Author: Sadia Saba

NEW YORK (August 8, 2022) – New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) is proud to announce that it will join forces with Demand IX and Festival of New York for the 2022 NYJTL Bronx Open. This year’s $60K women’s professional tournament is from August 15-21, 2022, and will feature a main draw with 32 singles players plus a 16-team doubles’, and a 32-player qualifying event.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Title IX, which protects against discrimination on the basis of sex from any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. Athletics are considered an integral part of an institution’s education program, and are therefore covered by this law. The NYJTL Bronx Open is excited to join the national Demand IX campaign and bring premiere women’s tennis to the New York City community. Demand Title IX and NYJTL are dedicated to leveling the playing field for all athletes, and this professional women’s tournament exemplifies the progress made in the past 50 years.

“We are thrilled that NYJTL signed on early to amplify the tremendous role sports plays in developing professional opportunities for women athletes through the NYJTL Bronx Open,” says Deborah Larkin, former CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation and current member of the Board of Directors at NYJTL. “Through this tournament and the partnership with Demand IX, thousands of girls and boys in the NYJTL programs will see and learn how Title IX can support their dreams both on and off the court.”

Additionally, the NYJTL Bronx Open has partnered with the Festival of New York (FNY), which is a city-wide movement that highlights New York as a resilient, inclusive, dynamic city through the pandemic and beyond. FNY is a coalition of more than 300 organizations across the five boroughs and all sectors from arts and culture to education, such as Lincoln Center, ABC7, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, coming together to showcase the resilience of New Yorkers through a difficult time in the city’s history.

“In creating this event, and in partnering with these strong organizations, our hope is to inspire the next generation and showcase international excellence up close and free of charge, while building community through our wonderful and positive sport,” says Joe Ceriello, NYJTL Bronx Open Tournament Director.

This year, the NYJTL Bronx Open will be held at the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning. NYJTL hosted a professional tournament for decades at this site, but has briefly paused since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s tournament promises to bring fierce competition and meaningful community engagement at no-cost to viewers. NYJTL is excited to join forces with the FNY to excite the community and find resilience through tennis in the post-pandemic landscape.

NYJTL’s partnerships with Demand IX and FNY hope to elevate the greater messages behind bringing world-class women’s professional tennis to the Bronx and beyond as a medium for exemplifying the excellence of New York and the communities that the city represents.

Get Involved 

The 2022 NYJTL Bronx Open will take place at the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning. With access to 20 tennis courts and two additional stadium courts with permanent seating for more than 800 spectators, the Victor Kiam Stadium and the Pershing Square Stadium offer a courtside view of the world to the community, creating an unmatched up-close and intimate tennis viewing experience. In addition, the Cary Leeds Center will serve as a practice court facility for the US Open and will host the US Open Junior Qualifying tournament.

Are you looking for ways to get involved? Click on the links below to:

• Register for a souvenir ticket
• Sign up for a youth tennis clinic
• Sign up to volunteer

About NYJTL:

The mission of New York Junior Tennis & Learning is to develop the character of young people through tennis and education for a lifetime of success on and off the court. Since 1971, NYJTL has changed lives through tennis, education, healthy living, and character development programs. Today, it is the largest youth tennis and education non-profit in the nation, reaching more than 85,000 K-12 New York City youth.

NYJTL provides after school programming in approximately 30 schools and community tennis programming at approximately 40 sites throughout New York City in the summer months and at additional sites that operate during the school year. In addition, NYJTL designed, funded (with NYC), built and operates the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning, at which it provides free and commercial tennis programming year-round as well as life skills, character development and healthy living lessons. All NYJTL community tennis and after school programs are offered at no cost to its participants.

Contact: Joe Ceriello
Chief Marketing & Development Officer
jceriello@nyjtl.org
(917) 693-6672

About Demand IX:

Demand IX is a national campaign supported by more than 105 partner organizations who are committed to fairness in education through the 50 year old law protecting rights called Title IX. Demand IX is a campaign to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Title IX and to support ongoing efforts for strong Title IX protections and enforcement. The purpose of the campaign is to coordinate efforts to galvanize the impact of individual Title IX Anniversary projects into a one aspirational campaign that amplifies Title IX efforts and provides opportunities for public participation.

For more information: https://nwlc.org/demand-ix/

About Festival of New York:

Festival of New York is a citywide collaborative movement featuring 300+ diverse organizations across all sectors spanning from Memorial Day to Labor Day 2022. Together, we’ll rise from one of the most difficult periods as we realize a kinder, more equitable, and more inclusive future for our city. With live events spanning all sectors, the Festival offers everyone the opportunity to grow, connect, and give back, all while celebrating everything that makes our city the place to be.

Contact: 
Kyle Athayde
Associate Director, New Initiatives
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
kathayde@lincolncenter.org

NEW YORK (June 26, 2022) – New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) is excited to announce that the “Ashe ‘68 Documentary Project” is now open for viewing at the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning. This unique multi-component project, created and produced by director and cinematographer Rex Miller, celebrates the life and legacy of NYJTL’s founder Arthur Ashe, the groundbreaking tennis champion and civil rights activist. The project uniquely commemorates Ashe’s historic 1968 US Open championship victory, which made him the first Black man to win a Grand Slam tennis tournament and the first American to become the US Open Men’s Champion.

“We are so excited to bring the legacy of our visionary founder and illustrious tennis star Arthur Ashe to the thousands of families and children we serve in all five boroughs,” says NYJTL President & CEO, Udai Tambar. “Our investment in the south Bronx provides the community with the opportunity to experience this one-of-a-kind exhibition.”

This immersive project features several components that provide viewers with an intimate showing of Arthur Ashe’s personal evolution from a tennis legend to international human rights advocate. One of these features is the “Ashe ‘68 VR Experience”. Previously previewed at the 2018 US Open, this virtual reality experience brings viewers at the Cary Leeds Center to Ashe’s historic 1968 win, combining 360° video recreations, archival material, and never-before-seen stop motion animation to tell his story. Viewers can be completely immersed in this captivating viewing, from Ashe’s walk through the halls of West Side Tennis Club to his historic pre-match press conference, all presented from the Tennis Channel Broadcast Center at the Cary Leeds Center.

“Many children in this community are not exposed to tennis because it is seen as a White-dominated sport,” says NYC Council Member Rafael Salamanca Jr., who represents the 17th District including the South Bronx. “It is a wonderful opportunity for them to learn about tennis through the life of civil rights activist Arthur Ashe, while learning about his drive and dedication to creating change. This exhibition is very motivating for all its viewers.”

Along with the virtual reality experience, guests can enjoy viewing the Photo Exhibit in the lower outdoor terrace of the Cary Leeds Center. This features a series of photographs by John Zimmerman documenting Ashe’s historic victory. Launched in 2018 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame and later exhibited at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, it features sixteen Vibrachrome panels that uniquely capture never before seen images of Ashe’s life both on and off the court.

As part of NYJTL’s partnership with CNN Films and Picture Motion, on June 10, 2022, the film portion of Ashe ‘68 was enjoyed by NYJTL’s participants via an exclusive private screening of their original documentary Citizen Ashe to students from four NYJTL Bronx after- school programs. The ACES Afterschool students, all coming from the local south Bronx community and poorest Congressional district in the nation, gathered in the state-of-the-art Cary Leeds Center to discuss Ashe’s dedication to social justice and tennis with the film’s creator Rex Miller. Finally, the afternoon concluded with an on-court component to actualize Ashe’s vision of using tennis and education as tools for social good.

“The greatest lesson youth can learn from Arthur’s life is that anyone can make a difference,” says brother of Arthur Ashe, Johnnie Ashe. “What made him great was his ability to lead with strength, integrity and purpose, and that was his gift to mankind.”

After the success of CNN’s screening, NYJTL is welcoming the community to view the “Ashe ‘68 Documentary Project” free of charge at the Cary Leeds Center all summer, culminating at the 2022 NYJTL Bronx Open, the women’s $60,000 USTA Pro-Circuit Tournament during the week leading into the US Open Qualifying tournament from August 15-21, 2022.

By being resilient to life’s challenges and having the ambition to be the best you can be, any dream is attainable. Derwin Guzman knows this to be true. Derwin’s journey with New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) started more than a decade ago. At the age of six, he started in the Community Tennis Program (CTP) at PS 187 in Manhattan. Now, he just graduated high school from the Frederick Douglas Academy and led his team to victory in the PSAL tennis championship- the first time his school achieved this title in its history!

Though his athleticism started from a young age, Derwin’s first sport was not tennis. Focused solely on basketball, Derwin was encouraged to join his school’s tennis team by his coach that led both teams. During his first year of high school when he told his basketball teammates that he would not be returning to the sport in the next season, they teased him saying that “tennis is for soft people” because of the lack of physicality on court. Still, Derwin continued. He soon found that tennis brought him a sense of peace in a way that he had not experienced. He participated in various NYJTL programs, from ACES Afterschool, to CTP, to the Intensive Training Program. These programs instilled the importance of being both a scholar and an athlete. “My continued participation in NYJTL taught me invaluable lessons that stretch far beyond the 36’ by 78’ lines of the court,” says Derwin. “Tennis promotes physical growth, exercise, making friends, fun, fair play, and improved self-esteem.”

NYJTL’s tournament opportunities shaped Derwin to be the competitive player that he is today. His participation in the NYJTL Mayor Dinkins Cup, previously known as the Mayors Cup, was especially pivotal because it was the first time he competed on a team, which taught him about the importance of sportsmanship. His mentor at NYJTL for more than seven years, Coach Willie, guided his journey with the sport. “I always came last in the games we played but Coach Willie always pushed me to keep going regardless of the outcome,” Derwin recalls.

Today, Derwin is a coach himself, this time at the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning! Many of the young children he works with admire his patience and insight when he teaches them new skills.

NYJTL is so proud of Derwin’s success! The combination of tennis and education was a powerful force in his life. As a high school senior, he was the student body representative for his class in student government. NYJTL is proud to award him the Gavrin Family Foundation Scholarship of $8,000 over four years as he heads to Manhattanville College this fall, taking his racket with him!

On June 10, 2022, CNN Films held an exclusive private screening of their original documentary Citizen Ashe to students from four New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) Bronx after-school programs. The film documents the evolution of NYJTL’s visionary founder Arthur Ashe, and his rise from tennis legend to global human rights activist.  

“NYJTL is the culmination of our founder Arthur Ashe’s vision to combine tennis and education to change the lives of underserved youth,” says NYJTL President & CEO, Udai Tambar. “We are proud to screen this original film to instill in our children Ashe’s principles of justice, advocacy, and resilience against life’s greatest challenges, teaching them through his example that tennis is much greater than solely what is played on court.”  

An additional thirty NYJTL ACES Afterschool Program (ACES) sites will enjoy exclusive virtual screenings of Citizen Ashe and post-screening reflections during program hours this month introducing thousands of children to this work.  

The ACES students, all coming from the local south Bronx community and poorest Congressional district in the nation, gathered in the state-of-the-art Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning to hear from the film’s creator Rex Miller. The afternoon included an on-court component to actualize Ashe’s vision of utilizing tennis and education as tools for social good. 

“This screening really represents why I love making documentaries,” says Citizen Ashe filmmaker Rex Miller. “Johnnie Ashe, Arthur’s brother, told me that the importance of this project is the educational component, and sharing Arthur’s story. A room of kids, mostly of color, all now know who Arthur Ashe is. I played high school tennis with many of those involved with the creation of the Cary Leeds Center, so it was extra special for me to return and bring this legacy here.” 

Following the film, the students engaged in a weighty discussion. Many students spoke about Ashe’s resilience, leadership, and compassion especially as he navigated his own struggles with AIDS while fighting for marginalized communities. They were struck by the different life skills that tennis taught Ashe, along with his passion for inclusivity. 

“This NYJTL event is so important because it uses film and storytelling as a catalyst to start conversation,” says Chief Operating Officer of Picture Motion Campaigns LLC Juliette Richey, “it introduces a generation to Arthur and his activism for racial injustice and inclusion. Arthur and tennis teach these young kids discipline and leadership. Whether they become athletes or not, these youth build a foundation into adulthood.” 

NYJTL hopes to continue to provide creative mediums to spark meaningful conversations with the youth that we serve, especially connecting them to the life and legacy of Arthur Ashe.

About NYJTL:

The mission of New York Junior Tennis & Learning is to develop the character of young people through tennis and education for a lifetime of success on and off the court.  Since 1971, NYJTL has changed lives through tennis, education, healthy living, and character development programs.  Today, it is the largest youth tennis and education non-profit in the nation, reaching more than 85,000 K-12 New York City youth. 

NYJTL provides after school programming in approximately 30 schools and community tennis programming at approximately 40 sites throughout New York City in the summer months and at additional sites that operate during the school year.  In addition, NYJTL designed, funded (with NYC), built and operates the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning, at which it provides free and commercial tennis programming year-round as well as life skills, character development and healthy living lessons.  All NYJTL community tennis and after school programs are offered at no cost to its participants. 

Contact: Joe Ceriello
Chief Marketing & Development Officer
jceriello@nyjtl.org
(917) 693-6672 

About Picture Motion Campaigns LLC:

Picture Motion is the leading social impact agency developing award-winning advocacy and marketing campaigns for films, books, art, and entertainment having produced 200+ social impact campaigns for every major social issue including gender rights, racial justice, climate change, criminal justice reform, and many others. Picture Motion’s mission is to leverage storytelling to inspire empathy, convene people, and ignite brave conversations and action. For a decade filmmakers, artists, studios, and brands have turned to Picture Motion’s expert team of impact strategists to amplify their content, mobilize key communities and change makers to drive impact beyond the credits. These campaigns have empowered, educated and provided action opportunities for all audiences. Stories can change the world, we make sure they do. Find us on Twitter, Instagram, and picturemotion.com 

Contact: Juliette Richey
Chief Operations Officer
juliette@picturemotion.com