We haven't, as yet, received information on where the charity money of 2004's tournament will go. We will update this area of the site as soon as we can. Meanwhile, you can see where last year's tournament money went.
We are proud to announce the 2003 ColemanVision Tennis Championship Tournament will benefit the Southwest Tennis Foundation, with funds earmarked for the USA mid-school leagues of New Mexico. This 501(C)(3) non-profit organization was created by the USTA Southwest Section for fundraising activities for support of educational and instructional tennis programs.
The USA mid-school program targets young teens during an extremely influential developmental stage. Middle school students are more apt to give into peer pressure regarding drugs and violence when they have left the safety and security of elementary school and a one-class environment. The transition into middle school is difficult for young teens. They are faced with new challenges and added influences, particularly at the end of the day. The most at-risk time of day is after school when parents are at work and kids do not have anything to do. The elimination of after school programs only adds to the unsupervised dilemma.
That is why the USTA Northern New Mexico Tennis Association created a middle school tennis league. The league provides an opportunity for kids to learn and play tennis in a 6-8 week after school league, which culminates in an end-of-season tournament. Students are not only involved in a healthy, active sport, they are provided with a sense of school spirit and belonging. At the same time, students are kept out of trouble and taught valuable life lessons such as good sportsmanship, adherence to rules, and grace in victory and defeat.
In just seven years, the program has served more than 3,000 middle school students from different ethnic and economic backgrounds. There are now programs in Las Vegas, Taos, Belen, Los Alamos, Rio Rancho, Albuquerque, and the Four Corners Area.