The National Junior Tennis League of Indianapolis' purpose is to fulfill Arthur Ashe's vision of offering low-cost tennis and life skills instruction to children, regardlesss of socio-economic circumstances.

Description:
In cooperation with the City of Indianapolis, Indy Parks, and area schools, NJTL offers an eight-week summer tennis program for children ages 7 to 18. The program offers instruction for beginner, intermediate, and advanced players at 24 locations throughout Indianapolis.

The fee for participation in the eight-week program is $12 or $40, depending on the location. All children are accepted into the program regardless of their ability to pay the program fee. No child is ever turned away from our program due to an inability to pay the registration fee. Each participant in the summer tennis program receives:

• Quality tennis instruction two days a week for at least one-hour per day using the Team Tennis and Tennis 1-2-3 curriculum.
  
  
• Special activities on Fridays, including inter-park matches. Parks from different socioeconomic backgrounds are brought together for team and individual competitions.
  
  
• Life skills instruction in the form of short, fun activities and exercises that are incorporated into the weekly tennis lessons and are taught by trained NJTL instructors.
  
  
• An NJTL program T-shirt.
  
  
• An opportunity to participate in the national Arthur Ashe Essay Contest.
  
  
• Use of loaner tennis racquets and balls.
  
  
• An opportunity to participate in the championship rally held at the end of the program.
  
  
• A ticket to Kids' Day at the Indianapolis Tennis Championships where children can participate in tennis clinics and watch the pros.
  
  
• An opportunity to participate in 'Love to Read' which focuses on improving literacy and reading skills.



History:
During the summer of 1969, Barbara Wynne started an inner-city tennis program at Riverside Park for Indianapolis youngsters with a grant from Lilly Endowment. Four years later, in 1973, Indianapolis joined the National Junior Tennis League (NJTL). NJTL's initial purpose, which continues today, was to encourage novice participation in a sport that lasts a lifetime.
The Indianapolis chapter has grown enormously over the years and holds the distinction of being one of the largest chapters nationwide. The program focuses on providing children with an opportunity to learn tennis and sportsmanship while emphasizing fun, competitiveness, and healthy tennis activity. Currently, NJTL reaches nearly 1,500 children each summer at 24 Marion County sites through our 8-week summer tennis program. The program is open to all children, ages 7-18.



Contact people:


Kristen Smith, Program Director, (phone), (email) Nancy Carr, Executive Director, (phone), (email)


Office fax number: (317) 575-1790

Address:


911 E. 86th St., Suite 31 Indianapolis, IN 46240 (See a map)


Web Site: http://www.indynjtl.org

Directions:

On the north side of town in Nora. Office is on the corner of Guilford and 86th St.

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