January 7, 2002

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Angela Jones, Public Information Officer
City of Richmond
City Manager’s Office
(510) 621-1230

RICHMOND YOUTH TENNIS PROGRAM WINS NATIONAL USTA AWARD

Local Tennis Center Chosen 
From Among 850 Chapters Nationwide

The Richmond Youth Tennis Center has been named the USA Tennis National Junior Tennis League (NJTL) Chapter of the Year. This honor is bestowed annually among the nation’s 850 chapters serving 191,000 youth across the country. The Richmond Youth Tennis Center is located at Richmond’s Nichol Park Tennis Courts as a program of the City’s Recreation and Parks Department.

Recreation Specialist Barbara Lewis is the power behind the program. Lewis, a certified teaching professional, started the program four years ago as part of the youth sports section. "I am very happy about this award," say Lewis. "Primarily, the kids in the program play tennis, but I don’t preclude them from other sports activities. This way, the children are interested in sticking with the program longer, and it has contributed to our success." Lewis says her ultimate goal is to use tennis as a springboard to college for the youth.

The Richmond NJTL program has 56 children on the roster. 20 of them are regular players attending after-school sessions three days a week. Indoor activities, including computer literacy, are held on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Recent activities have included girls and boys basketball teams from the tennis chapter participating in the recreation winter league.

USA Tennis NJTL was initially called the National Junior Tennis League. It was founded in 1969 by Arthur Ashe to bring tennis to disadvantaged urban youth, while stressing humanitarianism, leadership and academic excellence. More information about Richmond’s award can be found on the UTSA North California Section website at http://ustanorcal.com, in addition to an upcoming article for Inside Tennis Magazine, a national publication.