The Neuqua Valley tennis programs are serving in a nonprofit tennis organization for kids throughout the area, and beyond.
ACE Youth Tennis, now in its second year of summer camps, offers kids the opportunity to learn the game while emphasizing sportsmanship, teamwork, and dedication.
Neuqua Tennis gives back to the community and stays connected as a team
“The point of it is just to get a racket in these kids’ hands, and get them started because that’s how we started,” said ACE Outreach Director and Web Developer, Aditya Rakshit.
“We’ve wanted to stay connected because when tennis season and school ends, we don’t get to hang out as often,” said Naperville ACE Head Coach, Ricky Kim. “But this allows us to stay as a team, be leaders in our community, and also just give back in general.”
ACE Youth Tennis expands throughout the suburbs and beyond
Building on last summer’s success, the organization has expanded to five locations across three states, including Naperville, Aurora, and Geneva, as well as in Iowa and Wisconsin. They’ve grown across the Midwest through the web of social media. High school students contacted ACE to share their interest in running tennis camps in their hometown.
Camps cater to children from age five to incoming freshmen and offer a range of activities from beginner drills to advanced match play.
“The most fun about tennis is playing games and having fun,” said Mohit, a fifth-grade tennis camp participant. His friend Joseph added that “playing games,” is his favorite experience at camp.
As for their future in tennis, the kids have different aspirations.
“I’m looking forward to when I grow up, I can become a tennis professional,” Mohit added. While Joseph says “I’m just looking forward to playing for fun.”
Learning life lessons for both the kids and the coaches
The camp has not only been a space for the campers to learn but also for the coaches.
“We held this camp last year, so we’re taking lessons from that,” said ACE President, Andy Yu. “We’re still learning lessons of patience and communication.”
ACE coaches have been learning the lessons of business connections and expanding their organization. Waubonsie Valley tennis players have joined the Aurora chapter coaching staff while the Geneva High School tennis team runs camps in their hometown.
“The most rewarding experience is seeing the kids excited to get on the courts again,” said Rakshit. “Every time we have this camp, we have kids returning like, ‘I remember you!’ and it’s pretty rewarding to see them smile and play. We make that connection with them and with our community.”
Summer camps create lasting memories for children
Summer camps like the ones at ACE often create lasting memories for children. Members of the Wildcat tennis program are happy to help spark those moments.
“When I was little, there were a lot of random summer camps that I went to, and I had a lot of fun, and those are more of the things that you remember, throughout what you do in the summer,” said ACE Youth Tennis Coach, Zara Khan.“So just watching them do that is really fun.”
“I agree with Zara and I also love watching them improve in their game, even though it’s just a little bit, they’re still having fun while doing it,” said ACE Youth Tennis Coach, Kylie Tran.
“Just earlier today too, the girls were like, ‘I love tennis, I’m never going to leave,’ and that made me so happy because I’m like, ‘I love tennis!,’” said ACE Youth Tennis Coach, Lauren Varak. “We’re trying to get them better and let them have so much fun with the sport we already love. So it’s nice to see that passion go over.”
As ACE Youth Tennis continues to grow, the dedication of the Neuqua Valley tennis program ensures that young athletes will have a place to learn, play, and dream.
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