Some kids in Commerce City are using tennis rackets to help them with school.
The United States Tennis Association and the Colorado Youth Tennis Foundation are working with the Commerce City Boys and Girls Club to support a tennis league.
“We know that when we get a kid on the tennis court, they are going to learn skills that they can take off the court and incorporate into life,” said Lisa Schaefer, associate executive director of USTA Colorado and Colorado Youth Tennis Foundation.
Jorge and Rosa Vazquez agree with that.
Their son Nestor, a 14-year-old at Kearney Middle School, plays on the team at the club.
“This is not just about playing,” Rosa Vazquez said. “We tell him that if he wants to play, he needs to have good grades.”
Nestor “has always been a good student,” Jorge Vazquez added. “After his participation, I’ve noticed he helps his mother a lot more with chores, his grades are really good, and he even helps his neighbors.”
Through the USTA tennis grant program, the Commerce City Boys and Girls Club founded its tennis league two years ago. The money helps with tennis equipment, uniforms, league fees, transportation to and from meets, and tennis instructors and coaches.
“Because of the USTA grant, the Boys and Girls Club is able to participate and teach different values to the kids, such as respect teamwork. We teach them to be excellent in whatever they chose to do,” said Jason Martinez, director of the Boys and Girls Club in Commerce City.
Ninety percent of the students in Adam County School District 14 are Hispanic, a key population for the groups promoting youth tennis.
“We are really working on getting the sport into that community, getting it more accessible and showing it opens up more opportunity for high school tennis, which could lead them to better opportunities, college opportunities, and lifelong opportunities,” Schaefer said.
Nestor is all for that.
“Tennis is important to me because it helps me a lot with school and motivates me to keep my grades up,” he said. “It teaches me to continually improve and helps me learn how to continually grow in the sport and outside of the sport, such as grades. It teaches me to always aim higher, work with others, as well, and it helps me to be positive.”
In 2013, nearly 500 Latino youth across Colorado participated in tennis programs funded by the CYT foundation and USTA.
The Commerce City Boys & Girls Club is glad to be involved and is seeing results.
Nestor’s “initial drive and desire to be a part of the league is what got him selected to be a member of the tennis league,” Martinez said. “His involvement in tennis has increased his involvement in the club, becoming more involved with his leadership, building on his experience rather than just showing up and hanging out until it’s time to go home.”
Nestor hopes his participation in tennis will earn him a college scholarship to play for the Colorado State University’s tennis team.
Tennis “has taught him how to manage his school stress and help him concentrate on his school work,” Jorge Vazquez said. “Through this, it could possibly allow him continue earning good grades, which could lead him to earn a college scholarship.”
Paula Vargas reported this story for Viva Colorado.
vive el tenisǃ
What: Exhibit of portraits of local Hispanic families
When: Sept. 2-30, Hispanic Heritage Month
Where: Webb Municipal Building, 201 West Colfax Avenue, Denver
