USTA Eastern Long Island Kids’ Day Brings Free Tennis Fun to Hundreds of Kids
USTA Eastern Long Island teamed up with Long Island Tennis Magazine to host three separate Kids’ Day events this summer, bringing free days of tennis to hundreds of kids on Long Island.
With each event consisting of multiple diverse, underprivileged and special needs organizations, these events allowed for 600 kids to experience special days this summer.
“We look forward to hosting Kids’ Day each year,” said Jason Wass, Director of LuHi Summer Programs. “It creates a great opportunity for the kids. We love working with the USTA and Long Island Tennis Magazine to provide an introduction to tennis here on our campus.”
On court, the kids took part in tennis instruction that focused on the fundamentals as volunteers from USTA Eastern Long Island and Long Island Tennis Magazine’s event staff helped teach the kids the basics of the sport.
“At Island Quest, we strive to create unforgettable memories where our camp community learns new skills from experts in specialty fields like sports, tech and nature,” said Melissa Algrenti, Camp Director for Island Quest. “One of our favorite, most unique opportunities is playing tennis with the best of the best and there is no one better to partner with than the USTA and Long Island Tennis Magazine. They make the day so fun with their skills clinic and the cherry on top is a carnival dunk tank and dance party. What could be better?”
While the focus is tennis, all the events provide additional fun off the court to help create a special experience that these individuals wouldn’t normally have. Activities included a DJ, a magician, dunk tank, water slides, bounce house, relay races, face painting, food and drinks and prizes.
“It’s our goal to continue bringingtennis fun to so many deserving kids, and it’s always fun to watch their faces light up during our Kids’ Day events,” said David Sickmen, Publisher of Long Island Tennis Magazine. “We’re proud to continue our partnership with USTA Eastern and help provide these sorts of experiences for young people. At these events, we supply kids with information as well as an unforgettable experience to create a pathway to more tennis opportunities for them in the future to help ensure that they continue playing the great sport of tennis.”
Mike Pavlides, the USTA Eastern Long Island Region Council Director, added:
“The Long Island Regional Council in conjunction with Long Island Tennis Magazine are happy to have provided another year of Kids’ Days to so many children on Long Island. It’s important for children to have the opportunity to be exposed to different sports at a young age so that they can find the one they are most passionate about. I think we show them that you don’t have to be professionally trained in order to have fun with your friends and hit the ball around, and our goal is that these kids become passionate about tennis and continue playing into the future.”
