Let's Play Junior Team Tennis

Bet you have tried to come up with all kinds of activities to keep your family’s sanity in check while keeping your kids safe and active this summer.  Have you taken the kids to ride bikes in the local parking garage to get some exercise?  Ordered a blow-up pool for the backyard? Maybe you have grown slightly frustrated with your pre-teen’s seemingly endless screen time?   Wishing your teens would find something better to do than run to the local convenience store for a drink and hang time with their friends? Are you running out of ideas?

What if we told you that there is another activity that is FUN, SOCIAL and SAFE?  USTA Junior Team Tennis is that and so much more! Juniors from all over the state of Georgia are making memories while growing emotionally, physically and SOCIALLY.

B. Todd Smith, managed his triplets Junior Team Tennis team for 3 years and spoke about his experience in a recent Zoom interview.  The Smith's time in Junior Team Tennis was a fun-filled, social experience for the entire family. Players on the team represented 5 different high schools in the Macon area, but became fast friends and a team of one while competing against teens from across the state of Georgia.  One of their fondest memories was playing in the 2016 Georgia State Championship where each team was asked to bring their own mascot.  Their mascot, ACE the frog, became their lucky charm and in some cases, changed the course of the match when he sat nearby silently cheering for his players on court. Smith said, “The silliness, fun and team comradery really make Junior Team Tennis a great experience. Tennis is usually an individual sport.  But the team atmosphere in JTT is really unique. My triplets, 2 boys and a girl were able to play on the same team.  That would not happen in other junior sports.  JTT was a great way to introduce my kids to a sport that they can play for a lifetime.  All three are headed to college and the boys are now planning to play on an adult combo team.”

USTA Junior Team Tennis is the largest youth tennis league in the country.  It brings together boys and girls, ages 6 to 18, to play singles, doubles and mixed doubles against other co-ed teams. Beyond being fun and a great form of exercise, Junior Team Tennis is a competitive, level-based environment that promotes social skills and important values such as a spirit of cooperation and unity as well as individual self-growth.  JTT teaches kids that succeeding is more about how they play that day – win or lose.

Let’s play Junior Team Tennis, Georgia!

Find Your Junior Team Tennis

2018 USTA Southern Junior Team Tennis Section Championship. ACE the frog always present to show support.  Player: Rebecca Rubanov

2019 USTA Georgia State Championship. Smith triplets (L-R): Benjamin Smith, Mary Margaret Smith, Matthew Smith.

2019 USTA Georgia State Championship. Raindrop Dropshot team having a great time. Front Row: Carrie Wagner. Middle Row: (L-R): Mary Margaret Smith, Melanie Rubanov, Caroline Burns. Back Row: Preston Wilson, Caleb Wilson, Micah Wilson (top)