From Tennis Hall of Fame to TeamFAME: Building Community Through Tennis

TeamFAME future leaders from this graduating class of rising 9th graders will remain engaged as peer-to-peer mentors to incoming 5th graders, train as junior coaches and participate in college and career preparedness programs.

A principal goal is to attract young kids to the sport through community-based tennis then provide the requisite tools to develop as middle schoolers through TeamFAME. This four-year after-school and summer enrichment program has better prepared them for the challenges high school will present by instilling the discipline requisite for academic success as well as the commitment required to evolve into future community leaders.

“The program is a great way to build community through tennis,” said Marano, Director of TeamFAME. “The game embodies those characteristics that you want to have thriving in a community – honesty, teamwork, leadership and focus amongst so many others.”

The rapid growth of the program is due in large part to the diverse partnerships the Hall of Fame has cultivated including the USTA Foundation, USTA New England, Newport Public Schools, FILA, Citizens Bank and the University of Rhode Island's SNAP-Ed Program in addition to the generosity of individual donors.

The Hall of Fame van took to the road for an exciting field trip to New York City to experience Fan Week at the US Open. TeamFAME students were able to participate in a variety of activities in addition to watching players compete in the qualifying rounds or practice in preparation for the season’s final grand slam.

On August 25, the day following the Sunset Slam on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, I had the pleasure of speaking with several of the students from the inaugural TeamFAME graduating class.

I asked Fayth Loper how she had grown over the past four years as a TeamFAME student. “I’ve become a more patient person, especially in academics and tennis because I know that doesn’t come as easy to me as other things. I’ve gained a lot more friends as a result of TeamFAME and have socialized with people that I never would have socialized with outside of tennis.”

I asked Joseph Renfrow if he played tennis before joining TeamFAME. “No, I haven’t; not at all. I like playing on grass; it’s my favorite. I focus on competitive playing and getting into the rankings and going pro during high school and I’m going to be playing, like doing tennis teams and going out to tournaments outside of Rhode Island and maybe to other countries too!”

I asked Gian Corleto what he will miss most about being a TeamFAME student. “What I’m gonna miss about TeamFAME is the experiences that I had and the bonds I made with each player and student and the community. I’d say we’ve grown as a family; we’ve seen each other’s ups and downs and we grew up together, so I’d say I’d miss everybody’s personality and everything special about them and playing tennis with them. I’ve made good friends, good life-lasting friends.”

I asked the TeamFAME director if any new goals for the incoming class had been identified. She informed me that, “We plan to focus on literacy – adding new curriculum and also working on math facts – creating a stronger foundation for learning. We are renovating four more rooms on the second floor of the learning center – two will be used for locker rooms and two will be used for non-traditional classrooms – brave space and mentorship rooms.”

TeamFAME is an NJTL (National Junior Tennis & Learning) chapter in partnership with the USTA and USTA Foundation. For more information and ways to donate, volunteer and help change young lives on and off the court, please visit tennisfame.com/teamfame/donate.