Nationals At The Zoo
At the first "Nationals at the Zoo", there were only ninety entries for the two age divisions, 18 and under and 16 and under. This event is now one of the most important events for 400 juniors who have come from all over the United States. The event takes place over a ten-day period from which there are winners in singles and doubles tennis. The winners from the 18 and under tournament automatically receive a bid into the main draw of U.S. Open Tournament.
During the past sixty-five years, many great names in men’s tennis have participated at "Nationals at the Zoo". Past Participants include Rod Laver, Barry MacKay, Stan Smith, Arthur Ashe, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Aaron Krickstein, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Pete Sampras, James Blake, Andy Roddick, Bob and Mike Bryan, Ronnie Schneider, and many more. All of these big name tennis pros played in the tournament, but only Laver (1956) and Smith (1964) won the boys 18 and under National Championships for singles. The USTA Boys Junior National Championships represents tennis at its finest, whether in the first round or the finals. Attending the tournament is a great way to view future stars.
The nationals have not always been at Kalamazoo College. Originally the tournament was held at West Side Tennis Club in Forrest Hills, New York from 1916–1920 and then again in 1927. Next it moved to Longwood Cricket Club in Boston, Massachusetts from 1921-1923. From 1924-1926 it was at South Side Tennis Club in Chicago, Illinois. Then it was at Culver Military Academy in Culver, Indiana and it was there from 1928-1942. Due to WWII, it was necessary to move the tournament from a military base. Dr. Allen Stowe influenced the USTA to relocate the tournament to Kalamazoo College. Stowe wanted to bring the tournament to Kalamazoo because of the great city and he was a coach at Kalamazoo College. Kalamazoo College is an ideal setting for holding the Nationals. On campus, there is a beautiful architecture and landscaping, as well as great facilities. Home of the National Championships since 1943, Kalamazoo's Stowe Tennis Stadium has eleven well maintained hard courts outside. If there is bad weather, Kalamazoo College has Markin Racquet Center on its campus, which has four indoor courts. Stowe Tennis Stadium has enough seating to hold more than three thousand people. Since Kalamazoo College is within close proximity to Western Michigan University, Western lets them use their 20-court Raymond Sorensen complex for the tournament.
Read more about this topic: Boy's Junior National Tennis Championship
Famous quotes containing the word zoo:
“...there was the annual Fourth of July picketing at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. ...I thought it was ridiculous to have to go there in a skirt. But I did it anyway because it was something that might possibly have an effect. I remember walking around in my little white blouse and skirt and tourists standing there eating their ice cream cones and watching us like the zoo had opened.”
—Martha Shelley, U.S. author and social activist. As quoted in Making History, part 3, by Eric Marcus (1992)