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Student Athletes Earn Spots in Leadership Camp

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — The USTA announced today that 40 student athletes with diverse backgrounds from throughout the country have been selected to attend the 26th annual USTA/NJTL Tennis Leadership Camp in Atlanta from July 20-25. The camp is exclusively for youth ages 12-14 who participate in National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network chapters nationwide.

Participants were selected through a rigorous application process that considered tennis aptitude, sportsmanship, leadership skills and financial need. The all-expenses paid week-long camp provides the attendees with valuable tennis instruction plus a rewarding educational and motivational experience. In addition to 4-7 hours of daily tennis training with experienced tennis teachers, participants will volunteer to sort and pack donated books for shipment to Books for Africa projects and programs. They will be joined by students from recording artist Usher’s New Look Leadership Academy for this unique service and leadership opportunity. The USTA/NJTL campers also will visit popular Atlanta attractions throughout the week including the Martin Luther King Jr. Museum, the World of Coke, and the Inside CNN Tour.

“For each of the last 26 years, the NJTL national staff has offered once-in-a-lifetime experiences to a deserving group of underserved youth through the USTA/NJTL Tennis Leadership Camp,” said Barry Ford, Director, Outreach & Advocacy, USTA. “These students, some of whom have never been outside of their own communities, are being afforded the opportunity to travel to Atlanta, a city rich in history and rampant with tennis enthusiasm, where they will gain memories and forge relationships that could last a lifetime. Using tennis as the conduit, we hope this camp will continue to have a profound impact on the growth and development of these and many more youth for years to come.”

“This community-driven program intends to fulfill Arthur Ashe’s dream of instilling the values of humanitarianism, leadership and academic excellence in America’s youth through the sport of tennis,” said Kurt Kamperman, Chief Executive, Community Tennis, USTA. “With an emphasis on individual physical and mental development, good nutrition and sportsmanship, as well as lessons of history and community development provided by Atlanta’s popular destinations, we believe this camp will help ensure that today’s kids will become tomorrow’s leaders and perhaps tomorrow’s champions as well.”

The following is a list of the young leaders selected to attend the 2010 USTA NJTL Tennis Leadership Camp:

USTA/Section First Name Last Name Sex Age City State
Carribean Devin Ortega Male 14 San Sebastian PR
Eastern Isis Gill-Reid Female 12 Brooklyn NY
Eastern Olivia Fields Female 13 Brooklyn NY
Eastern Peter Sills Male 14 Brooklyn NY
Florida Ciaira Walker Female 13 Jacksonville FL
Hawaii Pacific Joseph Almuena Male 13 Honolulu HI
Intermountain Jocelynn Truman Female 12 Blackfoot ID
Intermountain Cody Jackson Male 14 Denver CO
Intermountain Elisha-Samuel DeVille Male 12 Las Vegas NV
Mid-Atlantic Moises Davidson Male 14 Alexandria VA
Mid-Atlantic Jonathan Holloway Male 13 Newport News VA
Mid-Atlantic Olivia Banks Female 14 Randallstown MD
Middle States Nakyra Carmichael Female 12 Trenton NJ
Middle States Martin Israel Soto Male 13 Trenton NJ
Midwest Charlee Goodman Female 14 Milwaukee WI
Midwest Juan Torres Male 13 Milwaukee WI
Midwest Jonathan Annicks Male 12 Chicago IL
Missouri Valley Kiland Sampa Male 12 St. Louis MO
Missouri Valley Mariah Taylor Female 13 St. Louis MO
New England Carlos Granda Male 14 New Haven CT
Northern Bobby Yang Male 13 Coon Rapids MN
Northern Halimah Abdul-Wahid Female 13 Minneapolis MN
Northern Andrew Simmons Male 14 Minneapolis MN
Northern California Robert Hernandez Male 14 Monterey CA
Northern California Elena Wang Female 13 Coronado CA
Pacific Northwest Hayley Cottrell Female 12 Portland OR
Pacific Northwest Alyssa Silvernail Female 12 Orting WA
Southern Sam Kennedy Male 13 McDonough GA
Southern Victor Lett III Male 12 Mobile AL
Southern Shiquan Brown Male 13 Augusta GA
Southern Kelee Smiley Female 12 Augusta GA
Southern Amber Myers Female 14 Charleston SC
Southern Destiny Commodore Female 13 Hampton GA
Southern Sydney Thomas Female 14 College Park GA
Southern Rohman Mitchell Jr. Male 12 Atlanta GA
Southern Kyla Barnwell Female 12 Atlanta GA
Southern California Taylor Uigaese Female 13 Long Beach CA
Southwest Roberto Cota Male 12 Tucson AZ
Texas Nya Cheatham Female 14 Lancaster TX
Texas Aliese Thompson Female 14 Arlington TX

About the USTA NJTL

The USTA/NJTL Tennis Leadership Camp was created in 1984 to provide an educational and motivational tennis experience for NJTL participants who might not otherwise have access to such an opportunity. The week-long session emphasizes individual skill development, physical fitness, proper nutrition and good sportsmanship. This is Denver’s first year to host the camp, which is held in a different city each year and has recently been in Washington, D.C., Seattle, San Diego and Orlando, Fla.

The NJTL was established in 1969 by Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder. The NJTL has grown to more than 550 chapters with over 225,000 participants. It is a delivery system for the USTA’s programs, giving youth an opportunity to play tennis while also providing a safe haven, adult role models and tennis instruction.

About the USTA

The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level — from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with 740,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, and launched the Olympus US Open Series linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns the 90-plus Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., is a minority owner and promotional partner of World TeamTennis, and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. USTA Serves, the National Charitable Foundation of the USTA, provides financial support for disadvantaged youth and people with disabilities through tennis and education programs. For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com.

Posted on July 20, 2010
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