The USTA announced that 25 young wheelchair athletes will be participating in the 2010 USTA-ITF International Junior Wheelchair Tennis Camp in Mission Viejo, Calif., July 11-16. The camp is exclusively for youth ages 12-18 who live with a permanent disabling condition and use a wheelchair when playing tennis.
This year’s camp will include players from 12 different states and five different countries (Brazil, El Salvador, Mexico, Canada and the United States). The camp is geared towards fun and camaraderie, while developing tennis skills in these young athletes.
Each day of camp consists of morning wheelchair tennis clinics and in-depth tennis instruction. Afternoon sessions include additional instruction, as well as an ITF-ranking wheelchair tennis tournament. Campers will receive world-class instruction from Dan James, the USTA’s National Head Coach and National Manager of Wheelchair Tennis, Jason Harnett, a USTA Wheelchair Tennis Assistant National Coach, and other esteemed wheelchair tennis coaches. Off-court activities for campers include a trip to Knotts Berry Farm and the Irvine Spectrum Mall.
“We are very excited to hold this wheelchair tennis camp for these young athletes who want to improve their games,” said Dan James, Wheelchair Tennis National Coach, USTA. “These athletes, some of whom are playing in this country for the first time, are being afforded a unique opportunity to play the sport they love and forge relationships with others who share a similar lifestyle. We hope this camp will continue to have a profound impact on the growth and development of these outstanding young people for years to come.”
The clinic is sponsored by the USTA, the ITF, the Johan Cruyff Foundation, and the City of Mission Viejo, who are providing the local tennis courts.
U.S. Athletes
Dylan Baggett (Nacogdoches, TX)
Dana Mathewson (San Diego)
Shelby Baron (Honolulu)
Colleen Moen (San Diego)
Latjor Dar (Salt Lake City)
Ryan Nelson (Sandy, UT)
Steven Elicker (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA)
Alex Saporito (Prairieville, LA)
Luis Alexander Gonzalez (Springfield, VA)
Hayden Sipple (Summerville, SC)
Jason Edwin Hall (Farmington, UT)
Auburn Smith (Port Orange, FL)
Spencer Haslop (Clearfield, UT)
Hayden Snell (Oro Valley, AZ)
Emmy Kaiser (Ft. Mitchell, KY)
Mackenzie Soldan (Louisville, KY)
Krystal Kelley (Grand Haven, MI)
Kate Stuteville (Colleyville, TX)
Reo Kobayashi (Newport Coast, CA)
International Athletes
Rob Cloutier (Ottawa, ON)
Natalia Mayara (Brasilia, Brazil)
Eric Antonio Deras Aquino (San Salvador, El Salvador)
Carlos Muro (Mexico)
Pedro de Jesus Perez Dimas (San Salvador, El Salvador)
Pedro Rocha (Sao Paulo, Brazil)