Arthur Ashe Kids Day 2012

On Saturday, we piled kids, parents and volunteers onto two school buses and took them to the Billie Jean National Tennis Center in Flushing, NY for Arthur Ashe Kids Day! The National Tennis Center was abuzz with thousands of kids and adults. It was great to see so many tennis enthusiasts in one place!

It was a really great day where the kids got to run a variety of drills on the courts, play fun games like Speedzone: How Fast is Your Serve?, and watch the pro tennis players practice--there was even a Roger Federer sighting! Activities were split up by age, so everyone got to do a little something. I was very impressed not only by how well-behaved all the students were amid the 'chaos' but also by their tennis skills! I saw a Marcy student hit a 65 mph serve! Several of them rallied against the pros as if they had been playing since they were born. It was a proud day for KCTL. Later in the afternoon, some of the students entered Arthur Ashe Stadium and enjoyed musical performances from Carly Rae Jepsen and The Wanted.

It was an inspiring day where the kids got to experience both the history and potential future of the sport of tennis. view all the photos from KCTL's trip to Arthur Ashe Kids Day, visit out Facebook page.

Beautification Day at Tompkins Houses

Last weekend, many of the KCTL volunteers gathered at Tompkins early for a special day. Thanks to a grant from the Citizens Committee for NYC, we spent the day beautifying the area around the blacktop courts at Tompkins Houses, including picking up litter, raking up old leaves, pulling weeds, churning soil, and planting new flowers and plants.

I was impressed by two things: how much the kids enjoyed digging up the dirt and working with tools, and how committed our volunteers are who worked all day long to finish up the project. After all the hard work, the kids are looking forward to tennis next week! Check out all the photos of Beautification Day on Facebook.

Again, a special thank you to Citizens Committee of NYC for their support and donations.

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You

The 3rd Annual Kings County Tennis League Fundraiser was a rousing success! Over one hundred people attended and participated in our raffle and silent auction. We raised more than enough to provide uniforms to the kids at all four sites, as well as the funds to take all the kids to Arthur Ashe Kids Day at the National Tennis Center in Flushing, NY in August.

We had delicious food and free drinks, great raffle prizes and fantastic live jazz courtesy of the Austin Walker trio. An extra big thanks to our sponsors and supporters: USTA Eastern, New York City Housing Authority, Citizens Committee for New York City, and all our amazingly dedicated volunteers! And a thank you to these local businesses for providing prizes, and/or food and drink: Black Swan Restaurant, Bonobos Men's Clothing, Brooklyn Brewery, City Winery, Perelandra Natural Foods. The night wouldn't have been a success without your efforts!

It was an inspiring event that caught the attention of both local and state politicians and media. Thank you for your support and keep checking back on the site to see all the great things KCTL is doing! View all the photos from the event on the KCTL Facebook page.

A Little Pat on the Back Publicity

I just wanted to take a minute to acknowledge the support and publicity we've gotten in the past few weeks in an effort to make the fundraiser a success. We recently made it in the NYTime's side project: The Local (Ft. Greene & Clinton Hill): Local Youths Learn Tennis for Free. My favorite part?

“It’s just fun!” said seven-year-old Madison Francis, a participant who heard about the program through her school. “It gives you energy.”
Her mother, Amore Philip, is also a fan. “It gets her away from the computer,” she said. “She even wants to practice in the house.”

The fundraiser has also been published on the NY Social Diary, Socially Superlative, and Bedstuy Patch online calendars, which helps us reach a wider audience of potential funders.

Get Ready for KCTL's 3rd Annual Fundraiser

I am so pleased to announce the details for our 3rd Annual KCTL Fundraiser!

When: Tuesday, July 24, 2012, 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Where: The Dumbo Loft, 155 Water St., Brooklyn, NY 11201

We'll be having a silent auction for a pair of U.S. Open President Box tickets! As well as a raffle for amazing prizes such as: Jay-Z concert tickets at the new Barclays Center; NY Philharmonic tickets (Wynton Marsalis, Christoph Eschenbach, Alan Gilbert); NY Mets baseball tickets (great seats!); Catered dinner for 4; Perelandra Natural Goods Gift Basket and more!

Maybe you believe in our mission, maybe you've seen first-hand the difference it's made in the lives of the kids, maybe you're a tennis lover or sports enthusiast, maybe you're a Bed-Stuy resident -- whatever your reason, come join us for a great evening to support a worthy cause!

Or view more details on our EventBrite KCTL Fundraiser page.

Blast From the Past! KCTL President Hits the USTA Courts

Check out KCTL President, Michael McCasland, playing against Gordon Smith, the USTA Executive Director in 2010 when Michael was first starting the Marcy Tennis Club. Way to spread the word!

Week 4: Game on with Match Play

The gloom cleared by Saturday morning, and KCTL was on the courts at Marcy, Tompkins and Lafayette. We had over 75 kids between the three sites and some 15+ volunteers. Turn out was great.

During class, we had kids working on agility and dexterity drills. Some of the older and/or more skilled players engaged in match play. The match play is a great opportunity to teach the kids the rules of the game as well as good sportsmanship like shaking hands, not over-celebrating on a good point and on the other side, not shutting down when losing. It also gets them psyched because it's a good reminder that they'll be playing matches against the kids of other sites' at the end-of-year jamboree.

The volunteers met up after class to talk about the good and the bad. Michael handed out some chock-full-of-good-information USTA drill manuals that also had great teaching guidelines when working with kids. KCTL is dedicated to having volunteers that aren't just great at tennis, but also great at mentoring. We were also reminded that we should always reward effort and not winning.

Tiffany brought up a great tip/game that the kids play in school to help keep a station organized and listening. If things get unruly, the instructor says, "Eyes on who?" and the kids know to respond with "Eyes on Instructor's Name." It's a simple way to bring attention back to the instructor/adult.

At the end of the volunteers meeting, Michael talked about the super, awesome fundraiser KCTL will be hosting in July. More details to come soon!