New York Junior Tennis & Learning Program At Roosevelt Island Is A Great Place To Learn The Game And Life Lessons Too - NYJT&L Staff And Kids Thank NYC Council Member Julie Menin For Support And Funding At The Octagon Tennis Court

According to New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJT&L): 

The mission of New York Junior Tennis & Learning is to develop the character of young people through tennis and education for a lifetime of success on and off the court. For 50 years, NYJTL has changed lives through tennis and education. Today, it's the largest nonprofit youth tennis and education program in the nation, serving 85,000 K-12 NYC youth.

Arthur Ashe founded the National Junior Tennis League in 1969 with Charlie Pasarell, Ashe’s teammate at UCLA who devoted his life to building the game of tennis, and with Sheridan Snyder, a biotech entrepreneur with a passion for tennis. Ashe, to this day the only African American male player to have won the U.S. Open and Wimbledon, was committed not only to tennis but also to ensuring education and equity for all.

New York Junior Tennis League was founded in 1971 by Ashe and by Founder and Chairman Emeritus Lewis “Skip” Hartman with the help of Gene Scott, Bill Shelton, and Erich Werner. In 2013, the U.S. Tennis Association honored Skip with its National Junior Tennis and Learning Founders’ Service Award for 40 years of tireless efforts to grow junior tennis programs in NYC and around the country.

NYJT&L has managed free tennis programs on Roosevelt Island tennis courts for many years. Roosevelt Island resident Joyce Short is the long time Site Director for the Roosevelt Island program and several others in Manhattan and Queens.

Last May 23, Roosevelt Island and Upper East Side New York City Council Member Julie Menin visited the NYJT&L program at the Octagon Tennis Courts. She played some tennis displaying a strong forehand and backhand stroke as well as an approach to the net.

Guess I better keep my day job! 🤣🤣🤣
Happy to be playing tennis at Octagon Park on #RooseveltIsland w/ the @NYJTL free community tennis program that is funded by my office and the @NYCCouncil. Kids age 5-18 can sign up today! 🎾 pic.twitter.com/0d3T41Mafm

— Julie Menin (@JulieMenin) May 23, 2022

Council Member Menin was thanked by the kids and staff of NYJT&L at the Octagon Tennis Courts for her support and funding of the program.

Scott Daly, Senior Director of NYJT&L Community Tennis Programs explains the importance of NYC Council Funding for the program and Ms Short presented Council Member Menin with a certificate of appreciation.

Udai Tambar, Chief Executive Officer of NYJT&L joined with Ms Menin, Mr Daly and Ms Short to tell us more about the NYJT&L programs.

 Ms Short adds:

The NYJTL staff, administration, participants and parents are extremely grateful to Council Member Menin for supporting our community program. Anyone wishing to enroll children between the ages of 5 and 18 can do so online. We provide completely free support for the athletic, health, character, and educational development of our participants, reaching over 85,000 NYC kids each year. The only things you'll need to register are sneakers and a smile! 

You can register here for the NYJT&L Roosevelt Island Summer Program at the Octagon Tennis Courts.