Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 15, 1994 TAG: 9412230037
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: KAREN DAVIS SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
After watching world-class players Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl and Mats Wilander volley in the professional tennis tournament, he decided to move closer to the action in hopes of getting an autograph or two. He reached Connors first, but realized he hadn't brought a tennis ball or any souvenir to get autographed. So he took off his Reebok tennis shoe and handed it to Connors to sign.
Six other youngsters from the Roanoke Valley attended the tennis tournament with Wilson as part of a new program, Kids' Access to Tennis, or KATT, initiated by the Roanoke Valley Tennis Association.
The KATT program, which subsidized expenses for the Advanta Tour trip through the association, is intended to inspire kids' interest in tennis by exposing them to professional players and matches, said organizer Tim Strawn.
The tennis association, Strawn said, ``has been here for a number of years, but it became inactive for a while. It was reorganized in 1990.'' Its primary purposes are to develop tennis programs for junior, adult and senior players and to funnel information about all tennis activities to the community.
All of the KATT program kids returned from the Advanta Tour with mementos to inspire them for some time to come. Sam Driscoll, 13, got McEnroe to autograph his program. David Glassbrenner, 12, got all of the players' autographs, except Lendl's and Wilander's. Thomas ``T.J.'' Jessee, 14, brought back McEnroe's sweat towel as a souvenir. Rebecca Bryant, 14, got Connors to autograph her admission ticket.
Before the Advanta trip, Maegan Wilburn, 11, had seen professionals play only on television. Having played tennis since age 2, she has dreamed about becoming a pro herself one day. ``Now that I've seen them in person, my goals are bigger,'' she said. ``It really makes me want to strive harder.''
Strawn's 13-year-old daughter, Jessica, hasn't thought about being a tennis pro, but she did pick up a few pointers from the trip to improve her own game. ``McEnroe has a good volley, and Connors has a good serve. I have trouble with my toss, so I watched Connors to see how high he threw his toss,'' said Jessica Strawn, whose father began coaching her when she was about 8.
Tim Strawn not only teaches tennis professionally but also handles marketing and promotions for the Roanoke Valley Tennis Association. In that capacity, he recently invited Delaine Mast of Lancaster County, Pa., to address association members about recruiting volunteers, building up the membership and establishing new programs.
One such new program Strawn and Mast suggested at the Nov. 20 meeting is World Team Tennis, a coed league format founded by Larry and Billie Jean King.
Mast, who is the national trainer for the United States Tennis Association, with which the Roanoke Valley Tennis Association is affiliated, also is the national program coordinator for World Team Tennis.
About 800 players participate valleywide in United States Tennis Association adult leagues, Strawn said, but establishing World Team Tennis recreational leagues, to be administered and directed by the Roanoke Valley Tennis Association, would open up playing venues for all age groups. Structuring World Team Tennis leagues also would offer year-round play opportunities and even family leagues, he said.
``We're trying to broaden the base of programs so something is going on year-round for the tennis community,'' he said.
Court accessibility always has been a problem in the area, he said, particularly at the three indoor facilities, where space is not available on a first-come, first-served basis.
``But there's always down time, even on the indoor courts,'' Mast said. World Team Tennis leagues could help make better use of the down times by scheduling leagues for some groups - retired people and senior citizens, for example - who are freer to play any time.
To help get the World Team Tennis leagues going, the Roanoke Valley Tennis Association needs volunteers who are interested in the sport of tennis.
``Their expertise does not necessarily have to be in instruction on the court, but may be in fund raising, communications or administration,'' Mast said.
The association meets on the first Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. office building at 4437 Starkey Road. Interested volunteers are welcome to attend.
by CNB