The First Annual LA Tennis Bash at the Jack Kramer Club, benefiting the First Break Academy
/Before closing out 2017, TALK TENNIS was lucky enough to end the year on a high note by covering a very special event called the LA Tennis Bash.
The LA Tennis Bash benefiting the First Break Academy hosted a morning of tennis clinics and games for juniors and adults at the historic Jack Kramer Club at Rolling Hills Estates.
Area professional tennis stars, past and present, were on the court hitting with kids and adult, and all event participants in the first annual Los Angeles Tennis Bash 2017
Some of the Pros who attended this inaugural event included 22-time Grand Slam champion and First Break benefactor Pam Shriver; two-time US Open champion, and former world No. 1 Tracy Austin; current WTA pros Shelby Rogers and Nicole Gibbs; and current ATP pros Steve Johnson, Taylor Fritz and Bradley Klahn, among others. The star-studded event also included former Grand Slam champion Kimberly Po, and Jeff Tarango, who was recently named the new director of tennis at the Kramer Club, and former WTA pro Lauren Embree, the women’s assistant coach at Pepperdine University.
Actor Boris Kodjoe and former NBA player’s Jason Collins, and Troy Murphy also joined the festivities for a cause.
The day also included competitive tennis games for all levels, a Head Racquet Demo Court, a MultiSport Kid Zone, several tennis pop up shops, and a lunch and silent auction.
First Break Academy is made up of tennis enthusiasts, educators, sports industry professionals, elite development coaches and community leaders interested in empowering youth and helping create a culture of achievement. Emphasizing bringing the sport of Tennis to children who may not otherwise have had the opportunity to be exposed to this amazing sport.
First Break Academy is an award winning 501c3, dedicated to positively impacting children’s lives by insuring their access to safe, affordable, quality tennis instruction, multi-sport play, and academic enrichment. Setting a path toward inclusion and excellence, and potentially achieving college scholarships. First Break is centered on sports activity, physical literacy, and healthy futures for every player. First Break Tennis however, welcomes aspiring players of every level.
Those who are a part of the program even get to jump on the court with some of our professional tour level coaches, such as Marc Lucero (Shelby Roger’s head coach), who also played a big role in the coming together of this special event.
The new WTA Charities initiative signed on with First Break and the LA Tennis Bash as a Champion-level sponsor, with both Pam Shriver and Tracy Austin serving on the Board of Directors. There are three pillars of action within WTA Charities, including service, assistance aimed at those in need, and support reinforcing WTA members’ charitable initiatives through financial and promotional efforts, and aligning with organizations - such as First Break - that help advance lives through empowerment, equality and care for others.
On top of it all the LA Tennis Bash was exactly that! It was a Bash! It was a party on the tennis court! Steve Weissman from Tennis Channel Emceed the event, DJ Royelle was on the 1’s and 2’s spinning a mash up of 80’s, 90’s and today’s hits, and participants (including my lucky self!) got to run around on the tennis court with all of the stars involved while breaking it down to some old school Montell Jordan! It just doesn’t get better than that!
For more information about The First Break Academy go to - http://www.first1break.com - or follow them on social media @first1Break
For more information about the Jack Kramer club got to - www.jackkramerclub.com or follow them on social media at @jackkramerclub