Men's Tennis Shares Sport with Community
Jan. 15, 2008
CORAL GABLES, FLA. – On Wed., Jan. 16, the No. 36 University of Miami men’s tennis team will visit Moore Park for an afternoon of activities geared to encourage young inner-city tennis players to continuing playing tennis and to work hard to get a college education.
The event, sponsored by the Greater Miami Tennis & Education Foundation, begins at 5 p.m. at the Ashe-Buchholz Tennis Center at Moore Park in Miami.
“Our players enjoy reaching out the community,” said head coach Mario Rincon. “We will make it fun for the kids, get to know them and expose them to college-level tennis.”
Members of the team will play exhibition games to demonstrate their skills. They will invite the kids to hit balls and run through a host of drills. Off the court, team members will participate in a question-and-answer session with a focus on preparing for college tennis and what it’s like to play at that level.
The Greater Miami Tennis and Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization that has been offering free tennis, education and life skills programs to Miami children since 1974, runs the tennis and education after-school program to serve low-income children at Moore Park. More than 80 children ages 6-18 participate in three hours of free tennis instruction, tutoring and a life skills program. The older players compete in local and national tournaments with the aim of using tennis as an entry to college through scholarships.
GMTEF has made an impact on the lives of more than 2,000 children annually through after-school and summer programs in neighborhood parks and schools. Generous sponsors, donors and members support GMTEF in helping kids stay off the streets, perform on and off the court, pursue a college education and be winners in life.
The Hurricanes, led by seventh-ranked All-American Daniel Vallverdu and the 18th-ranked duo of Vivek Subramanian and David Rosenfeld, open the spring season on their home court – the Neil Schiff Tennis Center – on Jan. 24 versus Florida Atlantic at 2:30 p.m.
