The wait is finally over! As mentioned in our previous post, today we want to take a moment to highlight Our Oklahoma City Director, Leela Wailia, and share her personal reflection from joining us in-person for our most recent UTR Charity Open in Houston, Texas. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do (which for the record, is a lot).
When the date was decided for First Racquet's 2024 Spring Slam, I was beyond excited because I was available to fly out to Houston and help out at the tournament. Thanks to my cousin Anish who is also a member of First Racquet, him and his family were so welcoming and really made this entire experience so wonderful for me.
My dad and I were able to fly into Houston on Friday night so that we could help set up at the tournament early in the morning on Saturday. I learned so many different aspects behind running a tennis tournament, from operating the tournament desk and interacting with players and their families to hanging up banners of sponsors. I also met a lot of new people, including other members of First Racquet who I have never gotten the chance to meet before. I was especially grateful to meet Catherine Xu, because I was a little nervous in the beginning and initially didn’t know where to help out, but as soon as I talked to her I felt so much more relaxed and included in the team’s efforts to make the tournament fun for everyone.
I have learned so much from both the members and parents of First Racquet, and I plan to carry this new experience with me in the future.
Needless to say, we are beyond thankful that Leela and her dad was able to join us all the way from Oklahoma City. In addition to flying out and lending a hand throughout the entire event, Leela also brought a box of brand-new racquets for our next shipment. Upon receiving them, we were awestruck by how carefully and thoughtfully it was put together, just like her last collection of donations. Thank you Leela for being an integral part of our mission to empower young tennis players across Angola with greater resources and opportunities for play!
To learn more about Leela, we invite you to check out her biography, along with the rest of our devoted Regional Officers, here. Until next time!