ello everyone!
SCTA HISPANIC HERITAGE TENNIS FESTIVITIES
On September 16th, I celebrated a wonderful birthday (74 years) with friends and family and most of those years have been spent on the tennis courts. It was also “Mexican Independence Day”. Since Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated between September 15th and October 15th, I was invited by the Southern California Tennis Association to be a part of their tennis festivities with kids, parents and tennis enthusiasts of all ages. This took place September 17th in San Diego at The Barnes Tennis Center where we enjoyed good weather, great tacos and Latin music. On our Q & A Panel we talked about our heritage and what it meant to be a Latina or Latino growing up. For me it was a quick study on how different I was because of my language, how I thought and what I looked like.
I was born and raised in San Francisco and brought up by my Great Aunt & Uncle. Tennis was as foreign as we were. When I started to play tennis at Golden Gate Park I was introduced to a very privileged group of girls that played Mondays & Fridays. I knew I was and looked different. They were in their all-white tennis dresses and I was not. In order for me to be able to play with them I had to swallow my pride and accept one of their spare white tennis dresses. This drove me to want to be a better tennis player than they were, and I was! Tennis gave me the confidence to meet adversity on and off the court throughout my life. It made me strong and that chip on my shoulder that I have grown up with has served me well and continuously reminds me everyday of where I came from and who I am today!
Much thanks goes to SCTA’s Esther Hendershott, Linda Milan and all of her community and diverse staff that helped to put on this event. CONGRATULATIONS!!
U.S. OPEN
This year’s US Open proved to be unbelievably exciting due to Serena’s final appearance before retiring. I know everybody who loved tennis was glued to their TV, or there in person, watching all the action especially Serena’s Evening “Primetime” Matches. I was there for most of the hoopla and lucky to have watched Serena and listen to a crowd of over 24,000 fans root for her. There wasn’t a seat to be had in Arthur Ashe Stadium. It was electric and incredible and Serena has certainly earned her retirement. I know we will certainly miss her on the court as she is a true “Warrior”!
This year was the year of the “Young Guns” especially the men with 19 year old Carlos Alcaraz winning and becoming number 1. Last year it was the “Year of the Women/Girls” with Emma and Leylah creating excitement in the Finals. I think this year we witnessed the changing of the guard which I have seen a few times in my life.
It was an exciting Open and staying with Billie Jean King & Ilana Kloss made it special since we were given the Red Carpet treatment when we entered The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center! I am definitely looking forward to the future of both men’s and women’s tennis and American tennis.
THE LOVE & LOVE TENNIS FOUNDATION ANNALEE THURSTON AWARDS
As promised I am announcing the 2023 Honoree, a champion, one of the greatest of all time, with combined singles, doubles and mixed doubles victories for a whopping all-time record of 59 Grand Slam Titles, the most in the Open Era. She is also a Hall of Famer and most importantly my friend “MARTINA NAVRATILOVA”. I am excited to “Honor” her with The Annalee Thurston Award on Saturday, March 11, 2023 at Palm Valley Country Club in Palm Desert. The invitations will be going out in November and we hope you will be able to join us and help raise funds for The Love & Love Tennis Foundation. This is our biggest fundraiser and these donations are used to provide grants to existing youth grassroot programs as well as establishing new outreach programs throughout the Coachella Valley.
HIGH SCHOOLS, BOYS & GIRLS CLUB & SCHOOL FREE KIDS TENNIS CLINICS
We are working with our High School Tennis Teams to provide free tennis clinics throughout the desert. Those who have agreed to participate are Palm Springs High School, Desert Hot Springs & Indio High School. We hope to have more join us as we move forward into the new year. We are also continuing to work with the Boys & Girls Club in addition to hopefully start working with Gerald Ford Elementary School.
WOODHAVEN C.C. FREE TENNIS CLINIC OCTOBER 9, 2022
The LLTF & Golden Feather Ryan Ramirez Scholarship Fund along with Tennis Director Rhenn Ramirez will host a free kids tennis clinic at Woodhaven C.C. from 9:30am – 11:00am. Come join us..the more the merrier!
THE LATIN AMERICAN TENNIS FOUNDATION
I along with Greg & Dan Gonzales founders of The Pancho Gonzales Foundation recently established The Latin American Tennis Foundation to promote and provide opportunities for all Latinos of all ages to play and grow tennis not only in their communities but hopefully all over the world. We are on a mission to provide more exposure and resources to Latin tennis programs, players and coaching opportunities through grants and scholarships. We want to have more of a voice in the tennis community and it’s future. I am a direct benefactor of what tennis has done for me and would like to share my knowledge and experience with others. We have a big job in front of us and look forward to working with the tennis community in reaching our goals. Our website is up and it will be totally functional soon. You are able to view what’s current at: info@latinamericantennisfoundation.org
Thank You All for your continuous support of donations. No matter how much you give, know that it will be used and appreciated by all those who benefit from your contributions and love for kids and tennis. Gracias!!
Until the next time….Keep swinging your racket!
Rosie & Tory
