Contents:

Programs at the HTC 2000-2001

• Adult Programs
• Youth Programs

HTC Players Give Back to the Community

HISTORY OF TENNIS AT THE 369TH REGIMENT ARMORY

Tennis Playing in Harlem is not an oxymoron! There is a long and storied tradition of people playing tennis in Harlem. The HARLEM TENNIS CENTER, located at the 369th Regiment Armory, is part of that tradition. For more than 50 years, people have played tennis on the eight (8) tennis courts on the floor of the 369th Regiment Armory, located at 143rd Street and Fifth Avenue, affectionately called "the armory."

First there was Nick's Tennis Center, next Bill's Fifth Avenue Tennis, and then followed the current HARLEM TENNIS CENTER. During the Koch administration, all eight (8) tennis courts were used to house the homeless, but even then, tennis was still played on four courts for the children from 4pm to 8pm.

Many notable people and players have come through the armory. Althea Gibson trained there during the winters and came back to teach clinics to the children. Dave Dinkins has been known to patronize the armory. Arthur Ashe was a huge supporter of the armory and of one of its better known programs, the Harlem Junior Tennis Program.

Well known tennis professionals and players like Leslie Allen, Zina Garrison, Lori McNeil, Rodney Harmon, Pancho Gonzalez, Bob Ryland, Yannick Noah, Dr. Reginald Weir, and Dr. Renee Richards, have played there and performed teaching clinics at the armory.

Earl "the Pearl" Monroe, Gordon Parks, Dr. Harold Freeman, Fred Johnson, Carol Watson, Seena Hamilton, C. Virginia Fields, Mayor Sharpe James, Congressman John Conyers, Fred Samuel, Alma Rangel, Dick Stockton, Bill Cosby, and many others have played at the armory.

Some institutions start out in buildings, with a set purpose and go about the business for which they were founded. Others begin in people's hearts. Tennis at the armory is one such institution. Because tennis is played at the armory, many have learned the game and have come to love it.

The benefits of tennis at the armory have been multi-generational. Kids have grown up in the various junior programs that co-exist. Children have received scholarships for their tennis-playing ability. Teenagers have come in off the street and found a sense of purpose. Young Adults become mentors for the children. Sedentary adults have learned a sport that can take them into old age. And the seniors just keep on playing. Great friendships have been forged and marriages have been made at the armory.

But more importantly, you know when an institution is born, because it is something that is near and dear to many people's hearts. There are more than 37 adult and children's programs that are played on the eight (8) courts at the armory. The HARLEM TENNIS CENTER offers free and low cost programs that are affordable to people in the community and its environs, people from diverse ethnic backgrounds. All are welcome.

The armory is the type of place where on any given day, young children, teenagers, young adults, middle-aged adults, and senior citizens all co-exist around their singular love for tennis. Some of the adults and children can be found playing chess, others just hanging out and listening to the wonderful sounds of jazz emanating from the radio played by Claude Cargill, 87 year-old founder of the Harlem Junior Tennis Program.

If the HARLEM TENNIS CENTER is no longer allowed to exist at the armory, a great and storied tradition would be lost to generations. We simply must not allow this to happen. We all need to honor our tradition of playing tennis in Harlem and save the institution that is the HARLEM TENNIS CENTER. Institutions like the HARLEM TENNIS CENTER are born of love, and nurtured throughout the generations. The Friends of Harlem Tennis Center are committed to preserving this institution.

Done by the Friends of Harlem Tennis Center

Arvelia Myers
Sarah Allen
Co-Chairpersons

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PROGRAMS AT THE HARLEM TENNIS CENTER 2000-2001

*Colleges: CCNY, 18 players; Baruch, 18; John Jay, 18; L.I.U., 9

Tournaments:
American Tennis Association
New York Tennis Association, adult and junior tennis tournaments

Stroke School corrects faulty strokes

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Homework club aids children
Chess club for children fosters concentration and awareness

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HTC: DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH

"The Harlem Tennis Center (HTC) is our village. Regardless of various backgrounds, we are family, and provide a safe haven for young and old alike. It serves all boroughs and all are welcome."

"...tennis is very different from basketball, track and other sports. Tennis requires quiet, concentration and rules of etiquette."

"We put up with the cold showers and the few comforts because we have a jewel here, a diamond in the rough. No slick state-of-the-art multi-sport complex can possibly provide what the HTC does -- multi-generational mentoring with exposure to role models."

Her words were first published in the 5/15/01 issue of Tennis Week magazine. For a fuller presentation of what she has to say about the HTC, click here.

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HTC Players Give Back to the Community

Many avid tennis players are a passionate lot and want to share their enthusiasm for tennis with other newcomers to the game. The players at the HTC are no exception, and strive to give back to the community some of the joys and positive life experiences gained from playing the game of tennis.

Apart from her many accomplishments (in tennis and in other endeavors) Althea Gibson was the first African-American woman to win at Wimbledon (which she did in 1957 and 1958 -- also winning the U.S. Open in both those years, as well).

The March/April 2001 edition of USTA Magazine (p. 9) shows a picture of her practicing in 1958 at the 369th Armory (home of the HTC). Ms. Gibson often made herself available to the HTC to provide lessons and clinics, and to share her life experiences with the youth at the Center. A small reproduction photo of her teaching at one such clinic at the Harlem Armory is shown on this page.

Arthur Ashe, winner of three tennis grand slams (the U.S. Open in 1968; the Australian Open in 1970; and Wimbledon in 1975 -- he was also ranked #1 in the world in 1975), was co-founder of the National Junior Tennis League, with the purpose of introducing tennis "to those who might not ordinarily be exposed to the sport."

He also was on the advisory board of the Pyramid Tennis Association, founded and still in operation in the Harlem community (with indoor sessions held at the HTC). In addition to playing at the HTC, he was a huge supporter of the Armory and fought to maintain the programs at the HTC.

Arvelia Myers, long-time resident of Harlem, was the founder of the Pyramid Tennis Association, and stilll teaches the game of tennis to both youngsters and adults at the HTC.

Ms. Myers has been quoted as saying that, when she herself cut back on competing in tennis, she saw that there were not enough youngsters in her community participating in the sport and decided she wanted to help expose them to the game, a game which often mimics life.

Hence was formed the Pryamid Tennis Association , chartered as a non-profit organization, with the goal of developing the skills and attitudes of the young via their participation in the practice of tennis.

In addition, Ms. Myers provides opportunities for adults and seniors to participate in a sport not previously accessible to them. She was inducted into the USTA/Eastern Hall of Fame in 1997 (the same year John McEnroe was also inducted) for her many years of community service and her contribution to growing the game of tennis.

There is also Bob Ryland, who in 1959 was the first black American to turn pro. Mr. Ryland has dedicated his life to searching out young people and exposing them, as well as adults, to the game of tennis. To this day, he can still be seen playing and coaching tennis at the HTC and the public courts in that area. He was recently inducted into the USTA/Eastern Hall of Fame, also for his many years of community service and his contribution to growing the game of tennis.

One of the youngsters Bob Ryland coached at the HTC was Leslie Allen, as she first became passionate about tennis. He encouraged her to become a professional tennis player, which she did, reaching the rank of #17 on the women's professional tour.

After her tour on the women's circuit, Ms. Allen returned to the community, and founded what was then her pilot program, the Young Tennis Divas -- a group of inner-city junior girls from Harlem. That pilot group subsequently grew into her Champion 4 Life program, and has since been expanded to become her Win 4 Life program.

Then, there are the many other former junior students at the HTC (many of whom received tennis scholarships to college) who come back and visit the armory whenever possible, setting examples for the juniors currently enrolled there.

Not the least among these former junior students are James and Thomas Blake, who, when time permits (as described in an article in the 11/16/00 edition of Tennis Week magazine), come back to the HTC to teach clinics, help with the homework club, or give talks about the importance of staying in school.

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