{"id":4401,"date":"2023-06-02T12:46:22","date_gmt":"2023-06-02T05:46:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/how-tennis-builds-community-wellgood\/"},"modified":"2023-06-02T12:46:22","modified_gmt":"2023-06-02T05:46:22","slug":"how-tennis-builds-community-wellgood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=4401","title":{"rendered":"How Tennis Builds Community | Well+Good"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"drop-cap text-big text-gray\"> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">I<\/span>n the early 1970s, a teenage Leonora King was hanging around the tennis courts in Detroit\u2019s Palmer Park, her brand new racket in hand, looking for a hitting partner. After seeing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/billie-jean-king-advice-for-stress\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/billie-jean-king-advice-for-stress\/\">Billie Jean King<\/a> wipe the floor with Bobby Riggs in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.billiejeanking.com\/battle-of-the-sexes\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" rel=\"nofollow\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.billiejeanking.com\/battle-of-the-sexes\/\">Battle of the Sexes<\/a> on TV, and watching a couple of fellow Black students at her local high school playing at a level she\u2019d never before seen in person, King had the inclination to try tennis out for herself.<\/div>\n<p>She knew Palmer Park was the place to go. That was where tennis players, and Black tennis players in particular, rallied and practiced and found each other in Detroit. Sure enough, an older man named Jerry made a spot for King, and so she learned to play tennis under the tutelage of the Palmer Park community.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey just took me under their wing,\u201d King says. \u201cThey saw that I wanted to play, and I honestly can&#8217;t remember how\u2014I know I didn&#8217;t ask anybody, you know, \u2018Can I play tennis with you?\u2019 It just sort of happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Today, King leads the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peopleforpalmerpark.org\/tennis.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.peopleforpalmerpark.org\/tennis.html\">People for Palmer Park Tennis Academy<\/a>, a part of the non-profit she founded that helped save Palmer Park when the city threatened to shut it down. Against the backdrop of a sport that\u2019s been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/nation\/in-tennis-a-long-history-of-white-elitism-has-not-stopped-black-women-from-winning\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/nation\/in-tennis-a-long-history-of-white-elitism-has-not-stopped-black-women-from-winning\">historically inaccessible<\/a> to lower-income people and people of color, King\u2019s work as a tennis academy teacher and community leader is demonstrating how tennis\u2014and in particular, tennis in public spaces\u2014can help diversify the sport, and show that tennis builds community in unexpected ways.<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/tennis-builds-community\/\" current-title=\"Public Tennis Courts Can Help Build Community in Unexpected Ways\" current-image=\"tennis-builds-community-425x285.jpg\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2022-12-01\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/tennis-builds-community\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/tennis-builds-community\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img decoding=\"async\" :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/tennis-builds-community\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\" class=\" js-inline-lazy-load\" src=\"\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s really cool to know that you can bring people together,\u201d King says. Despite the fact that tennis academy members compete against each other in practice and in tournaments, parents and families have become friends, and the kids have learned to have each other\u2019s backs, both on and off the tennis court. \u201cThey&#8217;re supportive of each other,\u201d says King.<\/p>\n<p><figure id=\"attachment_1071481\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1071481\" style=\"width: 620px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1071481 js-inline-lazy-load\" alt=\"A classroom school picture style shot of the Palmer Park tennis academy students and teachers, showing around 30 kids, smiling and making funny faces, wearing neon yellow shirts with the Palmer Park logo.\" width=\"620\" height=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Palmer-Park-2-620x349_falsexfalse_true_70.webp\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-1071481\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: USTA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<p>King&#8217;s first summer playing tennis, and in the high school summers that followed, she played at the park all day, every day, from nine in the morning to nine in the evening. After graduation, she became the first Black tennis player at Western Michigan University, and was part of the first class of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/effects-title-ix\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/effects-title-ix\/\">Title IX<\/a> athletes to receive a Division 1 tennis scholarship.<\/p>\n<p>After college, King continued to play in tournaments for fun, though she never competed professionally. Palmer Park remained at the center of her tennis life, but just in a recreational capacity\u2014until 2010, when the city unveiled a plan to close 77 of the city\u2019s parks, including Palmer, the city\u2019s third largest park. King knew she, and the neighborhood, couldn\u2019t lose the park, so they took action.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMe and a couple of the tennis players got together and we had a protest,\u201d King says. After garnering attention from television stations and community members and leaders, they were able to save the park, and eventually founded the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.peopleforpalmerpark.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.peopleforpalmerpark.org\/\">People for Palmer Park<\/a> non-profit, in which they act as \u201ccaretakers for the park.\u201d King started the People for Palmer Park Tennis Academy with around 30 students; today it has a couple hundred kids every summer. The Academy raises money and receives funding from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usta.com\/en\/home.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.usta.com\/en\/home.html\">United States Tennis Association<\/a> (USTA), in order to help provide funding for parents so that their children can have access to tennis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;ve tried to make it economically accessible because tennis is still a very expensive sport,\u201d King explains. It requires equipment and travel all over the country (and world) to play in tournaments. The academy has had such fundraising and enrollment success that in 2020, the USTA named it the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usta.com\/en\/home\/stay-current\/midwest\/people-for-palmer-park-tennis-named-national-cta-of-the-year.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.usta.com\/en\/home\/stay-current\/midwest\/people-for-palmer-park-tennis-named-national-cta-of-the-year.html\">National Community Tennis Association of the Year<\/a>\u2014an honor which King received from none other than Billie Jean King herself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBillie Jean King\u2014my idol when I was growing up playing tennis\u2014gave me the award,\u201d King says.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none; overflow: hidden;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?height=314&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fpfpalmerpark%2Fvideos%2F299212978057791%2F&amp;show_text=false&amp;width=560&amp;t=0\" width=\"560\" height=\"314\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>But this success story that exemplifies how tennis builds community was by no means a given. Palmer Park and its tennis facilities were built when the park\u2019s surrounding neighborhood was predominantly white. Only amid white flight did the neighborhood and park patrons become predominantly Black, leading to the growth of the Palmer Park community that originally took King under its wing (today, the surrounding neighborhood and park patrons are racially and socioeconomically diverse, says King). The city never originally intended to invest in tennis courts for Black residents, as is often the case for <a href=\"https:\/\/chicagopolicyreview.org\/2020\/09\/23\/racial-disparity-in-access-to-public-green-space\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/chicagopolicyreview.org\/2020\/09\/23\/racial-disparity-in-access-to-public-green-space\/\">minority neighborhoods that lack public green space<\/a>. And when King founded the tennis academy, she and the organization undertook extensive lobbying and fundraising to rehabilitate cracked and neglected courts. But the work, and the investment, have paid off. Today, the Palmer Park courts are a true community hub.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to playing and traveling together, Academy members do cultural activities and outings around the city. King is also passionate about teaching tennis to young people, and young people of color, because she says the way you have to use your brain and your body in tandem\u2014always moving and adjusting to meet the challenge before you\u2014is good preparation for a person\u2019s whole life. She also thinks the Academy community is useful because as a Black competitor, it can feel isolating to go on the road and compete as one of a few people of color at a tournament. The Academy provides a support system, and allows players to help increase representation in the sport.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey&#8217;re just kids, so they can be real competitive,\u201d King says. \u201cBut I also try to instill the fact that they also have to be supportive of each other because tennis can be a lonesome sport. We are all this one big community, and I really want them to embrace that. You establish lifelong friends in this game.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to people like King, and the USTA\u2019s investment in public tennis initiatives like hers, the USTA says that participation by diverse groups in tennis has increased significantly over the last three years: It has increased by 90 percent among Latino\/Hispanic people, 46 percent in Black\/African groups, and 37 percent in Asian\/Pacific Islander populations. But for tennis to reach these communities, and foster connection within and among them, places like Palmer Park need to exist, and thrive.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe need this public space,\u201d King says. \u201cOtherwise, it just wouldn&#8217;t have happened.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the early 1970s, a teenage Leonora King was hanging around the tennis courts in Detroit\u2019s Palmer Park, her brand new racket in hand, looking for a hitting partner. After seeing Billie Jean King wipe the floor with Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes on TV, and watching a couple of fellow Black &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4402,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4401","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4401\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}