Long Island Tennis Magazine’s Charitable Initiatives: Sol Schwartz of Holabird Sports Reaches Out to Superstorm Sandy Victims
Late in the night on Sunday, Oct. 28, Hurricane Sandy roared through Long Island and the East Coast and destroyed everything in its path. Superstorm Sandy was officially only a Category One Storm, but what it lacked in force it made up for in sheer size and more effectively, timing. Had Sandy come through during the middle of the day, in the middle of the lunar cycle, it would have been handled. But Sandy was a Superstorm, striking New York and New Jersey at high tide, during a full moon and had a footprint of roughly 1.8 million square miles, from the Mid-Atlantic to Ohio and up into Canada. This was no ordinary, average storm. Couple the massive size and effect of the storm with the complacency that had been brewing ever since New York had “handled” Hurricane Irene just 15 months prior, and what you get is a state of shocked emergency and unprepared terror.
At its peak, the new record high tide rose a full nine feet above average, nearly three feet higher than the previous record, set in 1821. Sustained winds reached 90 miles per hour and gusted up to speeds in excess of 110 miles per hour. Any free-standing structure was under duress and anything not tied down became a projectile. Homes and businesses near the water were especially jeopardized due to the extreme high tide pouring water into the ground floor of many buildings. Particularly susceptible were any outdoor tennis facility that had recently raised its bubble to insulate the courts. The newly-raised tennis bubbles, with penetrable outer linings and delicate footing, were left standing in most cases. The tennis community, especially on the South Shore of Long Island or anyone near the water was devastated by the storm.
Sol Schwartz, a retail manager and buyer at Holabird Sports, lives in Baltimore, Md., but was so distraught by the devastation on Long Island that he has decided to do something about it. Below is a letter Sol has made public. If anyone has the ability to donate, please do. Sol and Holabird will be at the upcoming First Annual New York Tennis Expo and will also have a collection bucket at their booth.
Feb. 8th was my 43rd birthday. This year was very different for me in that it was my first time celebrating the day without my father. Hours and hours of reflection have gone by since his passing in November. You think of the thousands of memories with each other and the rest of your family and friends, but I have also spent much of the time evaluating how our relationship has helped to mold me into the person that I have become.
My dad and I were very different in the social realm. Generally speaking, he was much more outgoing and engaging than I am. There wasn’t a conversation not had, a joke not told, a complement not given, etc., etc. Me, I am much more of a reactionary person. Once the fire is stoked, look out.
That being said, there is a trait that I learned from him over the 42 years that I was able to observe him, and that is that I would much rather put myself out on the behalf of others than to look out for my own needs. There is something about being able to make someone smile and laugh that provides a sense of true accomplishment. Like my dad, we may have a bit of a tendency to take this trait to an extreme, but will take whatever recourse is required to accomplish our goal.
Now comes the perfect storm. Over the past year, various circumstances have drawn me into what could be considered a bit of an activist role in the U.S. tennis scene. Countless hours spent trying to help do what is right by my sport. Throughout these times, I have been very blessed to have befriended some pretty special people who have been partners in dealing with many of these issues. We all agree that there is a lack of proper leadership which has led to, as I see it, a serious lack of community support of one another. My father was a very large part of the tennis community that I was part of growing up in. He made it a point to welcome new people into it, and to support those that were already part of it.
On Oct. 29, many of us watched as Hurricane Sandy decimated the New York/New Jersey area. To this day, life is not even close to being normal for a majority of people in that region. People are still displaced from their homes. Battles with insurance companies rage on. There is just a struggle to get back to business as usual. This region is also home to one of the larger tennis communities that this country has to offer. Many of the clubs have been severely damaged if not destroyed. Fellow teaching pros are still out of work or have lost much of their equipment. Current leadership has been slow to react to these matters in my eyes, so I have taken it upon myself to get in there and help out.
Recently, I have acquired a wish list from several of the clubs in the Long Island regions for products that have been lost as a result of the storm. I have also been told of the many pros that have been out of work and have lost much income over the past several months. I am also aware of the individual loss that many of the families themselves have incurred, which would obviously include tennis equipment. Over the weeks since, I have been in contact with many of the manufacturers in the tennis industry, soliciting their help in getting product into the region to help fill these needs. This effort is still ongoing, and their involvement is stepping up. Now I am going to reach out to all of you for your help as well.
On behalf of my dad’s memory, and in the spirit of teaching my own son Evan some of the same lessons that I have learned, we a partnering up in a fundraising campaign to help raise as much money as we can in order to turn around and purchase as much of the product as we can to send in to the region to get as many people back on the courts as possible. I am asking you to please, if you have the capacity to do so, make a donation to the cause. In order to speed up our ability to do this, I have piggybacked on a friends existing not for profit foundation called “Tennis Pros of the Future.” This is a 501 (c) (3) foundation, so every donation is tax deductible. If you have the ability to contribute, please make all checks payable to:
Tennis Pros of the Future
411 Samantha’s Court
Reisterstown, MD 21136
Through my company I will be able to maximize every last dollar raised.
I am fully aware of where tennis stands on the importance scale of many people. That being said, I also realize that tennis is either a way of life for some in the New York region or an escape from what has become a difficult daily life for many of the others. By doing what we are trying to do, we will be able to help in a varying degree, contribute to a sense of normalcy for the people of the area.
In the spirit of my late father, Herman Schwartz, I will continue to represent all that he represented and displayed to myself, my family, my friends, and my community. I may not have a lot, but I have a large heart and a big mouth that I am willing to use when necessary. I see this as a perfect time to start. Evan and I thank you very much for helping to support this project. Hopefully we can make a difference in a lot of lives. To my dad, thanks for instilling in me the importance of looking out for others. I could not have had a better example as to how to represent myself.
On behalf of me and Evan, thanks for any help that you can provide …
