Kern Community Tennis Association

KCTA recognized the needs of these student athletes three years ago. After serving the community for over 50 years by promoting physical activity through the sport of tennis, we added the addressing of this need to our mission. An idea to collect a few racquets and donate them to deserving high school kids has grown far beyond those humble beginnings. The previously unmet need was far greater than we initially understood, and the support to fill that need has been greater than we could have dreamed. Our objective is to give every motivated student athlete across Kern County the tools s/he needs to be successful – not to win conference championships, but to learn this lifetime sport, become a member of a team, and enjoy the experience. Tennis is not the destination; it is a means to a greater end. These young people cannot make that journey without a decent racquet and a pair of shoes.

The donation of used racquets by members of our local tennis community has been important, but the demand soon outstripped that supply source. We have supplemented that by establishing a relationship with the largest on-line tennis retailer to secure an ongoing supply of their demo racquets. A local racquet technician is donating his time to refurbish these racquets at cost. After the first year, we added shoes to the scope of our initiative by establishing relationships with three major suppliers to purchase from their closeout inventory. Couple those tactics with over 1700 hours of volunteer labor in 2019, and we have been able to achieve cost efficiency ratios (original retail value : our cost) of 10:1 for racquets and 5:1 for shoes. In addition to the donated equipment, we have provided well-attended clinics for the high school coaches and drills for the players – many of whom have no other access to formal training. An important addition in 2021 was our ability to offer small group lessons provided by teaching professionals. Over 80 student athletes participated in a series of 5 to 10 lessons. All of this is provided at no cost to the student athletes or the schools.

This is not just a noble idea, it is an established program that needs financial support to grow or even be sustained. KCTA has provided this support for three school years. The requests and our ability to fulfill them have grown dramatically. Since inception, more than 900 racquets, 600 pairs of shoes, 20,000 practice balls, and an assortment of other equipment have been donated to 26 high schools – those schools with the greatest need being prioritized. The original retail value of that equipment approaches $250,000. KCTA has historically operated on a very modest budget – barely more than $20,000 per year before launching this initiative. Realizing we could not succeed without additional support, we have actively recruited new sponsors. After adding 19 in 2019 ranging from $100 to $3000, we have continued to expand or base. The result is that we have more than doubled our annual budget. We have created efficient and sustainable processes, but they do require a measure of ongoing financial support.

Our numerical accomplishments are substantial and are detailed in earlier sections. However, the most important may be the one that is hardest to measure – the growth in self-esteem that comes from having decent equipment to work with, achieving a measure of success on the court, and understanding that someone cares enough to lend a helping hand. The testimonials we have received range from heart-warming to hilarious, but the genuine gratitude has been evident in all of them. All appreciate the direct benefit of better equipment, but the number who talk about the impact on their self-esteem and joy they experience from discovering someone cares has been touching. Ironically, the most eloquent may have been the one without words – the young lady who broke into tears when her damaged department store racquet was replaced with a like-new competitive level racquet.

There is another story that stands out that was shared in a text from a player to her coach. Her words say it better than anything we could write,

“Hi Mrs. _______, this morning I went with my dad to some Bakersfield tennis courts, and we played for a few hours. We recently got in touch for the first time in years. It all started because he went to watch one of my matches and has been going ever since. Tennis brought my dad and me together again. It’s something we bond over. I just want to thank you and Mr. _______ for introducing me to such a beautiful sport. It’s brought nothing but positivity into my life, and I can’t wait to see how far I’ll go as an athlete.“

The real hero in this story and so many others are the coaches – the men and women who give generously of their time to provide a fun and often life-changing experience for their student athletes. Those coaches cannot, however, do it alone. This initiative gives them the tools they need to create an environment for success for the young people in their programs.