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| Actress Wendy Davis will sign autographs at the USTA booth at the Essence Music Festival© |
As an outreach effort to promote tennis in diverse markets, the USTA will feature a booth at this year’s Essence Music Festival in New Orleans, La., July 3-5, at the New Orleans Memorial Convention Center. As one of the interactive activities, USTA Southern Section representatives will conduct drills using the QuickStart Tennis play format. QuickStart Tennis is designed to help children find success from the very first swing, with age appropriate equipment and court sizes. Individuals visiting the USTA booth will also have the opportunity to participate in other activities, including Wii Tennis. Prizes, such as tennis rackets and bags, will be given away throughout the weekend.
Lifetime Television Network actress Wendy Davis of the hit drama “Army Wives” will also be present to sign autographs at the USTA booth. Davis is a two-time NAACP Image Award nominee -- nominated for Best Actress in a Drama Series for her role as Lt. Col. Joan Burton. Davis enjoys playing tennis recreationally and is joining forces with the USTA to promote tennis to African-American and multicultural markets.
“I am such a fan of tennis,” said Davis. “I’m thrilled to introduce the game to my six-year-old daughter so we can now play together as a family. I believe tennis is a fantastic sport that can bring families together to live a healthy, physical lifestyle. The USTA is making a tremendous effort toward promoting tennis, and I’m really happy I can be a part of it.”
“This weekend is all about supporting the USTA’s mission to promote and develop the growth of tennis,” said Kevin Clayton, Chief Diversity Officer, USTA. “It is important to showcase tennis as a lifetime sport to the African-American community, and what better way to encourage festival attendees than through the use of QuickStart Tennis -- the interactive drills will introduce adults and children to another form of physical activity.”
The USTA’s diversity strategy is to grow the game of tennis in diverse markets. As tennis continues to be the fastest growing sport in America, QuickStart Tennis is an exciting new play format for learning tennis. It is designed to bring kids into the game by utilizing specialized equipment, shorter court dimensions and modified scoring, all tailored to age and size. It is divided into two different levels -- ages 8 and under and ages 10 and under.