Note: From 8:30 to 10 a.m., Friday, April 30, at the Bluffton Elementary School, Jim Amick from the USTA will conduct a school-wide assembly to promote the summer program and tennis in general.

Youth, grades 1 through 6, have a chance to play Midwest Youth Team Tennis in Bluffton this summer. Click here to read the flyer in The Icon display ads for complete details.

The program will use the QuickStart Tennis play format, one of the most significant moves ever to introduce tennis to youth, provides a way to bring youth into the game by utilizing equipment, court dimensions, and scoring tailored to their age and size.

The Bluffton program will be offered for youth to participate starting June 21 at the Bluffton High School tennis courts and the deadline to register for practice and match play is May 21, 2010. Visit www.midwestteamtennis.com to sign up for the program, and for more details on the site location and practice/play times.

Volunteers and coaches are necessary to the success of the program. For more information regarding signing up online for the program or helping as a volunteer/coach, please contact Jon Sprague at [email protected].

This Midwest Youth Team Tennis program is open for girls and boys entering grades 1 through 6. Whether the child has ever held a racquet, there's a spot on the team for them. The participant program package includes the following: new tennis racquet (21 or 23 inch for 8-and-under, 25 inch for 10-and-under), Ace's Kids Club package, team uniform, and tennis ball.
USTA Jr. Team Tennis is a junior recreational league consisting of more than 100,000 participants (18-and-under) across the country.

In the USTA/Midwest Section, there are currently 12,000 youth participating in the program. Juniors between 11 and 18 years old participate in USTA Jr. Team Tennis, and youth 10-and-under participate in Midwest Youth Team Tennis. The team concept emphasizes fun, fitness, and friends.

The multi-week program consists of team practice and match play for boys and girls.

"The USTA/Midwest Section is excited to work with Bluffton and create a Midwest Youth Team Tennis program," said USTA/Midwest Section Junior Team Tennis Coordinator Chad Docktor. "The program will introduce more youth to the lifetime sport of tennis, and the local association will play a vital role in its success."

Currently, the USTA/Midwest Section exceeds 82,700 individual members and approximately 1,000 member organizations. It is the second largest section of the United States Tennis Association, the National Governing Body for tennis in the U.S.

The USTA/Midwest Section is composed of 14 Districts in the following states: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin as well as designated counties in West Virginia and Kentucky.

The USTA/Midwest Section offers recreational and competitive tennis for individuals of all ages and abilities. For more information, visit the USTA/Midwest Section at www.midwest.usta.com.