Tennis Blitz in the Parks Brings Free Tennis Lessons to Nassau County
The 4th Annual Tennis Blitz in the Parks was held in late July, as nearly 1,000 children received free tennis lessons in eight different Nassau County parks.
Conceived and organized by Bill Mecca, the USTA/Eastern-Long Island Region Representative and Karen Beckhard-Ravener from Nassau County’s Parks and Recreation Department, the Blitz in the Parks benefits Nassau’s children by teaching them the basics of tennis—the healthy sport they can play for a lifetime. According to Mecca, this effort is probably the largest and most ambitious such undertaking in the country, with more than 3,500 children having benefitted from this endeavor to date.
Many of the lessons in the parks utilized the USTA’s QuickStart Tennis format which is designed to provide children 10 and under with an easier way to learn and master methodology of the sport.
In addition, the USTA provided applications for free USTA Memberships to all of Nassau County’s 10 and under campers.
In order to make this effort a success, many organizations needed to join together to provide the dozens of volunteers, 14 tennis pros and required financial support. Special thanks to Nassau County, the USTA Eastern Section, the USTA/Eastern-Long Island Region, the Eastern Division of the United States Professional Tennis Association’s Tennis Across America and Tennis for the Health Of It programs, Long Beach Tennis Center, Racquets for Kids, the Hicksville CTA, and others for their support of the 4th Annual Tennis Blitz in the Parks.
Many thanks to USTA Eastern for their free tennis instruction at Wantagh Park
Campers at Cantiague Park pose for a photo after receiving their free tennis lessons
Instructors and kids pause for a photo at Wantagh Park during the Annual Tennis Blitz in the Parks
