The Lucky 7 Rookie Tournament Circuit kicks off in Northern New Mexico with leaps and bounds!
The Kangaroo Classic was held on Sunday, January 12, 2014, at the Jerry Cline Tennis Complex, and the first of five rookie tournaments around Albuquerque that will be held this spring and designed to ease players into competitive play.
Nineteen players participated in the kickoff Kangaroo Classic event. It was a nice little prelude and intro for them as they're sure to get excited about tennis with the Australian Open all over television this week and next.
Each participant was guaranteed three matches in compass draws and round-robin events. Players were also given a chance to work on their skills in down-time at the tournament with one of Albuquerque’s local pros, Don Larrichio. Winners of the Kangaroo were also given tennis-improvement prizes like jumpropes to help them improve their footwork and stay active!
This rookie circuit is sponsored by the Northern New Mexico Tennis Association and consists of five tournaments in all.
They will be held once monthly with the Cinco de Mayo celebration in May as the district's grand finale event. Players that participate in all five events will be recognized at the end of the Lucky 7 series.
The tournaments are pure entry level (Level 7 - thus the name) and use age-appropriate green balls for beginning middle school-aged players. They are all one-day events and held in a short three-to-four hour time span. The goal will be to get seven of these events also in the near future instead of the current five.
The "Lucky 7" series was started as a way to give brand new players a taste of playing in tournaments in a less intimidating environment. The names kind of fit neatly with "holiday" time frames closest to them, minus the Kangaroo - which tied into the Australian Open's closeness to the event.
Events are USTA sanctioned, but no points are given out, as players ease their way into competition and focus on improving their skills instead of point chasing.
For more information, or to get your middle-aged child started in these fun, low-stress tournaments, contact Cee Ann Vaughn at nnmtaprograms@gmail.com or (505) 280-2465.
You can also find out more about the Lucky 7 Series here: nnmta.usta.com/Junior/Lucky7Circuit
LUCKY SEVEN TOURNAMENT SERIES
Kangaroo Classic - January 12, 2014, 1-4 pm - Jerry Cline Tennis Complex
Groundhog Classic, February 2, 2014 1-4 pm at the Jerry Cline Tennis Complex
Leprechaun Classic, March 16 2014, 1-4pm at the Sierra Vista Tennis Complex
Bunny Classic, April 6, 2014, 1-4pm at the Jerry Cline Tennis Complex
Cinco de Mayo Celebration, May 4, 2014, at the Jerry Cline Tennis Complex