VCU news

By Mike Porter

More than 150 fourth and fifth graders from Richmond will showcase their QuickStart Tennis (QST) skills on April 23 at the fifth annual Young Aces Open at Virginia Commonwealth University’s Mary and Frances Youth Center.

Reporters are invited to cover the Young Aces Open, which will run from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and is organized by VCU’s Lobs & Lessons program, which will be celebrating its 10-year anniversary this year. Entrance to the event is at 120 S. Linden St., between the Cary Street Gym and Cary Street Field.

“One day leads to a year, which creates a lifetime memory. This is what we hope to inspire through Young Aces Open and the Lobs & Lessons program,” said Tina Carter, director of the VCU Mary and Frances Youth Center. “Tennis can help create opportunities for youth throughout their lives, whether they play for fun, to stay healthy or it becomes part of their educational path.”

The tournament is a partnership between the Mary and Frances Youth Center, Richmond Tennis Association and Richmond Public Schools to introduce students to QuickStart Tennis, which is team-centered and uses foam balls, smaller racquets and modified courts to boost a player’s confidence and create a positive experience.

In celebration of the fifth anniversary of the largest QuickStart tournament in the world, new additions to the event will include a Zumba warm-up and yoga cool down from Project Yoga. Activity stations will include tennis skills and trivia games, water relays, teambuilding exercises and an obstacle course.

Each of the 26 participating schools will send three boys and three girls to play mixed doubles. Each child will play an equal number of games, with no elimination. After the matches, youth will go through various tennis challenge and educational stations. The tournament will conclude with an awards ceremony, with medals and trophies given to the top three schools.

The 2014 Young Aces Open is presented by the United States Tennis Association Mid-Atlantic Virgina and supported by AlphaGraphics-West End; Martin’s; Lobs & Lessons; Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen; the Richmond Raiders; and Escape Creative. The event is supported by Richmond Public Schools, VCU Outdoor Adventure Program, VCU AmeriCorps Program, VCU Majors Club and U-Turn.

Lobs & Lessons is a youth enrichment program that strengthens life skills, promotes academics and creates a path to higher education through the sport of tennis.