‘A sport of a lifetime’

Until about a year ago, 15-year-old Gage Gaskins had never picked up a tennis racket. You’d never know that now.

On a recent Thursday afternoon on the Forest Lakes tennis courts, Gaskins showed off a nice spin serve in a doubles match. Next spring, he plans on going out for the tennis team at Albemarle High.

Gaskins is one of many local youths who have taken advantage of a top-notch grassroots programs in the region: Charlottesville’s Jefferson Tennis League.

Now in its 20th year, the JTL, for kids ages 7-16, remains at the forefront of youth development. Many of the recent high school standouts in the area first got their start in the league.

Gaskins probably isn’t the next Pete Sampras, but he has likely discovered a lifelong hobby.

“We tennis players feel that tennis is a sport of a lifetime,” said Scott Elliff, a Charlottesville Tennis board member. “So you want to get [kids] started and learn the fundamentals. It puts them on a path where they continue to grow in it and play even as an adult.”

There are nine teams in the JTL: Forest Lakes, Farmington, Fairview, ACAC, City of Charlottesville, Key West, Boar’s Head, Keswick and Glenmore. Kids take part in practices with their respective teams, then take on kids from other clubs in matches.

“The league is fun because it’s not that competitive,” said Grace Elliff, who plays on her high school team at St. Anne’s-Belfield, “but it’s good practice for matches.”

This summer, there are over 300 kids competing in the JTL.

“My summer program is always gangbusters,” said Forest Lakes instructor Brad Karen, who has been involved with the JTL for 16 years. “We expose them to competitive tennis, but in a fun way. We try not to make a very pressure-packed environment.

“They have a place to hone their skills and as they getter, they start to play some USTA tournaments.”

Recently, according to Elliff, participation in tennis within Charlottesville has really spiked. That is due, in part, to a new program called Quickstart. The program utilizes smaller courts. Kids, usually between the ages of 5 and 10, use rackets that have been cut down in size and hit balls made of foam.

Elliff said Quickstart is sort of like tennis’ answer to T-ball.

“What’s important for us to grow tennis is to have kind of a year-round program and not just, ‘Well, summer’s come, time to pick up a tennis racket,’” Elliff said. “One of the priorities that we have is to fill out the rest of the season more and have more in-school programs and after-school programs for kids at different levels. [The JTL] is just a piece of it.”

When Chris Shaw and her family moved from Maryland to Charlottesville four years ago, they were delighted to come across the JTL. Shaw, who had played tennis since she was a small child, has a 15-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter in the league.

“We immediately wanted to get them into tennis and this was a perfect way to do it,” Shaw said. “Where we were, we didn’t have a tennis league, so we were happy to see that they had an established one here. It was nice to see that tennis was a big thing in this community.”

Gaskins, who plays on the Forest Lakes team, is certainly happy he decided to give the sport a try.

“I started hitting around with a friend and just got really into it,” he said. “I joined this group and it’s been a blast since then.

“You play matches, but also work on everything — serves, overheads. It’s just a lot of fun. I’ve gotten a lot better.”

For more information on the JTL and other youth tennis programs in Charlottesville, visit http://www.Charlottesvilletennis.org.