First All-Girls Tennis Camp of 2024 Partnering with Love Serving Autism

In a continued effort to advance gender equity and inclusivity in tennis, USTA Florida has been evolving its Women in Tennis initiative to reshape the landscape. With Women in Tennis data, provided by Clarity Writing & Research, the organization is already helping create more opportunities for girls and women in the sport. 

The Women in Tennis research, a comprehensive breakdown of the barriers and opportunities for female participation in the sport, has provided USTA Florida with the information to make a difference. One key area of focus was calling out a study done by the Departments of Kinesiology at Cal State East Bay and Saint Mary’s College of California, where they released ten research-based recommendations for advancing gender equity in sports. 

USTA Florida is already taking those recommendations and using them to improve the all-girls tennis camps. The first camp of the year is happening on Sunday, May 5, at the Palm Beach Gardens Tennis & Pickleball Center, and registration is now open.  

This camp will be unique as it will happen in collaboration with Love Serving Autism (LSA), a longtime USTA Florida partner. LSA is a program that focuses on helping people with autism spectrum disorders enjoy the game of tennis. This camp is open to all girls, but there’s a special emphasis on girls with autism and unique abilities.  

The camp will be broken up into red, orange, and green ball levels based on skill level so proper instruction can be given to every individual. This event will run from 9 AM until 12 PM. 

Love Serving Autism has been a longtime partner of USTA Florida.

The campers will be sporting all new t-shirts thanks to the design contest USTA Florida hosted in March. The final design will be inspired from the submitted artwork of the winning entry and the runner up’s artwork. Monica Toldeo from Weston was the winner with her “Equal Tennis Game” design highlighting the importance of advancing gender equity in the sport, what the Women in Tennis initiative is all about. Erin Weiffenbach from Lake City was our runner-up, with her “Tennis Love” design. Erin has been helping Lake City Columbia Community Tennis Association with their design efforts for the past few years. 

The upcoming all-girls campers won’t be the only ones sporting this newly designed t-shirt, the shirts will be provided at every all-girls tennis camps, women coaches workshops, and women speaker trainings throughout 2024.  

Going into 2024, USTA Florida knows there is still room to improve the tennis landscape for girls across the state, and by taking time at these camps to enhance their involvement, the organization is thrilled to see the outcome.  

Other camps throughout the year will feature collaboration from other community organizations. For instance, later in 2024, USTA Florida will be hosting an all-girls camp with Slice Girls. The movement, Slice Girls, which was started in 2022, aims to create unity in the community through fitness initiatives. The goal in 2024 is to focus on offering an empowering environment at these camps where girls can thrive and excel. 

Registration for the May 5, Love Serving Autism all-girls tennis camp is now open and is free to sign up. However, space is limited, and spots are filling up fast, so make sure to sign up! Visit ustaflorida.com/women-in-tennis for more information on all women and girl empowering events this year!