The Gift of Tennis
Kathy Willette
It was 1954...I remember the sounds of the first day that I held a tennis racquet. The place was Morley Field, a public tennis center in San Diego, CA. There were 8 courts, all asphalt, with wire nets. I was 10 and my coach, Wilbur Folsom, was on the opposite side of the wire net. Pop, pop...I heard the sound of bare tennis balls against the nylon strings of a wood racquet, and when I did not run fast enough or place my feet correctly to hit the ball, the sound of a wood racquet against a wooden leg. Wilbur had a wooden leg, and he would remind me during this first lesson that "if I can get to that ball, you can too!" Sixty-eight years later, I still remember Wilbur and the many life lessons he taught.
Two courts away, Maureen Connolly was playing a match. She was like a ballet dancer, her movement quick and balanced...almost like she was floating across the court. Wilbur was her first coach; she had learned his lessons well...I loved what I saw.
During those first years at Morley Field, kids from all over the county would meet up after school and on most days have to win 2 of 3 games against an adult to get a court. Adults had priority, but if a kid could convince an adult to play the 2 out of 3 games contest–the kids would win the court. There was not an adult complaint about this set-up--kids celebrated the adults who would allow them to earn a right to play.
On Saturdays, my parents gave permission for me to spend the day with Wilbur as he took tennis to courts throughout the County of San Diego. Most courts were converted parking lots at high schools. Occasionally Wilbur would find a private court where a family would allow him to teach tennis to kids in neighborhoods where there were no public courts. My job was to hit with the other kids and help Wilbur pick up balls...of which he had hundreds...all bare, but they bounced. It was at stops across the county that I met lifelong friends who shared with me a growing love for the game played at schools and public courts....and at a future date in time an idea called After School Tennis.
The San Diego Tennis Patrons, a non-profit tennis association whose board of governors met at Morley Field, had been established to help kids who needed a racquet, help with the cost of tennis lessons, shoes....or for a few kids, financial support to participate in sectional, regional and national events. I was one of those incredibly grateful kids and vividly remember the financial support they provided. Kids from all over California came to San Diego to seek competitive play in a series of tournaments, the best in the region, that attracted young players like Billie Jean King and Andre Agassi. Morley Field became a major junior center for aspiring tennis players.
Years later, after a junior/adult career and winning the 35s event at the US Open, I began to think about other ways that I could be involved with the game I love. I was invited to become a board member of the San Diego Tennis Patrons. It was perfect timing: our kids were playing junior tournaments, and my husband and I were enjoying our volunteer time sponsoring local tennis. As a board member, I proposed an outreach program called After School Tennis, which would be based at schools throughout SD County and taught by educators who were on staff at program sites. The idea for the program came directly from my experiences with Wilbur Folsom and his Saturday outreach excursions to expose kids to the game. After much discussion and meetings with school district superintendents, educators, and the Park and Recreation Department, the board of directors approved the establishment of After School Tennis (AST) that would provide a tennis program at school locations throughout the County of San Diego. The first fundraiser for the AST program was held in 1989. We began with 20 locations at San Diego middle schools and have grown to 120 programs reaching kids at elementary and middle schools.
In the late 80's, San Diego Tennis Patrons (SDTP), with the support of the community who believed in the mission, approached the City of San Diego in an effort to acquire land to build a home for the After School Tennis Program. This "central site" would also provide tennis programs for children and the community at large. Kids would have court priority, and adults would pay a court fee. Children in the AST program would be invited to the center site for educational and tennis programs. The City leased 12 acres near Mission Bay Park to Youth Tennis San Diego, and the campaign to build the tennis center hub for AST began.
During the same timeframe, Mr. George E. Barnes, past USTA President, heard about efforts in San Diego to build a junior tennis center from his son, Gordon Jorgenson, then USTA President. Gordon had visited San Diego as part of a start-up USTA Multi-Cultural program; he met with me and our SDTP Ex Director to learn more about SDTP's After Tennis School Program and how the program was reaching multicultural populations. At Gordon's recommendation, we met with Mr. Barnes a few months later in San Diego. He told us about his desire to provide a tennis home for kids who were not supervised or safe during the after-school hours. By then, SDTP had established 20 After School Tennis Programs in middle schools across the city. His dream of a safe central place for kids and SDTP's AST program matched perfectly, and his million-dollar donation to build the Barnes Tennis Center made the dream reality.
By 1996, the George E. Barnes Family Junior Tennis Center was up and running, and After School Tennis was rapidly growing. Educators clearly understood the need for a safe place for kids after school. As a volunteer, I oversaw the beginning operations of the AST program. The heart of the program was the team of educators/coaches. Educators saw AST as an opportunity to reach their students on another platform–play and all the life lessons that tennis teaches. The program was a means to teach children fairness, respect for others, responsibility, and physical and mental wellness. And the list goes on.
One afternoon I had the privilege, along with a group of business and government leaders, to watch one of our AST educators in action on the playground at her school. The lesson used tennis to teach music, geometry, history, fine arts, and math. As a past school teacher, I was astounded by her incredible teaching skills–how she connected the game and court with basic educational lessons. Note: The business leadership watching also saw something critical to their profession; this educator was teaching kids how to work together as a team toward a common goal.
In support of the mission of After School Tennis to provide a safe place for children to learn lifetime skills while learning tennis, AST hosts frequent workshops at the Barnes Tennis Center for coaches and teachers with the most innovative techniques in skill-building and enhancing physical and social development. The USTA provides information on the appropriate age-related development of skills, progression of balls, racquets, court size, and competitive formats that meet the needs of growing children and that keep kids in the game.
Many AST students have played on their high school teams and won sectional and national championships and tennis scholarships to chosen universities. All students develop leadership skills, an understanding of "team", and a sense of personal pride and confidence along with a game they can play for a lifetime.
As a result of the pandemic, the program at school sites in San Diego County has been on hold. However, leadership at YTSD was able to continue the AST program at many city park locations and at Barnes Tennis Center for hundreds of kids. Families expressed appreciation for AST and the opportunity provided for physical, social, and more importantly positive mental health benefits as kids were able to interact with friends during school closures. As school playgrounds continue to open, the AST program is growing again across the county, and we look forward to the day when it is again in full operation.
This month YTSD is hosting an Appreciation Day for all the educators/coaches in the program–a salute to those who have given the gift of a lifetime sport to children. I can envision that across our nation other non-profit organizations are also celebrating their volunteers and staff whose hearts are in tune with the welfare, safety and dreams of our children. To quote Arthur Ashe: “From what we get, we can make a living. What we give, however, makes a life.”
Let the applause begin...
Kathy Willette achieved a Women’s world ranking of #6 and a USTA national ranking of #4 during her years playing junior tennis. She put her racquet away at age 20 to be a wife and mother and picked it up again to play 35's senior tennis.
