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Friends of Harlem Tennis Center

Contents:
      History of the HTC
      Programs at the HTC 2000-2001
           Adult Programs
           Youth Programs
      HTC: Diamond in the Rough
      HTC Players Give Back to the Community
      What's Tennis Like at the Armory?
      Why Is Tennis Important in Our Community?
            (Role of Tennis as a Non-Traditional Sport)

History of the HTC: Tennis at the 369th Regiment Armory

Tennis Playing in Harlem is not an oxymoron! There is a long and storied tradition of people playing tennis in Harlem. The Harlem Tennis Center, located at the 369th Regiment Armory, is part of that tradition. For more than 50 years, people have played tennis on the eight (8) tennis courts on the floor of the 369th Regiment Armory, located at 143rd Street and Fifth Avenue, affectionately called "the armory."

First there was Nick's Tennis Center in the 1950's, followed by Bill's Indoor Tennis (later to become known as Bill's Fifth Avenue Tennis), and eventually it was known as the Harlem Tennis Center (HTC). During the Koch administration, all eight (8) tennis courts were used to house the homeless, but even then, tennis was still played on four courts for the children from 4pm to 8pm.

Many notable people and players have come through the armory. Althea Gibson trained there during the winters and came back to teach clinics to the children. Dave Dinkins has been known to patronize the armory. Arthur Ashe was a huge supporter of the armory and of one of its better known programs, the Harlem Junior Tennis Program.

Well known tennis professionals and players like Leslie Allen, Zina Garrison, Lori McNeil, Rodney Harmon, Pancho Gonzalez, Bob Ryland, Yannick Noah, Dr. Reginald Weir, and Dr. Renee Richards, have played there and performed teaching clinics at the armory.

Earl "the Pearl" Monroe, Gordon Parks, Dr. Harold Freeman, Fred Johnson, Carol Watson, Seena Hamilton, C. Virginia Fields, Mayor Sharpe James, Congressman John Conyers, Fred Samuel, Alma Rangel, Dick Stockton, Bill Cosby, and many others have played at the armory.

Some institutions start out in buildings, with a set purpose and go about the business for which they were founded. Others begin in people's hearts. Tennis at the armory is one such institution. Because tennis is played at the armory, many have learned the game and have come to love it.

The benefits of tennis at the armory have been multi-generational. Kids have grown up in the various junior programs that co-exist. Children have received scholarships for their tennis-playing ability. Teenagers have come in off the street and found a sense of purpose. Young adults become mentors for the children. Sedentary adults have learned a sport that can take them into old age. And the seniors just keep on playing. Great friendships have been forged and marriages have been made at the armory.

But more importantly, you know when an institution is born, because it is something that is near and dear to many people's hearts. There are more than 37 adult and children's programs that are played on the eight (8) courts at the armory. The Harlem Tennis Center offers free and low cost programs that are affordable to people in the community and its environs, people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. All are welcome.

The armory is the type of place where on any given day, young children, teenagers, young adults, middle-aged adults, and senior citizens all co-exist around their singular love for tennis. Some of the adults and children can be found playing chess, others just hanging out and listening to the wonderful sounds of jazz emanating from the radio played by Claude Cargill, 87 year-old founder of the Harlem Junior Tennis Program.

If the Harlem Tennis Center is no longer allowed to exist at the armory, a great and storied tradition would be lost to generations. We simply must not allow this to happen. We all need to honor our tradition of playing tennis in Harlem and save the institution that is the Harlem Tennis Center. Institutions like the Harlem Tennis Center are born of love, and nurtured throughout the generations. The Friends of Harlem Tennis Center are committed to preserving this institution.

Done by the Friends of Harlem Tennis Center

Arvelia Myers
Sarah Allen
Co-Chairpersons

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Programs at the Harlem Tennis Center (HTC) 2000-2001

*Colleges: CCNY, 18 players; Baruch, 18; John Jay, 18; L.I.U., 9

Tournaments:
American Tennis Association
New York Tennis Association, adult and junior tennis tournaments

Stroke School corrects faulty strokes

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		YOUTH
		PROGRAMS	COURTS		PLAYERS
1)		Fitzpatrick Tennis Assn.	2		16
2)		Topspin, Inc.	2		16
3)		Porte	2		16
4)		Washington Heights Tennis Assn.	2		20
5)		Co-op City Tennis Assn.	4		30
6)		St. Bernard School	2		16
7)		Prosper, Inc.	1		8
8)		USTA/NYJTL	1		8
9)		Pyramid Tennis Assn.	2		20
10)		Harlem Junior Tennis Program	4		36
11)		North Juniors	1		8
12)		Young Tennis Divas	2		12
13)		Larry Hartfield	2		16
14)		Westside Youth Tennis, Yonkers, NY	1		8
15)		Homework Club			20-25
		works with youth from local Community School District 5, among others
		won Honorable Mention among Tennis Week Magazine's choices of the top Community Tennis Associations (CTAs) in the U.S. for 2001
		participated in the 1999 Tennis Australian Open OZ Kids Day

Homework club aids children
Chess club for children fosters concentration and awareness

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HTC: Diamond in the Rough

Sarah Allen describes the HTC with the following words:

"The Harlem Tennis Center (HTC) is our village. Regardless of various backgrounds, we are family, and provide a safe haven for young and old alike. It serves all boroughs and all are welcome."

"...tennis is very different from basketball, track and other sports. Tennis requires quiet, concentration and rules of etiquette."

"We put up with the cold showers and the few comforts because we have a jewel here, a diamond in the rough. No slick state-of-the-art multi-sport complex can possibly provide what the HTC does -- multi-generational mentoring with exposure to role models."

Her words were first published in the 5/15/01 issue of Tennis Week magazine. For a fuller presentation of what she has to say about the HTC, click here.

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HTC Players Give Back to the Community

Many avid tennis players are a passionate lot and want to share their enthusiasm for tennis with other newcomers to the game. The players at the HTC are no exception, and strive to give back to the community some of the joys and positive life experiences gained from playing the game of tennis.

Apart from her many accomplishments (in tennis and in other endeavors) Althea Gibson was the first African-American woman to win at Wimbledon (which she did in 1957 and 1958 -- also winning the U.S. Open in both those years, as well).

The March/April 2001 edition of USTA Magazine (p. 9) shows a picture of her practicing in 1958 at the 369th Armory (home of the HTC). Ms. Gibson often made herself available to the HTC to provide lessons and clinics, and to share her life experiences with the youth at the Center. A small reproduction photo of her teaching at one such clinic at the Harlem Armory is shown on this page.

Arthur Ashe, winner of three tennis grand slams (the U.S. Open in 1968; the Australian Open in 1970; and Wimbledon in 1975 -- he was also ranked #1 in the world in 1975), was co-founder of the National Junior Tennis League, with the purpose of introducing tennis "to those who might not ordinarily be exposed to the sport."

He also was on the advisory board of the Pyramid Tennis Association, founded and still in operation in the Harlem community (with indoor sessions held at the HTC). In addition to playing at the HTC, he was a huge supporter of the Armory and fought to maintain the programs at the HTC.

Arvelia Myers, long-time resident of Harlem, was the founder of the Pyramid Tennis Association, and stilll teaches the game of tennis to both youngsters and adults at the HTC.

Ms. Myers has been quoted as saying that, when she herself cut back on competing in tennis, she saw that there were not enough youngsters in her community participating in the sport and decided she wanted to help expose them to the game, a game which often mimics life.

Hence was formed the Pryamid Tennis Association , chartered as a non-profit organization, with the goal of developing the skills and attitudes of the young via their participation in the practice of tennis.

In addition, Ms. Myers provides opportunities for adults and seniors to participate in a sport not previously accessible to them. She was inducted into the USTA/Eastern Hall of Fame in 1997 (the same year John McEnroe was also inducted) for her many years of community service and her contribution to growing the game of tennis.

There is also Bob Ryland , who in 1959 was the first black American to turn pro. Mr. Ryland has dedicated his life to searching out young people and exposing them, as well as adults, to the game of tennis. To this day, he can still be seen playing and coaching tennis at the HTC and the public courts in that area. He was recently inducted into the USTA/Eastern Hall of Fame, also for his many years of community service and his contribution to growing the game of tennis.

One of the youngsters Bob Ryland coached at the HTC was Leslie Allen, as she first became passionate about tennis. He encouraged her to become a professional tennis player, which she did, reaching the rank of #17 on the women's professional tour.

After her tour on the women's circuit, Ms. Allen returned to the community, and founded what was then her pilot program, the Young Tennis Divas -- a group of inner-city junior girls from Harlem. That pilot group subsequently grew into her Champion 4 Life program, and has since been expanded to become her Win 4 Life program.

Then, there are the many other former junior students at the HTC (many of whom received tennis scholarships to college) who come back and visit the armory whenever possible, setting examples for the juniors currently enrolled there.

Not the least among these former junior students are James and Thomas Blake, who, when time permits (as described in an article in the 11/16/00 edition of Tennis Week magazine), come back to the HTC to teach clinics, help with the homework club, or give talks about the importance of staying in school.

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What's tennis like at the Armory?

From the 1950’s through the turn of this century, the Harlem Tennis Center operated as a business enterprise at the Harlem 369th Regiment Armory. No one got rich running it, but it was self-sustaining (although in times of need, members of the community who had access to additional funding did step up to give financial backing to the enterprise).

The Harlem Tennis Center was, in effect, a labor of love. Its proprietors and the tennis professionals who taught there made only a modest profit. But more important, it was a way for them to grow the game of tennis in the community, making tennis accessible and affordable among people of all ages who otherwise might not have been exposed to learning tennis at all or who would not have been able to afford to continue playing the game on a regular basis.

In an article published in Tennis Week magazine, one long-time player at the Harlem Tennis Center gave this description of tennis at the Harlem Armory in 2001:

“…like all sports, tennis and the passion for it sometimes are irrational, and it takes a touch of the irrational to explain the Harlem Tennis Center’s appeal. It has no modern facilities, no comfortable locker room with towels, no hot showers, no well-stocked pro shop, no lounge or juice bar….

What it does have is a disarming informality, a slouchy, amiable atmosphere that's as comfortable as old shoes. The staff is low key, and often consists of just Claude Cargill, 85 and one of the operating partners, hanging out in a warmup suit and baseball cap. Court fees are low enough that when your hour is up, nobody elbows you off and starts blasting away before you can escape the court, the way they do at the $75 per hour places in Midtown.

The radio station is permanently set to WBGO, where jazz and blues make up the musical menu. There's usually a chess game going on, or checkers, with or without kibitzing, under the posters of tennis stars past and present that adorn the walls. Kids and their tutors do homework together.”

“The Harlem Tennis Center (HTC) is our village. Regardless of various backgrounds, we are family, and provide a safe haven for young and old alike. It serves all boroughs and all are welcome….

We put up with the cold showers and the few comforts because we have a jewel here, a diamond in the rough. No slick state-of-the-art multi-sport complex can possibly provide what the HTC does -- multi-generational mentoring with exposure to role models."

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Why Is Tennis Important for Our Community
(Role of Tennis as a Non-Traditional Sport)

Kristina Nwazota, in writing about the HTC for New York Magazine, states:

"Like many people, I hadn't thought of tennis as a sport many black people play, despite the success of stars like Venus and Serena Williams, Arthur Ashe, and Althea Gibson."

"Today, it's home to more than 1,000 players, including doctors, firemen, actors, cops, teachers, and 150 Harlem schoolchildren."

"...aren't too unrealistic, considering that two of the top U.S. college players, now pro, both graduated from the program: the 1999 No. 1-ranked NCAA player, James Blake, All-American at Harvard, and his brother Thomas, also All-American at Harvard".

"Our goal is to get them tennis scholarships to college.... Let's face it: We don't always have the money in our communities."

"Most black heroes are basketball or football players.... This gives them a chance to see something different."

Click here to see the full text of that article.

 
Former professional tour player, Leslie Allen, also emphasizes the importance of tennis as a non-traditional sport.

In her letter to Behind the Baseline in the June 26, 2001 issue of Tennis Week magazine, she describes non-traditional sports as exposing and elevating youth to new worlds, giving them the opportunity to reach for the stars -- with tennis, in particular, as giving kids a very different way to reach in that direction. Click here to see the full text of her letter.

Ms. Allen had already put her words into action when she took her Young Tennis Divas (a group of inner-city junior girls from Harlem) to the Australian Open in 1999.

In her letter to Claude Cargill, thanking him for providing the facilities of the HTC to her and the girls in preparation for that trip, she spoke of how the girls learned in Australia first hand (in seminars with WTA Tour staff and other people in a variety of careers) the education and skills needed to become not only a professional tennis player, but also: a player agent, a tournament director, a writer, an athletic trainer, a computer center worker, a TV broadcaster or technician, a post match court reporter, etc.

 
New Yorkers are not the only ones who recognize the importance of tennis in the development of youth.

In Detroit, for example, one teacher of both tennis and the martial arts is developing a program for urban youth, using tennis as a major vehicle for them "to learn a lot about life," fostering "discipline, respect for the game and for each other."

Tennis also provides them an opportunity to "earn good college scholarships by striving for excellence."

In Houston, the All Court Tennis Foundation describes its tennis program as "character development training through tennis and mentoring. The training focuses on building self-esteem and social skills."

To quote from part of its philosophy:

While few students may pursue a professional tennis career, all will use acquired skills to prepare themselves for real life issues.

By emphasizing structured activities with positive reinforcement and good role models, all children will be given useful tools to succeed and excel in both tennis and life.

Interaction with tennis coaches, adult mentors and especially with each other enables the participants to foster respect for other people, accept differences, and value diversity.

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