The BNTA sponsored an annual Heroh Sports University Youth Tennis Clinic June 17-20th 2004. The clinic ran from 6-8 p.m. every evening at Evergreen Racquet Club in Bloomington, IL for approximately 32 youths, and 8 adult coaches from an established youth track club called Heroh Sports University.
Heroh Sports University (HSU) is a not-for-profit organization existing to provide Central Illinois youths a culturally inclusive environment that supports athletic and academic development.
The youths within this university are a multicultural group whose make-up is 80% Black or Latino, and are largely from negative and single-parent families. Heroh Sports University has mainly focused on establishing a very strong track and field club, where the youths have learned the fundamentals of the sport and have been competing with other clubs, all the way up to a National level for some individuals. Thus, this clinic allowed these youths the opportunity to continue multicultural participation within another sport. Within the week that they attended the clinic, they learned the fundamentals of tennis, along with information on the rules of tennis, the history of tennis, and the opportunities that tennis can bring.
In addition, this program rewarded eight youths (selected by the Heroh Sports
University staff) to get more in-depth training during the Fall Evergreen Racquet
Club Junior Program (which is a 6-week program), because we will be sponsoring
their entry fee to the program, as well as providing them tennis shoes to play
in, and a tennis racquet. Also, of the participants in the clinic received Heroh
Sports University Youth Tennis Clinic t-shirts and certificates of participation.
