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The Daily Californian - April 15, 2010
On the Right Track
After-School Academic Tutoring and
Tennis Lessons Are a Winning Combination for Children in the Bear Trax Program
By
Katie Dowd, Cal Staff Writer
Photo taken by Skyler Reid, Staff Photographer
"I lived in San Francisco when
I was two, and then we moved to Oakland," he says. "After that, we
moved to Louisiana and then moved back to California. Then to Texas. Then back
to California."
He says "yeah" and nothing more when asked if moving was hard.
There's nothing more to say. You can't be sorry about things like that once
they're said and done. Things are going pretty well for Ray now, anyway. He's a
senior at Berkeley High, and he likes it except for the fights that break out
between students. ("There are a lot of fights. Hecka ghetto stuff
happening. People using their cell phones and Sidekicks to take pictures of it.
Click it and record it. YouTube. Fire alarm be ringing almost every day last
year.")
Ray has an elegance about him. He's built lean and has slender fingers and
telling eyes. Kids love Ray. They clamor for his attention and he bestows big
smiles on them. Ray is poised on the cusp of adulthood, months away from
graduating high school, but still with one (or maybe both) of his feet firmly
planted in childhood. And that's good. The opportunity to be a kid is sometimes
lost in people like Ray. You can still see the child in him when he smiles.
You can see it when he plays tennis.
Cynthia Price and Coach Thomas White don't want excuses.
"Look her in the eyes when you shake her hand," Price says.
"You finished your homework?" White asks.
"Life skills. That's the biggest thing," Price says. "And once
they've caught on and you don't have to remind them of things, that's the most
rewarding thing."
Price, along with the site director White, is currently a paid staff member
with Bear Trax, a five-day-a-week after-school tennis and tutoring program hosted
by Cal. Last year, it served 49 different elementary, middle and high school
students like Ray who come from families that wouldn't normally be able to
afford tennis lessons or private tutoring.
Price has been working as the academic and life skills adviser for Bay Area
youth tennis programs for 17 years, so she's heard a lot of excuses. "I'm
afraid" isn't an option for her. Neither is "I was busy." Price
knows about both-she went back to school when her daughter was nine.
While her daughter played tennis, Price sat in her car and did schoolwork. The
site director of her daughter's tennis program approached her and asked if
she'd be interested in tutoring the kids during their homework time. She
accepted.
Price and White developed a method of tracking the students' progress; students
are ranked not only on tournament wins and tennis skills, but on good report
cards. "Life skills" are also a crucial part of the curriculum. They
spend half an hour per day teaching things like introducing yourself to a
stranger, dealing with stress and balancing school and sports.
All Bear Trax participants, many of whom come from inner-city schools, sign a
contract before they begin the program, pledging to come at least two days a
week, work hard and respect everyone and everything. That doesn't always come
naturally.
"There was one girl, and she was a handful. She even hit me on the head
with a racket," says Tiffany Wong, a Cal student who volunteers to tutor
for Bear Trax. "One day, she just broke down and we didn't know why. After
practice, me and another girl talked with her for a long a time, just sat with
her. She really opened up and started to become friends with the other kids.
"She used to act out because the other kids didn't want to talk to her
because she was mean. After she opened up, we got the other kids to interact
with her. She was a lot happier."
What makes Bear Trax work is its tangibility. The students see their tennis
skills improve, they bring home better report cards, they make more friends.
And if they need proof, there's Wesley Augustine, a sophomore at Berkeley High.
He doesn't come as often now because he's on his high school tennis team, but
everyone knows him. Wesley is the top-ranked boys' tennis player in the First
Serve National Student Athlete competition, He won a $5,000 scholarship
presented by Andre Agassi, and Arthur Ashe's aunt came by to give him an
autographed racket.
"We've got the carrot-tennis. If you don't do your work in the classroom
you're not going to play," Price says while watching the kids play
five-on-five on court one. Nick, a grade schooler with tousled brown hair and
big, mischievous eyes, looks up from his worksheet and groans. Price laughs and
nods knowingly. "He was socializing and talking in the classroom, so he's
got a lot of work to finish up. You've got to get that done."
Peter Wright's office is located under the cement benches of Hellman Tennis
Complex. The benches form the ceiling of the room. You'd never ask if it's
earthquake safe, because it's the type of structure that you just assume isn't.
Someday, the Cal men's tennis coach hopes to have a new office. The plans for a
new building have been approved by the university. In the plans are, obviously,
offices for the tennis programs. But a big part of Wright's vision involves
Bear Trax, the program he helped bring to Cal.
About five years ago, Wright first started sending his players to schools in
Oakland to tutor inner city students in tennis.
"They'd come back almost always with the same story which was, 'Coach,
that was the scariest place I've ever been in my entire life. I was scared for
my life.' And I said, 'Oh my goodness. How did it go?' And they said it was so
rewarding," Wright says. "We felt like we really had a great effect
on the kids, had a wonderful time there. I always asked, 'Well, would you do it
again?' Every single one of them said, 'Yeah. In a heartbeat.'"
Wright knew he wanted to do more. With help from Youth Tennis Advantage, he
brought a branch to Berkeley to give young aspiring tennis players a stable
place to play and learn. They were set up with a classroom in Haas Pavilion,
but the only available space was the team meeting room so during basketball
season when the team needs it, sometimes the Bear Trax kids are homeless.
Regardless, they're always given time to use the courts at Hellman Tennis
Complex. Sometimes the men's tennis team finishes early just so Bear Trax can
use the court. It's the least they can do, Wright says, until, someday, he gets
them their own room in the new tennis complex.
"Every time you're with the kids, it's almost selfish," he says.
"You get this wonderful feeling of doing something special."
Eight-year-old Azaria Hayes likes playing in tournaments. Last week, she won
the eight-and-under division of the Lafayette Tennis Club Spring Junior
Challenger, and she took home a trophy.
"I have them on the fireplace," she says. "Pictures of me, and
it has my trophies."
She's only been with the program a few months, but things have already changed
for Azaria.
"Azaria has become more independent and self-confident for sure," her
father Steve says. "She's her own person. She's very confident on the
courts as well as in the classroom."
It's like that for so many Bear Trax kids. Zaquan can now muster the courage to
interview a stranger, something he would never have done before. First-grader
Amira does her homework more efficiently so she has more time to play tennis.
Then, of course, there's Ray.
Last year, when he first arrived at Bear Trax, he had no plans of going to
college. Ray has since passed the high school exit exam and will attend
Berkeley City College this fall. In a few years, he'll try to transfer to a
CSU. He isn't keen on admitting it, but he's a role model for the younger ones.
Recently, he was made a junior instructor by Coach White and Price. He puts
away the equipment at the end of the day and helps some of the younger kids.
Bear Trax only extends to students under 20 years old, but if he stays on as a
junior instructor, they can keep him. Everyone wants Ray around a little bit
longer.
"He's growing as a leader. That's really rewarding, watching him grow and
develop," Price says. "He's a good kid, and I'm just sorry he had to
go through so much to find us. But I'm glad he's here."
So is he.
Article Link: http://www.dailycal.org/article/109072
Inside Tennis April 2010 page 40
TennisPro Nov/Dec 2009 page 12
Inside Tennis Nov/Dec 2009 page 32
USTA Oct 2009
Inside Tennis August 2009 page 33
Inside Tennis August 2009 page 31
Inside Tennis July 2009 page 30
The Daily News July 2009
Inside Tennis June 2009 page 30
Inside Tennis May 2009 page 30
Inside Tennis May 2009 page 32
Inside Tennis May 2009 page 35
Inside Tennis May 2009 page 35
Inside Tennis March 2009 page 40
Tennis aces off to D.C.
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
)
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
(Thai Tu pictured left, with YTA Coach Carlton Jones)
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
