The USTA today announced that it will honor the Easter Bowl and its founder and tournament director, Seena Hamilton, for the tournament’s longevity and success at the opening reception for the 2007 event Sunday, April 15. Hamilton has been the tournament director since 1968, the only U.S. junior tournament to retain the same director for that length of time.
The 40th Annual Easter Bowl, a USTA National Spring Championship, will be held for the first time at the Rancho Las Palmas Resort in Rancho Mirage, Calif., April 15-22. The Easter Bowl showcases the best of American juniors, both boys and girls, in 14s, 16s, and 18s. It is the only national championship featuring three age divisions, their families and their coaches are all present at one time. Nearly every top U.S. tennis player has played at the Easter Bowl, including Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, Andre Agassi, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati and most recently, Andy Roddick and James Blake.
“Seena Hamilton has created a one of a kind environment for top competition,” said Lew Brewer, Director, Junior Competition for USTA Player Development. “Everyone looks forward to playing the Easter Bowl. Seena brought the tournament up from the beginning, turned it into a top junior event and kept it there.”
The Easter Bowl has prided itself about being more than just tennis. Hamilton created the Easter Bowl in part to encourage players and their families to mingle and socialize with each other. She bases all her planning around the idea that a junior tennis tournament should be a learning experience for both the players and their parents. Over the years, Hamilton has turned the event into a national junior tennis convention for parents, players and coaches.