A Grand Opening for Reston's Smallest Players

Pint-sized players were out smacking tennis balls around even before the red ribbon was cut Saturday at new Quickstart courts for kids.

Using a $17,000 grant from the U.S. Tennis Association, RA converted two under-utilized courts at and turned them into six 36-feet courts, perfect for learning the game.

Rod Dulany, Executive Director of the USTA's Mid-Atlantic section, says Reston's courts are the first of their kind in the area.

"Now we are at a starting point for a national initiative," he said. "Reston is a leader. You are first in the Mid Atlantic region to have six courts" just for kids.

Reston tennis serves 2,000 children in lessons and leagues, says Reston tennis manager Mary Conaway.  Having special courts - as well as special balls that don't bounce as high - will go a long way towards teaching children and instilling a lifelong love of the sport, said Conaway.

Reston founder Robert E. Simon says tennis can indeed be for a lifetime.

"I played tennis all my life, until recenlty," said Simon, 98. "I was never very good. But it did not keep me from enjoying it."

For more information about children's tennis lessons and league, click here.