This summer, members of our team have been keeping busy by engaging with and serving our local tennis community in a variety of ways outside of First Racquet. Our Executive Vice President, Anish Row, has set an outstanding example of what it means to be a leader in this regard by furthering his mentoring program for young tennis players and offering free training sessions to his peers.
Inspired by the transformative power that established players can have on younger players through First Racquet’s hitting session a year ago, Anish started a mentoring program for 10-14 year old tennis players. Through this program, Anish works with players on advanced footwork and tennis stroke techniques, as well as strategies to calm their minds and and manage their emotions. He also attends their tournaments to support them in real-time, guiding them to reach their full potential. As a result of his mentoring program, his mentees’ skills and confidence have increased significantly, which are reflected in their UTR rating improving by up to 1.5 points.
In addition to his mentoring program, Anish has dedicated 42 hours to providing training sessions for his Shadow Creek High School teammates at no cost. Not only have these sessions fostered rapid improvement across the team, but it has also created a stronger bond between himself and his teammates.
Fellow Shadow Creek High School teammates, Kacem Ettahali and Winston Ma, who serve as our VPs of Directors, have also set a stellar example of what it means to be a leader. Kacem and Winston, as well as Anish, have been serving as coaches for the Shadow Creek Summer Camp since late June. The summer camp is sponsored by our long-time partner, Shadow Creek High School, and aims to provide quality and affordable tennis training for players of all backgrounds.
Needless to say, we are extremely proud of and inspired by our team members for not only the change they make through First Racquet but also beyond. In line with our mission, we love being a part of and seeing how we can empower individuals and bring communities together through the sport of tennis.