Men’s Tennis Hosts USTA/NTJL Campus Kids' Day
4/17/2024
The Princeton University men’s tennis team continued its tradition of giving back to the community, recently holding a Campus Kids' Day in partnership with the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Middle States and the National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) of Trenton.
“It’s always a wonderful experience to join forces with the USTA Middle States and NJTL in hosting a kids' day and clinic before a home match,” said Head Coach Billy Pate. “Last Sunday was an incredible environment for our match as the kids and parents stuck around to see an exciting, high level college match. The energy and support were electric, and our players fed off that energy.
Our primary goal is that this interaction and experience will have an impact in further motivating the kids to play high school and college tennis. This is a great area for young people to make tennis a priority and with the help of the USTA and NJTL we hope to see future stars come out of these programs.”
The Tigers hosted 73 kids total, with three courts set up for hitting and tennis games with members of the team coaching staff. Another four courts featured area pros that volunteered to run activities and games, ensuring an action-packed day for all in attendance. On-court activities ran from 10:30 a.m. until 12 p.m. then pizza was provided for the participants.
Giving back to the community and inspiring the next generation has become a tradition for the Tigers, as it was first held in 2020.
“Campus Kids' Day is an event that started with our national USTA office where they wanted to get universities and local communities working together,” said USTA NJ Tennis Service Representative/Community Development Lori Schwarz. “I couldn’t ask more from Billy and his team; they really have been wonderful to work with.”
At the conclusion of the Campus Kids' Day programming, attendees were treated to a battle between two of the top teams in the nation as Princeton, ranked 30th, defeated Cornell, ranked 28th, 4-1.
The Tigers look forward to continuing their partnership with the USTA and NJTL well into the future, as they strive to uplift the community and inspire the next generation of college tennis players.
