Olympic Coach, Fellow Pros Teach Life Lessons In Mahwah

It’s not about the racquet, the ball, or the net. It’s not about developing forehand or backhand shots.

For the retired professional tennis players who just spent a week in Mahwah coaching kids at at , tennis is about the future.

“Tennis is a universal language,” Leslie Allen, the first African American woman to win a major pro tournament since the 1950’s, said.

“It is a common language that teaches life skills and opens a lot of doors.”

According to D.A. Abrams, the United States Tennis Association’s Eastern Section director, the camp is a “hybrid” program that combines athletics with outreach. Campers learn tennis techniques, and take field trips – like one to the Museum of American Finance.

“Showing them plays on the court is special,” he said. “But holding seminars and talking to them about leadership, determination, setting goals, perseverance, and good decisions – that’s even more special.”

The camp admitted 43 kids from varied backgrounds with the main goal of giving them the skills to make college tennis teams, and/or go to college on tennis scholarships.

For Rodney Harmon, who reached the quarterfinals of the 1982 US Open and coached the US Men’s Olympic Tennis Team in Beijing, China in 2008, the camp also provides kids with a lifelong companion.

“It’s a sport you can play for a lifetime. I’ve been playing for 20 years, and I still love and look forward to playing everyday.”

However, Harmon warned, don’t be fooled. Playing tennis is not a walk in the park. Having a good game takes hard work.

“It’s an extremely physical game, you have to play in different conditions on courts all around the world, the season lasts 10 to 11 months a year, and there are no contracts in tennis. If you don’t perform, you don’t get paid,” he said.

At the camp, kids learn that performing on the tennis court can lead to performing in many other aspects.

"I think that what I like best about this camp is the environment - you are always busy, there's never a moment wasted. I like that," said Michael Wallace, a camper from Mt. Vernon.

“I would say that eighty percent of the kids here can get a college scholarship using the skills and talents they learn at camp,” said Katrina Adams, who won 20 doubles titles in her professional career with the Women’s Tennis Association.

“I actually could have gone straight to the pros after high school, but I chose to go to Northwestern to play college tennis,” she said.

“My education was important to me, and I needed to grow as a person and as a tennis player,” she explained.

This camp is the biggest of its kind run by the USTA, which operates the US Open. The volunteer-based organization’s activities are centered around maintaining and promoting competitive tennis games for adult and youth players.