis advocate for your <strong>com</strong>munity.<br />
� Develop, involve and energize your volunteer base.<br />
� Deliver eff ective marketing and <strong>com</strong>munications designed<br />
to reach your core audience.<br />
� Expand your fundraising eff orts.<br />
By Karyle Kramer<br />
� The Ultimate in Making Connections<br />
Strong relationships can lead to greater success! At the<br />
CTDW, we’ve made networking a priority and we’ve even<br />
made it fun. Check out these opportunities:<br />
� The Resource Center: Visit with vendors and other industry<br />
partners in the exhibit area of the workshop.<br />
� Courtside consulting gives you one-on-one time with<br />
speakers and other program experts.<br />
Register now to reserve your spot at the 2010 CTDW and<br />
receive a special discount! All attendees who register by<br />
December 23 will be treated to the early-bird rate.<br />
Please go to our website at www.pnw.usta.<strong>com</strong> to register<br />
and to view hotel information as well as a preliminary<br />
schedule for the weekend. For more information please<br />
email info@pnw.usta.<strong>com</strong>.<br />
www.pnw.usta.<strong>com</strong> � WINTER 2009/10 TENNIS TIMES<br />
9