In the Spirit of Our Fundraiser, Serving Courtside, Tell Us Why You Serve!

Invitations have arrived! Serving Courtside, Kings County Tennis League's Sixth Annual Fundraiser, was officially released to the public yesterday, June 24. It's going to be held on Wednesday, September 9 at M1-5 Lounge in TriBeCa. We're excited to make this the biggest, most wonderful party yet, and we're calling on you to play a part in this victory for KCTL.

KCTL-Serving-Courtside-Flyer-2015

Just like the event's name implies, our Annual Fundraiser is an opportunity for all of KCTL's supporters to gather together to serve--and celebrate--the program off the tennis court. If you're KCTL supporter in any capacity--parent, player, volunteer, friend or acquaintance--show off your experience with the program using #IServeBecause on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

New to KCTL, or have yet to get involved directly? Don't worry; you're not excluded from the fun. You can still check out all the posts tagged #IServeBecause to live vicariously through their authors. :)

Aside from our #IServeBecause social campaign, be sure to come back here, to our blog, for a special #IServeBecause series featuring a new KCTL supporter each week. You'll be able to learn about how our tennis-mentorship program positively impacts everyone involved at the individual level.

Our Season Opener is This Saturday!

It's almost time to rally at all five KCTL sites!

We'd like to extend an especially warm welcome to the new kids on the court, Jackie Robinson Tennis Club. As for everyone else--Marcy, Tompkins, Lafayette Gardens and Sumner--we're excited to have you back!

Our season begins this Saturday, May 30 at 1:00 PM; volunteers are expected to arrive by 12:00 PM. We look forward to seeing everyone then.

Parents, if you haven't yet registered your child, you can still sign up here to guarantee his or her spot.

season-opener-five-teams-2015

KCTL Kicks Off New Mentoring Initiative at Google!

We recently announced that we’re supplementing our four-month tennis mentoring program with off-season field trips. As the weather only allows for so much outdoor tennis time, periodic educational outings will enable us to fill in the gaps while widening our students’ world views.

KCTL Google

So, on Monday, April 6, we made our first stop: Google’s office in Manhattan! Accompanied by their parents and a few volunteers, about two dozen KCTL kids explored the New York City office of the world’s most admirable employer. We’re very grateful to Sumner Site Leader Bryce Richards – a Software Engineer at Google when he’s not teaching tennis – for arranging the special visit.

The students begin their tour by examining antique computers – which provided a glimpse into how much technology has evolved since before their lifetimes. Next, it was off to Google’s game room, which included video games, pool, ping pong and treadmills. We were impressed to see the skills they have beyond the sport of tennis! The games continued in the LEGO café, followed by the climbing wall.

But we didn’t forget that Google is an office: an environment where employees congregate and accomplish projects together every day. The students observed Google’s uniquely designed conference rooms and workspaces, too. This final component of the trip gave them critical insight into look and feel of an exceptional, forward-thinking professional space – somewhere they might one day strive to build a career.

Thanks to everyone who made this an incredible experience for our students. Be sure to check out additional photos on Facebook.

Pre-Season Volunteer Socials

We’re still more than 12 weeks (and 50 degrees Fahrenheit!) away from our tennis season, but we’ve already heard from many of you about volunteering.

As a warm welcome our newcomers—and to provide fun opportunities for returning volunteers to catch up with KCTL—we’ve planned several unique social events in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

Big thanks to all who came out to our tennis and pizza event at Prospect Park Tennis Center on Saturday, February, 28! Below, you’ll see everything else that’s happening.

Please RSVP to all events on Meetup or by email to social@kingscountytennisleague.org.

Coffee Cupping at Blue Bottle Coffee
Saturday, March 7 (Tomorrow!) at 11:45 AM
450 West 15th Street, Manhattan
Experience a professionally-guided tasting of various coffee flavors in Chelsea.

Tennis at Prospect Park Tennis Center
Saturday, March 14 at 6:00 PM
50 Parkside Avenue, Brooklyn
Enjoy one hour of play for $5/participant, followed by tacos, quesadillas and burritos at El Acuario (Five-star Yelp rating!) around the corner from the tennis center.

Brunch at Michael McCasland’s Apartment
Sunday, March 22 at 1:00 PM
50 Greene Avenue, Apt 4F, Brooklyn
Mix a little bit of breakfast with a little bit of lunch with us!

Ping Pong Happy Hour at t.b.d. Brooklyn
Wednesday, April 1 at 7:00 PM
224 Franklin Street, Brooklyn
Because the only thing better than tennis is table tennis.

Bowling at Brooklyn Bowl
Sunday, April 12 at 1:45 PM
61 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn
We’re covering 90 minutes of play, including shoes, for $10/participant.

Season Kickoff Dinner at Meredith Brown’s Apartment
Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 PM
135 Meserole Street, Apt 3, Brooklyn
Eat and have fun as we head into the final month before the season starts.

If you are interested in volunteering, but haven’t told us yet, we’d love to hear from you.

Please keep an eye on all of our Facebook, Twitter & Meetup pages for changes or additions to our social calendar.

2014 End of Season

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Unfortunately, mother nature hit us with some lousy weather for our special end-of-season jamboree and youth tennis tournament, but that didn't stop us from having some fun and rewarding the kids for all their hard work this season!

Special thank you to Jon W. and the Committee for planning and putting together the jamboree this year. The rain dampened the court, but not our spirit, it was a blast.

View all the photos from this year's end-of-season meeting on Facebook.

Annual End-of-Season Youth Tennis Tournament & Community Jamboree

To celebrate a successful tennis season and all the handwork of our youth athletes and volunteers, KCTL holds a fun-filled day of youth tournaments and a community jamboree. The youth tournaments include an 11-and-over bracket and 10-and-under bracket that students from all four sites compete in. All players receive merit awards for participating in the season and the tournament. Tournament winners will receive trophies.

The community jamboree includes free food, music and entertainment. The event starts at 1pm and goes until the tournament is over. And we'll have a very special, first ever, finals match from those playing in the competitive division of the KCTL's Volunteer Tennis Tournament!

Saturday, October 4 at 1pm at Marcy Playground (corner of Myrtle and Nostrand Avenues) in Bedford-Stuyvesant. In case of rain, the event will happen on Oct. 11.

Check out more photos from our 2013 Jamboree and 2012 Jamboree on Facebook.

Love All, NY: We Love You Too!

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Our fundraiser last week was a huge success! We had a great turnout, our raffle raised a lot of money, the music was wonderful, the drinks were flowing, and overall, a wonderful time was had by all! Thank you again to M1-5 Lounge, City Winery and Sixpoint Brewery and all of our raffle prize sponsors/donors.

Check out all the photos on Facebook including photos of the students' art work.