National Recreation Foundation recognizes NYJTL outreach programs.

When Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell, and Sherry Snyder started the National Junior Tennis League (NJTL) in 1969 in a Harlem Park, they sparked a revolution in tennis. Ten years later, that revolution was joined and supported by the United States Tennis Association (USTA).

Now, 25 years later, USTA/NJTL has made tennis accessible to youngsters in more than 600 communities throughout the United States, primarily incorporating and enhancing parks and recreation programs. The magic formula remains recreational team competition; emphasis on participation; free racquets, balls, T-shirts, and trips; trophies; co-educational programming; simplified scoring; and a sound instructional program based on the stroke progressions, drills, and games.

All activities have popularity cycles. And in parks, recruitment of youngsters for spring and summer programs remains a major challenge. And nowhere has this challenge been met more directly and with more success than in New York City by the New York Junior Tennis League (NYJTL), the largest USTA/NJTL chapter in the country. The group's efforts were given a major boost in 1993 and 1994 by grants from the National Recreation Foundation, which recognized USTA/NJTL's work in revitalizing under-used park tennis facilities. Foundation board members Ellie Guggenheimer and Bill Clothier both emphasized "the merit of creatively reaching into the schools" and of "making kids a priority."

The NYJTL Story: Beginnings

The NYJTL story began in 1982 when its president, Skip Hartman, obtained permission from the New York City Board of Education and the Department of Parks to install net post sleeves and caps in asphalt schoolyards, many of which were used jointly and maintained by both agencies. These holes made it possible to install 900 schoolyard "conversion" tennis courts in 400 schoolyards over a 10-year period. Each spring the country's largest urban tennis program, lead by 400 school teachers trained to teach the basics, introduces tennis to 175,000 elementary and middle school children during the school day and after school on schoolyard courts. Although makeshift and not professional quality, the temporary courts work, resulting in record turnouts for summer programs.

The second part of the plan was to find places where children could practice after school and on weekends that weren't reserved for adults. NYJTL's answer was a youth tennis center, which essentially is comprised of tennis courts that are dedicated primarily to serving children from April to October, weekdays and weekends. When school is in session, programs with instruction, practice, and competition are offered 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. weekdays and 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays and/or Sundays. In the summer the hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Since 1986, NYJTL has been establishing youth tennis centers in schoolyards and parks.

Nothing better illustrates the recruitment power of combining a network of school tennis programs with a nearby under-utilized park than the story of the McDonald Park Youth Tennis Center in Brooklyn.

In 1991 NYJTL instructor schools program coordinator and neighborhood resident Liz Shweky suggested that the league set up a youth tennis center at a seven-court tennis facility in a nearby playground where no one was playing. The nets were not up. The court surface was cracked and worn, lines were faded; and after years of neglect, the courts were virtually unplayable. Severe budget cuts had hampered the parks department's ability to maintain the courts, and tennis players traveled to more desirable facilities, abandoning this site to dog-walkers and roller hockey players.

Bad as they were, McDonald Park's courts were better than most of NYJTL's schoolyard courts. The league approached Brooklyn Park Commissioner Jules Spiegel with a proposal to create an after-school and summer Youth Tennis Center at McDonald Park, free for any youngster. Boys and girls would receive tennis instruction and a place to socialize and play under the watchful eyes of qualified recreation leaders.

Turning this tennis facility over to a non-profit organization was an unusual step but, in light of the current state of increasing cutbacks, a sensible one. The parks department realized that an established program would discourage vandalism, revive a deteriorating facility, and hopefully draw youngsters back into the park. The department enthusiasticallly supported the project.

At the league's expense, new nets were installed, cranks were replaced, cracks were filled, and the courts were recoated. Daily maintenance was the responsibility of the center's staff and players. Glass was swept up, and garbage removed. These efforts improved he conditions sufficiently to provide a clean, safe area for neighborhood youngsters.

Under the leadership of Alan and Liz Shweky and with support and encouragement from the local school district and neighborhood organizations, the McDonald Park Youth Tennis Center of the New York Junior Tennis League quickly became the most popular and successful tennis site in Brooklyn. Attracting more than 1,200 different registrants that year (1,500 in 1994), the sounds of laughing children hitting tennis balls now fills the park from. April until October.

The center also hosts tournaments, instructional programs, Parent/Child Events, PAL groups, scholastic assistance, and special programs that serve children with disabilities. A dedicated group of parent volunteers takes an active role in the center's daily operation.

In addition, the tennis program's success has energized the rest of the park. It is a friendlier place, filled with more children than before. Acts of vandalism and graffiti have been discouraged by keeping the park active. And parents now are comfortable sending their kids to the park.

The tennis center provides a safe haven in the community where many young people can socialize while participating in a positive activity and avoiding the negative influences of drugs and violence. And by including youngsters in dally maintenance responsibilities, these young people learn to develop an appreciation and respect for their environment and their parks.