Area Pros Jump on Board Portland After School Tennis Academy Program
By Kerry Eggers
The Portland Tribune, Jul 1, 2008, Updated Jul 1, 2008
DANICE BROWN
Participants in the Portland After School Tennis program get instruction and guidance from experts such as Brian, Brad and Brett Joelson.
The lean, athletic gentleman providing instruction to a group of 12 high-schoolers at Portland Tennis Center on this sunny Wednesday afternoon isn't just any instructor.
He is Brian Joelson, at 46 still one of the region's top players and a member of the USTA/PNW Tennis Hall of Fame.
These high-schoolers aren't just any old high-schoolers, either.
They're the creme de la creme of the Portland After School Tennis program that began in 1996 and numbered more than 1,000 students last year.
After going through a selection process with criteria heavily weighing academic achievement and deportment, the lucky dozen were chosen to participate in the first PAST Academy, which began in May and continues through next year.
On Wednesday, Joelson, brother Brad and son Brett — Portland's first family of tennis — offered hands-on help to the high schoolers, most with low to intermediate skills but many with junior varsity experience.
"It feels good to get to meet players (with skills) up there," said May Wu, a sophomore-to-be at Benson. "They're teaching us their tricks, and we're learning what they know from experience."
PAST is a free program that offers after-school activity twice a week during the school year, with the focus on tennis, reading and nutrition.
"We target (inner-city) neighborhood schools with a high percentage of students taking free and reduced lunch," says Danice Brown, whose reign as PAST executive director began in October. "The biggest thing our program does is offer the kids accessibility to tennis, something they would never get otherwise."
The PAST program is served by instructors — some paid, some volunteer — who are U.S. Tennis Association-certified. One of the instructors, Calvin Cheng, is a former PAST participant who is giving back to the program that helped him learn the game.
The PAST program — which will service boys and girls ages 6 to 18 in the future — was in as many as 18 schools last year, but there is only so much that can be done in two hours twice a week with limited facilities.
"We are often teaching in a large hallway, a gym, a cafeteria, a playground area," says Brown, who retired two years ago after a decade as general manager at West Hills Racquet Club. "If we're lucky, there's a tennis court somewhere nearby. If not, we try to set up nets, lay down a court and start teaching the game."
The PAST program has been funded by grants from the USTA, various charitable foundations and the Oregon Sports Authority. The major fundraiser is its annual "Poker on the Lake" $350-a-seat event, scheduled for Sept. 5 in Lake Oswego (for information, see www.pastkids.org).
The academy was Brown's brainchild, a vehicle that provides a much smaller group greater opportunity to advance in the sport.
"It was born out of need," Brown says. "We had nothing to offer for that next step up. We wanted to give them the opportunity to move to the next level of competitive play, so they would at least have a shot at making the (varsity) in high school, or maybe college."
With funding provided by a $15,000 USTA grant, Brown put together an application process to reward students with academic and behavioral success.
"Each kid had to have recommendations from an adult and another student," Brown says. "It was important for us to know how they relate to others, and a good way for them to see they need to represent (other) students."
The 13 scholarship recipients have been practicing for a month under the direction of Margot Charlton, a former University of Oregon player who served as volunteer coach for Benson High's JV2 team this spring. Charlton and coaches Cheng and Maria Aguila have had five practice sessions with the group over the past month and one dual match against a team from Portland Athletic Club. Five more matches are scheduled, and Charlton plans to get each of the players in a junior tournament by the end of the summer.
"It's not just about the tennis," Charlton says. "It's about being together and working with these kids. They're giving as much to the coaches as we're giving to them. They have positive attitudes, they're always trying, hustling. ... these kids listen.
"It's a fantastic program we would like to see grow. Ultimately, what we would like to do is double our numbers, or take this template and go to another location and do it with another set of kids."
Brown has used her connections to open a lot of windows for the academicians.
The Joelsons volunteered their time for Wednesday's three-hour clinic "because I got a phone call," says Brian, a financial analyst at Smith Barney. "I'd do anything for Danice.
"She told me about the concept behind it and what it took for these kids to be involved, and I just had to be involved, too," he says. "It's such a good program, you just can't say no to it."
Court time has been provided at PTC and St. Johns Racquet Center by director Mike Stone. Courts and instruction will be provided over the next nine months at Sunset Athletic Club (pro Niren Lall), West Hills (Dave Edwards), Mountain Park Racquet Club (Roger McKee) and Multnomah Athletic Club (Wayne Pickard).
"We're also counting on mentorship from tennis players in the community saying, ‘I'll get a court, I'll hit with you, whatever it takes,' ' Brown says. "These kids deserve it."
PAST board member Mike Nakajima, Nike's domestic tennis director, is providing uniforms, shoes and a bag for the players. Player's Racquet Shop is donating racquets and balls.
"The kids have been playing with racquets from the West Hills discard bin," Brown says. "If you're going to be a tennis player, you need your own racquet."
Academy participant Matt Lei arrives at PTC after a 45-minute MAX ride from his home in Gresham. It's worth the sacrifice, he says.
"I like to play tennis. Good exercise," says Lei, a 3.75 student who has played tennis for about a year and was a member of the Benson JV team as a freshman last spring. "It's something better to do than stay at home.
"(The academy) has helped me a lot. We've been doing a lot of work on footwork, getting around the ball, hitting strokes. I feel really happy I get to be a part of this."
Wu, who takes the bus home to Southeast Portland after each academy practice, enjoys both the sport and the academy.
"Tennis is great because you have to use your mind and your body," says Wu, a 3.8 student who played on the Benson JV girls team last season. "It really challenges you.
"Our program is great, because (instruction) is very one-on-one. When you hit a ball wrong, they keep with you to make sure you get it right. I've improved a lot since we started. The past few days, I've been hitting my forehand well, and I know how to hit my backhand now."
Shane Wilson was the star of the dual match with PAC, winning in singles and doubles competition. He's a convert from baseball.
"Baseball is a nine-man game," says Wilson, who carries a 3.85 GPA, commutes from his North Portland home for every practice and played JV tennis at Benson as a sophomore last spring. "With tennis, everything is in your own hand.
"This program is great, and the teachers (at Wednesday's clinic) are really good. Seems like it would be hard to ever be that good, but I'll try."
That's the important thing, Brown says.
"Our hope is that these kids get the kind of accessibility to court time and good instruction they need to improve," she says. "We couldn't be doing this without the help of a lot of people."
Arthur Ashe was an American hero fighting battles both on and off the court. In his life, he broke barriers in the tennis world, becoming a three time grand slam champion, and the first African American male to win a grand slam tournament. Off the court, he was a social activist taking on issues like racial prejudice, AIDS, apartheid, and youth education. One of his many legacies includes the National Junior Tennis League (“NJTL”), a network of youth serving organizations that provides tennis and education for all. His wish was for NJTL to be a resource for kids to develop skills for leadership and academic excellence.
Portland Tennis Center will host the first Recreational QuickStart Workshop held in the USTA Pacific Northwest on May 10. This three hour interactive on-court workshop is for beginning tennis teachers, recreational coaches, parent coaches and volunteers. It will give an overview of the QuickStart Tennis format and the QuickStart Tennis Practice plans that help children learn and develop the skills necessary to play tennis. 
Interested in coaching tennis? By attending a USTA Recreational Coach Workshop, YOU can get the tools you need for success!
Watch for details about our new and expanded summer program!
