A tradition now in its 133rd year, the 2011 White House Easter Egg Roll took place Monday, April 25, on the South Lawn with 30,000 people in attendance and lots of activities and entertainment for all, including a 10 and Under Tennis court that featured a visit from President Barack Obama.

 

The theme of this year’s Easter Egg Roll was ‘Get Up and Go!’ that focuses on promoting health and wellness and encouraging children to lead healthy and active lives. This is a central part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative, which is a national effort to combat childhood obesity.

 

The Easter Egg Roll is the largest annual public event at the White House and tennis was one of the sports chosen to be showcased this year. Children received instruction on the 10 and Under Tennis court from USTA tennis professionals as well as tennis stars Chris Evert, Katrina Adams, Mal Washington and Chanda Rubin. The mascots from the Washington Kastles of World TeamTennis also came by to lend a helping hand.

 

But the court’s biggest visit of the day came from President Obama, who stepped onto the 36-foot court to hit a few balls with some lucky children with help from Evert and Adams.

 

10 and Under Tennis, featuring the QuickStart Tennis play format, scales the game of tennis down to the size of the child, with smaller racquets, shorter courts and foam balls, to make learning and playing the game easier and more fun for children.

 

The USTA and First Lady Michelle Obama Let's Move! campaign have also teamed up to encourage young people across the country to get active, try tennis and lead healthy lifestyles. Components of the collaboration include a public service announcement, featuring the First Lady and tennis stars Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf, which has aired nationwide, the construction and renovation of thousands of tennis courts across the country and the commitment to encourage 200,000 children to participate in the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award.

 

Click here for the full photo gallery of the event.

 

Click here to view video highlights from the event.