We hope you all are doing well and your families are safe. Mike has been working to find good resources for you all to keep yourselves dialed in while you're at home chilling and staying healthy before we are able to go back on court. 

Tennis Tuesdays @ 2:30pm for Harvard Junior Team Tennis
Sensational Sundays @ 7pm for Harvard Adult USTA Team Captains


Pro Power Series
April 22 from 12-1 pm: Navigating the Parent and Coach Relationship with Lori Riffice (Register Here)
April 24 from 12-1 pm: A Pathway to Coaching Excellence with Dr. Jen Mead and Dr. Lisa Boehm and Dr. Karen Richardson (Register Here)
April 29 from 12-1 pm: Know your Neighbor and Resources - Wheelchair Tennis Committee with Thomas Dodd (Register Here)
May 1 from 12-1 pm: Open Coaches Forum with Nestor Bernabe and Lisa Wilcott (Register Here)
May 6 from 12-1 pm: Developmental Planning/Goal Setting with Francisco Montoya (Register Here)
May 7 from 4-5 pm: The State of College Recruiting with Tim Donovan (Register Here)
May 20 from 12-1 pm: Net Generation Digital Tools - How They Can Enhance Your Coaching Plans with Samantha Roy (Register Here)
June 3 from 12-1 pm: Incorporating Mental Training into Practice Sessions With Your Players with Doug Eng (Register Here)
June 11 from 10-11 am: The Power of Branding and how to Maximize for your Business / How to Help Clubs Get Ready to Reopen with Emma Wells (Register Here)
June 17 from 12-1 pm: Technical Tennis with Doug Eng (Register Here)

Junior Power Series
April 23 from 4-5 pm: Mental Training Session 1 - Getting Started with Visualization with Brian Lomax (Register Here)
April 30 from 4-5 pm: Mental Training Session 2 - Building Upon Visualization with Brian Lomax (Register Here)
May 5 from 4-5 pm: Mental Training Session 3 - Goal Setting with Brian Lomax (Register Here)
May 7 from 4-5 pm: The State of College Recruiting with Tim Donovan (Register Here)

🌟 Ongoing Special Webinars on tennis and pickleball - on Facebook:
Coming up this week:
Interviews with Felix Auger- Aliassime, Genie Bouchard, and Milos RaonicThursday, April 23 - 11 AM EDT

🌟 Special Recognition to our Harvard Tennis Junior, Bobby Cooper of Cambridge MA. He's the USTA National Diversity and Inclusion Essay  - National Contest Winner, recognized this past year at the USTA National Tennis Center in Orlando, Florida.

An Unsung Hero of Tennis

Throughout the history of the United States, the sport of tennis has been shaped and influenced by many important figures. Among these are Arthur Ashe, Althea Gibson, and Serena Williams, all outstanding individuals whose successes and contributions to tennis have inspired many from diverse backgrounds. However, it is important to remember the unsung heroes of the sport, who worked tirelessly to set the stage for those who were not fortunate enough to have the privilege of playing tennis. Talley Robert (“Tally”) Holmes, a remarkable inspiration to tennis in the early 20th century was a true African American tennis pioneer. Throughout his long career, Holmes received an Ivy League education, became a teacher and entrepreneur, and was a strong advocate for providing equal opportunities to the black community, not only in tennis, but in daily life.

Upon learning of Talley Homes, I quickly grew to be inspired by such an incredible figure. As a black man in a particularly racist and discriminatory time period, Holmes not only became an immensely talented tennis player, but a gifted student outside the court. Using all of his recourses including a rigorous high school education, Holmes attended Dartmouth University in 1906. Although he would have been a great asset to Dartmouth’s tennis team, there is no record of Holmes on Dartmouth’s roster. His absence from the team could have largely been due to discrimination against his race, further exemplifying the challenges and racial blockades for African American tennis players during that time. Holmes, however, had proven that he overcame such difficulties, and moved on to become a successful leader and influencer towards African American tennis. While I have not come from the wealthiest background, I was truly inspired by Holmes’ ability to take all of his assets and use them to his advantage in reaching his fullest potential as a player and a student. I realized that although many of my peers have the ability to take many private lessons and have as much court time as they desire, I must learn to give 110% and make the most out of every practice when stepping onto the court.

Perhaps the most memorable accomplishment of Holmes’ career was helping found the ATA (American Tennis Association), which put on a national tournament every year. This was in honor of helping black players compete in tennis, as they were not able to play in the USTA during the time. All while being a teacher at Franklin High School in D.C., Holmes went on to win the first national tournament, and later won many more championships. The founding of the ATA helped to cultivate the games of future tennis inspirations, including Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe, who were both winners of the national tournament. Holmes did not only stop there to provide for blacks, but later found the largest black hotel in Washington D.C.

As an African American child, I feel extremely fortunate to have inspirational heroes before me pave the way for young, black tennis players. Figures like Talley Holmes have given hope to many across the nation and will be remembered for their monumental achievements.

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Stay healthy / Take care and I look forward to see you all soon back on the court!