Premier Tennis Facilities Gathered to Showcase Summer Junior Programming

The Lowcountry Junior Tennis Association, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to growing the game of tennis at the grassroots level, presented the first annual citywide “Slamboree” at the Family Circle Tennis Center on Daniel Island from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm on Saturday, June 2nd, 2007.  This free event was open to the public as well as current United States Tennis Association (USTA) junior tennis participants and featured a variety of tennis-related activities, games, clinics, contests, and much more.

“The Slamboree was created as a platform to showcase the wide variety of top notch junior tennis programming available at the best facilities throughout the Lowcountry,” commented Lee Brockman, Lowcountry Junior Tennis Association President. “Tennis is about socialization and having fun as much as it is about personal growth and sportsmanship. This event combines each of these important factors to introduce organized tennis to youth and families so they can grow together while enjoying this sport of a lifetime.”

An afternoon full of exciting activities was designed for both children and parents featuring Sports Science workshops (focus on stretching and hydration), Charleston Professional Tennis League (CPTL) exhibitions, College & High School Tennis exhibitions, Tennis Clinics conducted by prominent local tennis Pros Toni Young (Head Professional - Maybank Tennis Center) and JoAnn Lee (Head Professional - MUSC), Fast Serve contests, “Hit & Get” prizes, Beach Tennis demonstrations with two-time defending National Champions Chris Henderson and Phil Whitesell, and workshops regarding Tennis Structure and System Progressions (how to begin tournament play, tournament structure throughout the South Carolina and Southern Section, USTA ranking system, the many resources available to juniors and families, and a general Q&A session.)

Representatives from each of the Lowcountry’s premier tennis facilities were on-site to present their summer and fall programming opportunities including summer camps, clinics, group sessions, private lessons, and many more activities for juniors as well as the whole family. Tennis vendors included teaching Pros from the following facilities; Charleston Tennis Center, Maybank Tennis Center, Snee Farm, Mt. Pleasant Recreation, Moultrie Tennis Complex, I’ On, Creekside, St. Andrews, Player’s Club, Dunes West, MUSC, Ashborough East, Quail Arbor, and the Family Circle Tennis Center, which will serve as host facility for this annual event.  Additional vendor booths were presented by Junior Team Tennis and the new Kid’s Team Tennis, Darkness to Light, as well as the United States Tennis Association (USTA), which will be on hand to inform the crowd of the many benefits of league play, volunteer opportunities, and membership options. Parents were encouraged to bring their children and take advantage of this one-of-a-kind opportunity to meet with the areas best teaching Pros and learn about the many citywide summer tennis program offerings all in one easy location.

Check out a few pics from this fun event!

Photos by Mike Saia