A Great Match
Tennis Coach Nick Bollettieri and Sports Writer Michael Wilbon Bring Fame and Spotlight to Geico Champions Celebration At Junior Tennis Community Center
By Peter Greenbaum
You place your foot just behind the baseline. Leaning slightly forward, you grip the racquet, keeping your eye on the ball. Straightening up, you toss the ball into the air just in front of you. With a whipping motion, you bring the racquet around over your head, connect with the ball, driving it into your opponent’s service court. The match has begun. And you are on your own.
Michael Wilbon, Rynthia Roth and Nick_Bollettieri. PHOTO: Art Seitz
The sport of tennis is a fitting metaphor for life. It demands determination and confidence, as well as practice and patience. Once on the court, no one can play the game for you. Each player must concentrate and summon the focus and strengths that have been carefully cultivated. As with many of life’s complexities, tennis continually challenges you to turn disadvantage to advantage.
The spirit of the game was well represented at the Geico Champions Celebration held on May 10. Held at the Swedish Ambassador’s residence in Washington, DC, the event drew hundreds of participants, many of them tennis players, in support of the Junior Tennis Community Center (JTCC)’s Game On! Program, which fosters a love for the sport among underserved youth throughout the region and provides educational opportunities. This year’s event recognized two “Goodwill Ambassadors of Sport,” Nick Bollettieri, one of the most influential tennis coaches in the world and renowned sports broadcaster and journalist Michael Wilbon
Bollettieri’s tennis training program is recognized as one of the best in the sport. He has developed some of the best players to ever play including, Andre Agassi, Boris Becker, Maria Sharapova, Serena and Venus Williams and many others. Wilbon is an industry pioneer in his right, and is one of the first sportswriters to expand his career beyond newspapers to television, radio and news media.
The residence of the Swedish Ambassador, Her Excellency Karin Olofsdotter, served as a fitting location for this prestigious event, given Sweden’s rich tennis heritage – think legendary champions Bjorn Borg and JTCC Senior Advisor, Mats Wilander.
With its comprehensive programs, the center is turning out some serious competitors. For example, 20-year old Frances Tiafoe, from Prince George’s County, is now ranked number 56 in the world, making him the third youngest player to rank in the Top 100 by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP)
While the center’s players and stats are impressive, what matters most aren’t results on a scoreboard.
Dell Donald, Carole Gengler, Louise Jeanne PHOTO: Art Seitz
"The main things we give our kids are a sense of confidence and self-reliance,” says Ray Benton, the CEO of JTCC. “They learn how to compete and that carries over to all areas of their lives. They learn to become lifelong problem solvers. That’s the number one thing.”
Located at 5200 Campus Drive, in College Park, Maryland, the JTCC was founded in 1999. It was chosen by the United States Tennis Association (USTA) to be the first Regional Training Center for its high performance program in 2008.
Today, more than 150 students are enrolled in the full-time and after-school year-round programs. During the three-month summer camp, that number increases to 1,000 players.
The spirit of generosity extends beyond the youngsters who pick up a racquet. For the past several months Special Olympics athletes have been using the JTCC as their training base for the upcoming USA Games in Seattle this September. They will be competing in different levels of tennis at the games. The center also has open practices where Special Olympics athletes from across Maryland come to compete.
Says Benton with obvious pride, “What I am most pleased about is that we are producing first class human beings, not just tennis players.”
PHOTO: PETER GREENBAUM
