September 20th, 2016

Tallahassee Tennis Blog: USTA Florida Section Foundation Grant Lifts Boys Town Summer Program; More

Tallahassee Parks’ ROGY Event Brings Out the Youth

rogy-1
The Tallahassee City Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Affairs Department held its third and last ROGY event of the year, “Legend of the Game” at Tom Brown on Sept. 16, 2016.

The event, which attracted more than 35 youth, is named for the color of the balls used — red, orange, green, or yellow. ROGY is a fun and unique way for young players to gain experience on a smaller court without feeling the intimidation of playing on an adult-sized court.

ROGY utilizes a modified format with modified scoring, allowing more youth the opportunity to play at one time. ROGY events are held throughout the year in Tallahassee and typically feature age groups consisting of 8 and under, 10 and under, 12 and under, and 13 and up. A round robin format is used to allow the kids an opportunity to play with more of their peers.

The city’s ROGY Tournament Director, Lenin Mongerie, truly believes that the ROGY events are successful way to introduce competitive play in a fun atmosphere.

For more information regarding these events in Tallahassee contact Lenin at lmongerie@hotmail.com or visit www.ustaflorida.com/youthtennis/junior-tournaments/junior-tournament-levels for the full schedule of ROGY (now called Level 9 entry-level Junior Tournaments) events in Florida.

USTA Florida Section Foundation Grant Leads to Summer Tennis for Foster Children

Boys Town North Florida finished up its summer tennis program in early September with approximately 15-20 foster children who live in one of the group homes located on the organization’s campus in Tallahassee.

Boys Town North Florida has been serving abused, neglected, and/or abandoned children and families since 1983 by partnering with local area agencies and businesses to enhance the quality and variety of care provided in the community.

Boys Town received a grant from the USTA Florida Section Foundation last year and is now working with volunteers from the Tallahassee Tennis Association and Tallahassee Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Affairs to provide kids an opportunity to play tennis once a week at the LeVerne F. Payne Community Center’s tennis courts off Fourth Avenue.

The program will begin its fall season in early October.

Posted by Kelly Tucker

I am an avid tennis player and volunteer coach for the underserved population and Special Olympians. I have been the volunteer Community Events Coordinator for the Tallahassee Tennis Challenger for more than 10 years and am a volunteer for special events with the Tallahassee Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Affairs. I am also a former Board member with the Tallahassee Tennis Association. I am currently the Director of Marketing for Evergreen Solutions, a national public sector consulting firm. I am a graduate of Florida State University, where I earned my Bachelor’s of Science degree in Criminology and a Master’s degree in Public Administration.