BALTIMORE — It's not what you'd expect to hear during a typical tennis lesson, but this session is far from ordinary.
"There's a social, emotional component and then there's tennis, so they're learning the basics of tennis and they're having fun," said Coach Janet Pinkett.
It's called Girls Rule the Court. They're 7 to 13 years old, coached by all women, and they come from all over our area. They learn the game and a lot more.
"The program is designed to inspire girls and to give them an opportunity to see role models in areas that they haven't seen before," Pinkett Said.
"I want to be an athlete and I'm practicing a lot," said Iman Blackston, a participate in the program. "I like it because it's fun, really fun."
At 6-years-old, Blackston is the youngest player in this group. Her father Travis was thrilled to find the program.
"To give kids an introduction to something they may not be introduced too, we get basketball might get some volleyball and things, but tennis isn't really introduced to them," Travis said.
And it's free, The United States Tennis Association picked Baltimore for this pilot program.
"We have an infrastructure. Baltimore has a rich history. We have rich history of tennis. Some of the first tennis tournaments were played in this city in African American communities," said Pinkett
"It's important to bring programs to meet kids and families where they are. Baltimore has a really rich history with tennis, and we want to make sure kids in the Baltimore community can get active in positive ways," said Lauren Hoffman, Director of Marketing and Communications at the USTA.
And what a year tennis has had, Iman got to meet Frances Tiafoe.
The 24 year old tennis player from Hyattsville, Maryland had a stunning season, He was the first American man to reach U.S. Open semi-final in 16 years. Tiafoe is a graduate of another USTA program.
"Some of them are interested in tennis and some of them are just interest in having fun. Their parents realized that this is a great opportunity for them to develop physically and we have some students who are cross training," said Pinkett.
"I do see her as an athlete," said Travis. "I coached for awhile so I just believe that playing multiple sports, it helps your body mechanically."
But with a program like this, the hope is they'll be serving them up a foundation for success in life, beyond the court.
"I want to be a softball player, I want to be in science and tennis," Blackston said.
For more information on the program and the USTA, visit here.
