News Archives - Page 22 of 25

NYJTL Hosts 29th Annual Mayor’s Cup

Posted on May 25, 2017September 21, 2018 by joe

New York (May 15) –With two new stadium courts seating more than 800 at the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning, New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) will welcome fans and supporters with free admission to the Mayor’s Cup All-Scholastic Tennis Championships from June 1 – 11.

“The Mayor’s Cup is the largest interscholastic tennis tournament in the nation,” said NYJTL co-founder and Cary Leeds Center General Manager Skip Hartman, who created the tournament in 1988. “It is a unique event because it offers interleague competition for teams and individuals from public, private, and parochial leagues from throughout the New York metropolitan area.”

With nearly 600 entries from elementary, middle school, and high schools, the Mayor’s Cup includes 14 different individual and team events.

“The Mayor’s Cup represents what NYJTL is all about— bringing all the children of NYC together to learn valuable life skills on the court and seeing kids grow with the game of tennis from elementary school through their senior year in high school,” said NYJTL President and CEO, George Guimaraes.

The Mayor’s Cup finals will be played on June 11 on the Victor Kiam and Pershing Square Stadium Courts, which were dedicated on April 9 in an opening ceremony attended by former Mayor David Dinkins, who has been a constant supporter of the Mayor’s Cup.

“This year we will have a special celebration with entertainment to commemorate the official opening of the new stadiums,” said Mayor’s Cup tournament director Pam Glick.

Student athletes who are interested in participating in this year’s event may apply at https://www.nyjtl.org/events/2017mayors-cup/.

Schedule of play for the week will be posted at nyjtl.org/events/mayors-cup.

About New York Junior Tennis & Learning

NYJTL was founded in 1971 (then, as New York Junior Tennis League) by Arthur Ashe and Chairman Emeritus Lewis “Skip” Hartman. NYJTL’s mission is to develop the character of young people through tennis and education for a lifetime of success on and off the court. Through tennis, academic enrichment, healthy living, and character development programs, NYJTL teaches life skills to 75,000 underserved youth throughout all of New York City. The experience and culture of tennis, along with academic support services, have helped hundreds of thousands of young people improve their performance in school and raise their aspirations, inspiring success both on and off the court. Learn more at www.nyjtl.org

Contact: Joe Ceriello – jceriello@nyjtl.org

NYC Mayor de Blasio, Officials & Philanthropists Celebrate NYJTL Cary Leeds Center Stadium Dedication

Posted on April 4, 2017March 7, 2018 by joe

New York (April 3) – When Billie Jean King hits the first ball on the Victor Kiam Court and kids rally on the Pershing Square Court at the NYJTL Cary Leeds Center for Learning on Sunday afternoon April 9, the vision of committed supporters of New York Junior Tennis & Learning will be fulfilled and in full swing.

“For 45 years, NYJTL has been delivering services in this community,” said NYJTL Chairman Martin Goldberg. “The opportunities to help children and their families have increased exponentially now with the completion of the Cary Leeds Center.”

NYC officials present and past, including Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Mayor David Dinkins, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., Bronx Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa, and social justice pioneer and tennis legend Billie Jean King will participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony and will address the audience.

Two stadium courts seating nearly 800 spectators will be dedicated on Sunday. For former NYJTL Chairman Tory Kiam, the day will be intensely personal with the naming of the Victor Kiam Stadium Court in honor of his father. Funding for the Pershing Square Stadium Court was generously provided by passionate tennis supporter Bill Ackman.

“With the completion of the stadium courts, NYJTL is committed to bringing back an annual professional tennis tournament” said President and CEO George Guimaraes.

“NYJTL is all about the kids. By 2019, our goal is for the children to see world-class tennis players who are role models for what can be achieved with hard work.”

Larry Leeds, who led the successful $13.5 million capital campaign with co-chair Kiam, will be joined by donors and friends including Tommy Hilfiger, Leonard Lauder, Donald Newhouse, Henry Buhl, Eric Hadar, former NYC Council Speaker Peter Vallone Sr., and John Rosenwald, who will serve as the Master of Ceremonies.

NYJTL offers more than 6,000 hours of free tennis annually to the residents of the South Bronx and surrounding areas. Nearly 30,000 children and their families live within a three-mile radius of the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning.

For additional information, to confirm attendance, interview and media requests, please contact Joe Ceriello, jceriello@nyjtl.org.

About New York Junior Tennis & Learning

NYJTL Celebrates Grand Opening of Cary Leeds Center Stadium Courts

Posted on March 3, 2017July 25, 2017 by joe

New York (March 3) – On April 9, New York Junior Tennis & Learning (NYJTL) will mark the official completion of the $26.5 million Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning in the Bronx with the dedication of two stadium courts seating nearly 800 spectators and the Dalia and Larry Leeds Viewing Bridge.

Both the Victor Kiam Stadium Court and the Pershing Square Stadium Court feature permanent seating with the Dalia and Larry Leeds Viewing Bridge providing excellent sightlines.

“NYJTL’s Cary Leeds Center, located in Crotona Park within walking distance of 30,000 children, is a reality thanks to a unique public-partnership with the City of New York and the Department of Parks and Recreation,” said NYJTL President and CEO, George Guimaraes.

“NYJTL’s vision is to enable youth to grow with the game”, said NYJTL chairman Martin Goldberg.

With 22 tennis courts, including 10 covered in the winter season, and a community center with classrooms, locker rooms and meeting space, the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning offers the community 6,000 hours of free tennis as well as year-round educational and health and wellness programs.

“Thanks to the generosity of all of our donors, NYJTL has created a landmark in the heart of the Bronx, said NYJTL co-founder Skip Hartman. “For nearly 40 years NYJTL operated on outdoor courts. This facility is beyond what we could ever have envisioned.”

From 1995-2012, NYJTL promoted the Emblem Health Bronx Open USTA Pro Circuit professional tournament featuring top world-ranked professionals competing as part of the pre-US Open summer tour. During construction of the Cary Leeds Center, the tournament was suspended.

“We are pleased to announce that NYJTL is in discussions with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) to host a pre-US Open tournament beginning in 2019,” said Goldberg. “We look forward to bringing back top professional competition to our world-class facility. “

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., former New York City Mayor David Dinkins, and tennis and sports icon Billie Jean King will attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“The collective impact of the donations by the Victor Kiam Family, the Ackman Family, and the Leeds Family cannot be understated,” said Guimaraes. “These contributions offer life-changing opportunities to the South Bronx community.”

About New York Junior Tennis & Learning

Learn more at www.nyjtl.org

For additional information you may contact Joe Ceriello at jceriello@nyjtl.org

Samantha Ippolito, Javits Foundation Public Service Scholarship Winner

Posted on November 21, 2016March 20, 2017 by nyjtl

Samantha Ippolito graduated this year from Benjamin Cardozo High School and will be attending St. John’s University in the fall. In June, she was one of 10 NYJTL scholar athletes awarded a $5,000 Marian and Jacob K. Javits Foundation Public Service Scholarship. In this essay, Samantha explains why she wants to pursue a career in public service.

By Samantha Ippolito

I would like to pursue a career in public service related to education, specifically a school psychologist. I love teaching and helping children, therefore I am very interested in pursuing that as a career. Psychology is very important. I would like to use that knowledge to help children. Some children have problems at a young age and I would enjoy helping them through their problems rather than them growing. These issues could develop into mental issues if not treated properly.

I have always enjoyed caring for children. I have babysitting experience with two young children at once. One of those two children also had a mental disability, which made the task a little bit more difficult. I didn’t have much of a problem handling this type of situation using my knowledge of psychology by the Advanced Placement course I have previously taken. I knew this child was not much different than others. I was very careful at what I did or said around this particular child, just trying to understand him. His developmental delays made it harder to understand exactly what he wanted, but I managed to come to an understanding with him quite well. I feel that as a psychologist I could be doing more than just understanding children who may have any problems, but help them.

Along with my experience with babysitting, I have also volunteered for many years at NYJTL teaching young children tennis. When dealing with young children playing a competitive sport such as tennis, sometimes they take their anger out on the game or people round them. Besides that there are many incidences where children get into arguments and must be handled. You need to fully understand the child’s problem and with that help them through it. I would love to do this in the future as a career. Children who struggle in school because of outside problems just need to talk or work around the problem. Using psychology could help a lot in those cases.

Pursuing a career in public service related to education will be beneficial in many ways. I feel like with the proper training, I can accomplish a lot in this field. It will help me learn how to interact with children and understand them on a deeper level that will benefit them. It would be a great satisfaction in my life that I would pursue this career.

NYJTL Appoints Joe Ceriello

Posted on August 31, 2016September 24, 2018 by nyjtl

New York (August 30) – Joe Ceriello, who developed extensive experience in facilities and program management with the United States Tennis Association (USTA), has been appointed Interim General Manager of the NYJTL Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning, it was announced today by NYJTL President and CEO Deborah Antoine.

“We are so fortunate that Joe has joined the NYJTL team at this time,” said Antoine. “It is just one year since the Leeds Center opened, and Joe brings a wealth of experience from all aspects of the tennis industry. He will be the perfect complement to further position at the Cary Leeds Center for new growth and expansion”.

Ceriello will oversee NYJTL’s $26.5 million flagship community and tennis center in the heart of Crotona Park finalizing the completion of the two new stadium courts later this fall.

He will be responsible for overseeing daily operations, programming and marketing for the center’s 22 tennis courts, including 10 covered for year-round play, and a community center with classrooms. As part of NYJTL’s commitment to the local community, Ceriello will administer 6,000 hours of free programming for the Bronx community, which includes 30,000 children living within five miles of the Cary Leeds Center.

For more than a decade, Ceriello worked in several divisions at the USTA including Youth Marketing, Player Development, Professional Tournament Operations and US Open Ticket Operations.

Most recently, he managed the strategic plan and marketing mix for Arthur Ashe Kids’ Days as well as overseeing the Discovery Education partnership and launch of Careers Beyond the Court. Digitally savvy, Joe developed numerous national digital and video media campaigns and under his direction, USTA’s YouTube channel strategy showed a 133% growth year-to-year.

In 2009, Ceriello opened the USTA’s Training Center-East (TCE) at the Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center (NTC). In this role, he managed operations, budgeting and programming. He launched USTA Player Development’s first fee-based feeder program in collaboration with the NTC designing junior pathway to national success and initiated the Hamptons Pro-Am with the USTA Foundation.

During his leadership, four top 100 American players trained at TCE: Christina McHale, Varvara Lepchenko, Melanie Oudin, and Louisa Chirico.

In 2006, Ceriello joined the USTA’s professional tennis division in the USA Team Events Department. He focused on domestic operations for Davis and Fed Cup events and for seven years managed the US Open player services area, on-court ball signing, and player ticketing.

“This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to lead the team to maximize the impact of the Cary Leeds Center not only in the Bronx, but throughout New York City,” said Ceriello.

For additional information you may contact Allison Sands at asands@nyjtl.org.

The 30th Annual Leadership Awards Luncheon Raises over $450,000

Posted on November 5, 2015September 24, 2018 by nyjtl

20151103_NYJTL_MZ_739 — 30th Annual Leadership Luncheon at Hyatt Hotel

On November 3, 2015, the 30^th Annual Leadership Awards Luncheon was held at the Grand Hyatt New York, raising over $450,000 to support our free community tennis programs, tournament team training, after-school programming and other tennis and education activities for children and young adults across the city.

At the Luncheon, Leadership Awards were presented to three honorees: Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, photographer, author and consultant, and two-time Olympic gold medalists Gigi Fernandez and Mary Joe Fernandez. Emmy Award-winning sports reporter Russ Thaler emceed the event, which drew over 300 attendees.

“We are grateful to everyone who attended NYJTL’s 30^th Annual Leadership Awards Luncheon to support our enduring commitment to transforming the lives of young people through tennis and education,” said Dr. Deborah Antoine, President and CEO, NYJTL. “Our honorees, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, Gigi Fernandez and Mary Joe Fernandez, truly embody our values, and are so deserving of our Leadership Awards.”

20151103_NYJTL_MZ_379 — Left to Right: Gigi Fernandez, Tajimarie Preddie, Mary Joe Fernandez, Eric Blackshear, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe, Alex Chiu and Deborah Antoine

National Junior Tennis League Founder and International Tennis Hall of Fame Inductee Charlie Pasarell presented Gigi Fernandez and Mary Joe Fernandez, and New York Times sports columnist William C. Rhoden presented Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe.

“We hope that by being here today to support NYJTL, we can reinforce the importance of what NYJTL is doing to guarantee that tennis and educational opportunities for underserved youth continue to expand in the future,” said Mary Joe Fernandez.

“Our stories are only relevant in so far as they prove that achieving dreams is possible,” said Gigi Fernandez. “We hope to continue to make a difference by working with the USTA to promote Hispanic participation by speakingdirectly to the next generation of players.”

“This thriving organization is a testament not only to tennis and sport, but also an example of what it means to live in America and dream big,” said Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe.

The accomplishments of three of our current program participants were also recognized at the event. The student honorees were Alex Chiu, recipient of the NYJTL Achievement Award; Tajimarie Preddie, recipient of the NYJTL Character Award; and Eric Blackshear, recipient of the Irwin Askenase Sportsmanship Award.

The Luncheon’s event chairs were: Lawrence B. Benenson, Peter L. Malkin and Polly Scott, and event committee members were: Peter Bicks, Carole and Donald Dell, Benjamin Doller, Mark Ein, Lisa Askenase Konsker, Dalia Leeds, Suzanne Lengyel, Stacey Locker, Bernadette Longford, Lauren Mallon, Lawrence Mandelker, Beth and Josh Nash, Missie Rennie, Gordon Smith and Madan Suri.

20151103_NYJTL_MZ_1544 — Pictured left to right: Russ Thaler, Peter Malkin, Lawrence B. Benenson, Stan Smith, Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ash, Charlie Pasarell, Gigi Fernandez, Mary Joe Fernandez, Deborah Antoine, Tory Kiam, Polly Scott and William C. Rhoden.

Every dollar raised at the Luncheon will go directly to support NYJTL programs thanks to the generosity of the event’s Presenting Sponsor Lawrence B. Benenson and The Frances and Benjamin Benenson Foundation, who have underwritten the luncheon for the past 30 years. The Arnhold Family also served as a Presenting Sponsor.

The event’s Grand Slam Sponsors were: Tory and Elena Kiam, and CourtSense, The Uehling Family and Zoellner Family. Ace Sponsors were: Caryn and Craig Effron, Deborah Slaner Larkin, May & Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc. Peter Malkin (The Malkin Fund), Sidney Migdon (Goldfarb & Fleece), Jill and Mark Rachesky, Polly Scott and Jim Maher, Steven Simkin (Paul, and Weiss Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP)

To view photos of the event click here.