San Francisco All-Around Performer Natalie Dillon
By Amy Mosely
August 4, 2008
Natalie Dillon is one of 192 finalists competing in the prestigious USTA Girls’ 18 National Championships now under way. Natalie will play both singles and doubles matches here. An only child and a public parks kid, Natalie grew up a block from the Mission playground in San Francisco, where she started hitting tennis balls at the age of seven. Her parents don’t play tennis, but Natalie discovered her love for this sport and has stuck with it. She played competitively, often five days a week with the Youth Tennis Advantage, a group that promotes the sport for inner city kids. As she got older, Natalie did some work for Youth Tennis Advantage, and remains in contact with coaches there. (Youth Tennis Advantage is the recipient of the tournament’s proceeds).
Natalie seems to enjoy her high school tennis team as much as traveling to tournaments. “I like the team environment. You get close with team players, cheering each other on. You’re not just playing for yourself.”
Her record shows that she is ranked 6th in Northern California the Girls’ 18 and under division, and she’s traveled as far as England and Thailand to compete in tournaments. Her favorite trip was to Thailand, which she says was “the biggest cultural shock for me, and the biggest learning experience.” Natalie earned a wildcard into the distinguished San Francisco Tennis Classic singles and doubles qualifier draw on the ITF Women’s tour, as well.
“She’s a fantastic all-around person,” says Craig Law, her private coach. “Natalie is very competitive. In the off-season, she’ll spend three hours a day in the gym. “As well, she strives to balance sports, academics, family and social life. She is equally concerned with her personal development as a whole person. She gets out and has fun,” says her coach. With a 3.7 GPA, Natalie successfully achieves this balance well. While she doesn’t miss much school because of tennis, Natalie notes that she has missed every birthday for the last seven years, due to being on the road during August, for tennis. Recently, friends surprised her and took her to Benihana to celebrate her birthday this year. She was delighted.
Natalie is also a track and field star in school, at St. Ignatius College Preparatory School, where she runs the 300-meter hurdles on the varsity track team. “I hold the best time, and made the CCS finals,” Natalie says. Natalie has been on the Student Council for two years, and this year she’ll be the Girls Athletic Representative.
Her activities don’t stop there. Natalie is fighting for social justice, and has started a club at her high school that has gotten attention from other high schools to replicate across the country. She and a friend started a club called, “Not for Sale,” to raise awareness about human trafficking, based on David Batstone’s book, Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade – and How We Can Fight It.
“It’s a huge social injustice. It happens everywhere. Not a lot of people know about it. I’m in a privileged space to put some light on it and teach people about the issue,” Natalie explains. She has given speeches in Georgia, Louisiana, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.
Heading into her senior year, Natalie has already figured out what interests her. Her college areas of study will include business, political science, and international relations, And tennis too? “I couldn’t imagine my life without it,” Natalie says.
For media questions, contact USTAGIRLSTENNIS@gmail.com or call Anita Bloch at 510-220-1959 or Brenda Mathews at 510-316-7282
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Tennis aces off to D.C.
SAN FRANCISCO - Some excellent tennis and good grades are taking two San Francisco teens to the nation’s capital. Ismaaeel Muhammadand Myondra Lewis, both 13, will leave Monday to attend the United States Tennis AssociationJunior Tennis League Leadership Camp in Washington, D.C.The all-expenses-paid camp includes touring the destinations of the capital city while receiving two to three hours of tennis instruction each day. Tennis talent, leadership ability and financial need are among the criteria in the USTA selection process. Muhammad and Lewis were nominated by their coaches at Youth Tennis Advantage, a Bay Area organization dedicated to serving inner-city youths through a program of tennis and academic tutoring.
Muhammad was nominated for the camp scholarship by his coach, Thomas White, who began teaching the young man at YTA Hunters Point in 2004. The Marina Middle School eighth-grader is the starting point guard on the school’s boys’ basketball team, he stars on the baseball team and also is among the top 400-meter runners in The City.
To read entire article click here http://www.examiner.com/a-1496229~Tennis_aces_off_to_D_C_.html
_________________________________________________________________
Alameda, Redwood seniors top tennis ranks
Will McCulloch, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
(04-21) 23:12 PDT -- There will be no dream matchup in next week's North Coast Section boys tennis championships.
Alameda senior Thai Tu, the 2006 singles champion, will try to win his second title, but he won't have to get past defending champ Drew Kells. The Redwood-Larkspur senior has opted to seek a doubles title in his final season.
"I've chosen to play doubles," said Kells, who will partner with his best friend, Brett Hoppe. "I made the decision. I played singles the last couple years, and I've never had a chance to play with a partner and win with someone else. Brett and I would like to win a doubles title."
Tu was not surprised.
"He's a team player," said Tu, who also has two NCS doubles titles (2005, 2007).
Tu (Cal) and Kells (USC), both undefeated this season, are considered the two top tennis recruits in Northern California. After such storied careers, it would seem appropriate that the two would meet in a final high school match before they do it again in the Pac-10. But this rivalry, one built on meetings in junior tournaments and occasional matches in high school matches, doesn't have all the necessary components for a final title bout.
Tu and Kells share too much.
They're not only doubles partners on the USTA junior circuit on which they have a 45-3 record and fill the court with the same quiet confidence, but they also are cut from similar tennis pedigrees.
"It's kind of cool," Kells said. "We're not the stereotypical tennis players who come from rich families and play at a private club."
Kells, the Marin County kid, spent most of his youth on the public courts at Boyle Park in Mill Valley where he chased balls under the direction of his father Joe Kells, a teaching pro.
"He's definitely not a prima donna," Redwood coach Nick Hoppe said.
Tu, a Vietnamese immigrant who came to California when he was 5 years old, polished his skills in Oakland's Youth Tennis Advantage Program, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching inner-city kids the game and the values it supports.
"There were great coaches there," said Tu, who comes from a family of tennis players. "And we developed our love for the game."
Kells and Tu might have two title matches in two years to discuss if they were more selfish. Just as Kells is thinking about getting his buddy Hoppe a trophy this season, Tu was considering the same thing last year. Tu played doubles so teammate Eric Ramos, who lost to Kells in the final, could get a shot at a singles title.
Tu has the advantage over Kells in head-to-head competition with approximately eight victories.
Still, Kells is carrying the bragging-rights card.
He beat Tu for the first time last fall with a 7-5 victory in the third set in the Solano Junior Excellence tournament.
"We've had a lot of close matches," Kells said.
They still could face each other in the NCS team tournament, as they did last season. Tu beat Kells in a match that lost its appeal when Alameda already had beaten Redwood before the two No. 1 players touched the court.
Nevertheless, the hard-serving Kells and Tu, whom his brother and coach Hein Tu says "always finds a way to win," will carry the elements of their relationship to the college stage.
"It's always tough playing Thai," Kells said, "but it's a lot of fun. He's the best sport I've ever met."
Jackson an All-American: Sacred Heart Cathedral's Jazmine Jackson, The Chronicle's girls basketball player of the year, was named to the EA Sports All-America team. Jackson, a 5-foot-9 senior headed to Pepperdine, was one of 20 players named to the team. Irish coach Brian Harrigan was named coach of the year.
Football officials needed: The Northern California Football Officials Association will hold it annual spring meeting May 6, at Mills-Millbrae High. Anyone interested in attending and becoming an official can send an e-mail to brentbaumann@yahoo.com.
E-mail Will McCulloch at wmcculloch@sfchronicle.com.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/22/SPFD10975D.DTL
______________________________________________________________________________________________
FOR THE KIDS" DINNER BENEFIT
Serena Williams may have had a tough time winning her first match at the Bank of the West Classic against 15-year-old Michelle Larcher De Brito, but Youth Tennis Advantage - a tennis and tutoring program with nine sites in the Bay Area - scored an ace.
"The night was perfect," said Loretta Conway, YTA executive director. "Great weather, exciting tennis and a crowd of generous and dedicated individuals who understand a little yellow ball can, often times, change someone's life for the better."
The 16th annual "For the Kids" dinner on July 16 at Stanford University's Cardinal Plaza attracted 150 guests and raised about $300,000 for YTA's programs. With the help of an anonymous donor, $103,000 was raised to help expand Bear Trax, a tennis and life skills program at the University of California, Berkeley, to a year-round program.
"This year was a landmark for YTA tennis at our Bank of the West reception," said YTA board president Ron Grant. "Next year promises to be even more exciting."
The dinner featured scholar athlete Thai Tu, who is a true success story. When his family emigrated from Vietnam in 1995, Tu joined the YTA program at Lanie College in Oakland at the age of 8, and is now entering U.C.-Berkeley on a full tennis scholarship. Tu, who will be a member of the men's tennis team in the fall, said, "I'm hoping to have a winning record in singles and doubles."
One of the dinner's traditions is the presentation of the Arthur Ashe Award of Excellence. When former YTA board president Mike Skinner presented the award to Tom Steyer for his 15 years with YTA and his philanthropic work focusing on education and the environment, Skinner said Steyer carried out Ashe's ideal of pairing youth with sports.
"We're the only sport using the love system; this organization runs on the love system," Steyer said.
Veteran tennis star Patty Schneyder dropped by the dinner to be interviewed by YTA board member Barry MacKay, of BMK Sports. MacKay asked Schneyder what her thoughts were on playing Williams. Her reply was simple: "We're both ready."
Guests included Pamela Grant, Dick and Anne Gould, Tad and Dianne Taube, L. Jay and Gretchen Tenenbaum, Lisa and Doug Goldman, Richard Goldman, Helena and Jack Hafner, Kat Taylor and U.C.-Berkeley head tennis coach Peter Wright.