Over 100 Take Part In First South Carolina National Junior Tennis & Learning Camp

On Saturday, September 25, the Florence Tennis Association hosted a day-long training camp for students from four South Carolina National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) chapters at the Florence Tennis Center. Participating organizations included the DD&J Junior Tennis Foundation from Columbia, the St. George Youth Sports League, the Sumter Tennis Club, and the FTA’s own Ron James Youth Tennis Program.
Forty-four young tennis players and 11 coaches took part in the event, which was supported by Tennis Center staff, FTA volunteers, and adult leaders from the participating programs. Over 40 parents and family members were also on hand to cheer for the participants.

The day featured on-court games and drills and for small groups based on age and skill level, as well as discussions led by Pat Harris from Chicago, IL and McBee, SC, former Chief Diversity Officer for McDonalds. Mrs. Harris, talked with the children about “Bullying”, then discussed the same subject with their parents.
After a fried chicken lunch, the afternoon began with a presentation and clinic by Jorge Andrew, former professional tennis player and current Director of Tennis in Lexington, SC. Mr. Andrew, who is a Master Professional tennis instructor, talked about his life in tennis and the importance of education, then presented a demonstration on progressive tennis drills. During his presentation, Mr. Andrew noted that he had been a close friend of tennis great Arthur Ashe, who founded the NJTL program over 50 years ago.

The event was sponsored by the FTA, The Dr. Eddie Floyd Florence Tennis Center, and local businesses, with a generous grant from the NJTL Committee of the United States Tennis Association’s Southern Section.

NJTL is a national program founded over 50 years ago by Arthur Ashe and his friends to help children by using tennis to spur academic improvement. The Ron James Program in Florence was created to bring the health, fitness, and sportsmanship benefits of tennis into the lives of children who would not normally have access to the sport. It works closely with its partner organizations, the City Athletics and Sports Tourism Department, the Boys and Girls Clubs, Girls University, the City After-School Program, and the Florence Tennis Center to integrate on-court activities and learning opportunities—with the goal of helping young people reach their personal objectives and live more rewarding lives.

The FTA is an award-winning all-volunteer non-profit organization that works to grow the game of tennis in the greater Florence area by conducting leagues, clinics, tournaments, and other activities and working with area governments and businesses to make certain that first-rate tennis facilities are available to the public.
For More Information Contact: Paul Pittman, Past FTA President, 843-667-9804, pmpittman@gmail.com.