2016 Season Opener at Marcy

We’re back! On Saturday, May 28, we launched our seventh season of bringing tennis to the kids of Bedford-Stuyvesant.

About 35 students and 15 volunteers turned out at our biggest and oldest tennis club, Marcy. How different it looked from Marcy’s first go six years ago—on that day, not a single student showed up, the court and surrounding grounds were left empty. How far we have come! On Saturday, the tennis court at Marcy Playground roared with energy, surrounded by parents, residents, and other supportive onlookers.

Our student participants were divided into groups by skill and age to practice various skills, drills, and games at learning stations—including rallying, fitness and footwork, and ball passing.

The Off-Court discussion has taken a new format for 2016. Rather than dedicating a station to Off-Court, all volunteers and students will participate in the conversation together under the direction of the Educational Coordinator.

This week’s topic was light; we played a fun name game to facilitate introductions. Everyone individually announced their first name along with a fruit, vegetable, or sport that begins the with the same letter as their name. A six-year-old student, Kyle, took first place for the most creative use of K with Kayaking. Quality Tennis, Lemons, Mangoes, Ice Skating, and Broccoli are honorable mentions.

We wrapped up with two games of breakout and the team cheer. We are looking forward to a strong season of self-improvement, sportsmanship, and fun.

Week 16 Recap: Jamboree!

Saturday, September 26 marked the grand finale to KCTL's sixth tennis season: The Annual Youth Tennis Tournament & Community Jamboree. What a wonderful day we had!

Jamboree-2015

The courts at Marcy Playground welcomed students, volunteers, parents, and family members with perfect, sunny weather. Upbeat music pumped from the speakers as burgers, hot dogs, pasta salad and fruit were served. It was the perfect community party atmosphere and farewell to summer.

The main event--the tennis tournament--featured dozens of gripping matches, positive sportsmanship, and commendable individual efforts. Regular matches were played on seven mini tennis courts simultaneously, while the Final Rounds for each bracket were held independently at the end of the day.

We're very proud to announce our 2015 Jamboree winners:

10 & Under Bracket

Winner: Julius D., Lafayette Gardens

Runner-Up: Emeka A., Marcy

11 & Over Bracket

Winner: Jonathan D., Marcy

Runner-Up: Jovani A., Marcy

In addition to the tournament bracket trophies, we presented a new award--Player of the Year--to a student who maintained perfect attendance this season and who always tried his best. This award went to Jovani A., who was also the 11 & Over Bracket's Runner-Up.

As KCTL President & Founder Michael McCasland reminded us during the Awards Ceremony, there are very few winners in a tennis tournament. Because almost all participants leave the courts as losers, there's no reason for students to get angry at themselves--or at their opponents--because they didn't finish in first place.

Instead, participants are encouraged to look to the winners for inspiration--to mimic their dedication and consistency--in order to learn and grow as tennis players and as individuals.

With this in mind, we're immensely proud of every single one of our students. Congratulations to everyone who played with us this season! We look forward to returning to the courts together in 2016!

You can view all the photos from the 2015 Jamboree on Facebook.

Week 15 Recap from Jackie Robinson

Site Leader Michele says that the final week of class at Jackie Robison Park can only be described as bittersweet. She's extremely proud of all the hard work that her students and volunteers have put in over the past four months. She's incredibly grateful to have been able to work with such an amazing group.

Although Michele and the rest of Jackie Robinson tennis club are saddened that this season is coming to a close, they are especially excited to be competing in the Jamboree next week. Since this is Jackie Robinson's inaugural season as part of KCTL, this is also their first time participating in the Annual Jamboree Tournament.

Class on Saturday focused on match play in preparation for the Jamboree. The site conducted a mock tournament to acclimate the students to competition. The friendly matches were fun and the children felt well-prepared for the Jamboree afterwards.

As a complement to the off-court session included a discussion about our expectations during the Jamboree as well as how was can continue to conduct ourselves with good sportsmanship.

The anticipation of our final stand at the Jamboree has everyone feeling a bit nervous--but, above all, excited. After their second-place finish at Davis Cup, Jackie Robinson is more motivated than ever to capture the number one spot at the Jamboree!

Week 14 Recap from Marcy

At our second-to-last regular class of the season at Marcy, we opened class with a school-themed game called Tennis Academy in honor of the first week of school. The objective of Tennis Academy is to graduate through a series of levels of education by successfully performing various tennis drills. When you've completed all of your education, you're eligible to become President.

Marcy-Off-Court-Discussion

Marcy's Tennis Academy curriculum looked like this:

• Elementary School: Hit one forehand
• Middle School: Hit one backhand
• High School: Rally against the wall for five groundstrokes
• College: Rally against a volunteer for five groundstrokes
• Master's Degree: Hit two forehand volleys and two backhand volleys
• PhD: Hit two forehand volleys, two backhand volleys, and an overhead
• President: Rally against a volunteer for 10 groundstrokes

After all of the students graduated from Tennis Academy, Gary conducted an off-court discussion about the start of the school year. As usual, the conversation prompts mixed emotions from the students, who are happy to be reunited with friends, but less than thrilled by the demands of studying and homework. Despite the range of attitudes expressed, the talk provided the kids with the freedom to talk candidly about their returns to the classroom and their goals for another school year.

Class concluded with one round of Breakout followed by a game called Three Strikes, which was new for the Marcy kids. Slightly different from Breakout, Three Strikes requires participants to act honestly and to consider risk versus reward. The ending to class was definitely a change-up from prior weeks but it was well-received, and helped the kids practice their form and precision in preparation for the September 26 Jamboree.

Week 13 Recap from Tompkins

Tompkins Tennis Club had a mini field trip this past Saturday--to Marcy Playground. Yup, Team Tompkins had a combined class with their neighbors--and rivals--and friends--at Marcy Tennis Club.

Bruce and Tompkins kids

The volunteers at Marcy had already set up several stations by the time we arrived from Tompkins, so we just jumped right in. On the main tennis court and on the blacktop, we rotated through King/Queen of the Court, Forehands, Backhands, Serving, and Rallying stations. Tompkins and volunteers split up evenly, so each station had about an equal showing from each site. As a result, everyone had the opportunity to meet new people and play against new opponents during class. Also, because Marcy is this year's Davis Cup winner, playing with the best team in the league inspired Tompkins to work harder and play their absolute best.

Site Coordinators Gary and Renata led the off-court discussion, the subject of which was Good Sportsmanship. The students were invited to share how they feel in losing situations, and how to respond in cases of defeat. The conversation is especially important and timely as we approach the annual end-of-season tournament. In addition to talking, the kids unleashed some creativity with some markers-on-canvas artwork.

Tompkins Site Leader Tina says the highlight of the day was that her kids had the opportunity to play on a real court, which their site does not have. The students at Tompkins, she says, do just fine on their makeshift courts divided by portable nets, but the exposure to a full-sized tennis court ignited their energy.

Week 12 Recap from Sumner

Education was the theme of Sumner's most recent Saturday session, which we carried out with a cumulative review of tennis skills, supplemented by an insightful off-court conversation about the upcoming school year.

Sumner-Student-2015

Because the season's end is quickly approaching--only three classes to go!--Sumner had the opportunity to practice all of their tennis skills in combination. With any form of education, lessons learned are only valuable with review, summary and real-life application. So we showed the kids how the past three months of tennis instruction can apply to competitive settings. Speaking of which, the students' big day--the Annual Jamboree Youth Tournament--is just around the corner on September 26.

Sumner participated in a series of forehand, backhand and serving drills with targets to reinforce precision. In addition, they combined footwork with groundstrokes to simulate match play. And with the volunteers' introduction of the lob shot, the kids learned a bit about tennis strategy.

The real fun--and inspiration--came with the off-court discussion. The topic of the day was the start of the new school year, which is just a few weeks away in New York City. Each student shared his or her favorite subject and communicated excitement about returning to the classroom. Sumner's enthusiasm for the new school year and the respect for their teachers provided a rewarding affirmation of young people's love for knowledge, potential healthy growth, and expression of positive attitudes.

Week 11 Recap from Lafayette Gardens

Saturday was a hot day on the Lafayette Gardens flattop, which probably lowered the turnout a bit. We had seven returning kids and four newly signed up kids. But those who came were in luck--it was game day!

ESZ_5167

After stretching, we warmed up with a game of Pac-Man, a new one for the students at LG. Class consisted of three game stations: Beat the Pro, The Alligator Game (with overheads!), and Freezer.

In lieu of offcourt, we pulled a couple kids at a time aside to decorate the Lafayette Gardens canvas, to be displayed at the Fundraiser. After a long water break, we finished class off with games of Scramble and Breakout.