Park Day Brings Free Tennis Fun For The Whole Family
Long Island Tennis Magazine (LITM) and USTA Eastern, in conjunction with the New York State Parent Teacher Association teamed up to bring free tennis fun to kids and adults alike as the Annual Family Park Day was held at SPORTIME Hempstead Lake.
The event featured engaging tennis instruction and gameplay on the court, but also fun activities off the court including a dunk tank, face painting, glitter tattoos, music, prizes and more. The event was completely free to attend and featured a sold-out registration, which was a great indication of the reach that events like this can have.
“It was great to see kids and their parents outside learning, playing, and most importantly, enjoying themselves,” said USTA Eastern Regional Director Mike Pavlides. “It was a rewarding afternoon for all involved.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM 2023 FAMILY PARK DAY
On the court, SPORTIME Lynbrook’s Director of Tennis Jason Pasion organized drills, games and other instructional lessons as parents went out on court with their kids to partner with them, making the experience fully interactive for the families. If a child needed a partner to pair up with on the court, LITM’s intern staff, comprised of high school and college tennis players, were there to team up with which helped keep all the kids engaged throughout the day.
“What a fun-filled day it was,” said Pasion. “We had a great turnout of kids of varying ages and tennis abilities. We were able to have a format that was designed to have the parents interact with their child on the court. For many of them, both parent and child, it was their first time having a racquet in their hand. Hopefully, the experience today will keep them coming back to the courts.”
And that is the primary goal of the Annual Family Park Day, whose inaugural event was held last year. By providing a free and fun introduction to the sport of tennis, the objective is to give them an experience that will make them want to continue playing tennis.
“Our second annual installment of the event turned out to be very successful,” added Neil Thakur, USTA Eastern’s School Tennis Manager & Community Tennis Coordinator. “Thanks to Jason Pasion and his SPORTIME Hempstead Lake team, and David Sickmen and the LITM event staff, USTA Long Island was able to give over 150 participants a fun experience of tennis and other activities. The best part is that the PTA families will have opportunities to continue learning to play tennis. We appreciate our partnership with the NYS PTA and look forward to hosting many more events in the future.”
Throughout the summer, LITM and USTA Eastern are excited to continue to bring events such as these to the local community, which includes three free Kids’ Day events scheduled at three different locations.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM 2023 FAMILY PARK DAY
“We were proud to partner with USTA Eastern, SPORTIME and the NYS PTA to bring tennis to so many kids and adults who may not have played before,” said David Sickmen, LITM Publisher. “Through events like this we are able to show just how fun tennis can be, and that was evident through all the smiles we saw on and off the court at Family Park Day. The format was great today because it allowed for the entire family to enjoy a tennis event together. It was interactive for the kids and the parents”
