SCHOOL TEACHERS ATTEND 2018 US OPEN

During the 2018 US Open, six teachers from across the country received the opportunity to enjoy New York City for the tournament’s opening day and participate in an afternoon of discussion focused on school tennis. The teachers were all nominated by their local USTA section based on their passion and support of tennis in schools and Net Generation.  

The objective of the discussion session was to review the Net Generation Schools curriculum, prioritize areas of potential development and take a deep dive into how the USTA can better work with teachers to support our mission of healthier kids through tennis in schools. The teachers shared stories of how they implemented the tennis curricula within their schools and worked with their school partners to connect kids to providers outside of schools, and even how they’ve handled the huge demand from kids wanting to borrow the tennis equipment during recess and after school.  

Of all the positive conversations, one story that stands out was from Jenny Crow of Oklahoma City, Okla.  Jenny was self-described as “not a tennis person,” but after attending a Net Generation session at a P.E. conference last year and going through the curriculum, she was hooked. She said that the fun, hands-on training and comprehensive curricula gave her a level of comfort and confidence that her students would be able to pick up the game quickly and have a blast doing it.   

Aside from a packed opening day session at the US Open, on opening night the teachers were treated to a thrilling three-set win by Venus Williams, a dominant performance by Rafael Nadal and an incredible opening-ceremony performance by Grammy Award-winning artist Kelly Clarkson!

Many thanks to Erin Auclair of Rhode Island, Shirley Paul of Florida, Raul Muñoz of Texas, Kat Taylor of California, Jenny Crow of Oklahoma, and Lisa Rahkola of Minnesota for coming out and joining us for this unforgettable experience!

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