Brad Hightower has been involved with tennis his entire life with early instruction coming from his dad. After moving to Birmingham, Brad began playing in local tournaments and on tennis teams. Brad became familiar with the work of LETT – Learning Excellence Through Tennis. LETT is a program of the Birmingham Area Tennis Association, Inc. (BATA), created to provide tennis and academic opportunities to children in the community.
In 2009, a position on the board of LETT opened and Brad was a natural fit. Most recently, Brad was elected vice president of the board. In his year and a half with LETT, Brad has worked with LETT to increase its fundraising efforts and refine its mission to bring tennis to kids who would otherwise not have the opportunity to play. He’s also enjoyed trading a few groundstrokes with the kids at their weekly practices. According to Brad, “Tennis has long been considered an elitist sport and LETT is working to change that perception.”
There are four components to LETT. An after school program teaches kids life skills, cultural awareness, nutrition and conflict resolution. It is the goal of the program to keep the same children involved for three years to create more opportunities to have a positive impact on each child’s life. An in-school program allows LETT instructors help introduce tennis to students who would otherwise be unlikely to play. Instructors also loan racquets, balls, and portable nets to physical education teachers.
A summer program offers tennis lessons for youth ages seven through 18. Additionally, instructors and volunteers assist children in writing essays for the annual USTA Arthur Ashe Essay and Art contest. Just recently, LETT was thrilled to learn that one of its participants was named one of only ten winners of the 2010 national contest. Daniel’s winning answer to the question, “Some say that winning the 1968 US Open as the first African American male was Arthur Ashe’s greatest accomplishment. What do you think?” secured him a trip to New York City for the 2010 U.S. Open Tennis Tournament.
Children who have participated in one or more of LETT’s programs and wish to play tennis competitively are eligible to join the year round Excellence Program. Participants are required to maintain an academic average of 2.8 and above, and must participate in Junior Team Tennis and/or tournaments to improve their playing skills.
Currently the LETT programs offer year round instruction reaching over 10,000 youth a year. It offers beginner-level tennis instruction all the way to USTA Youth Team Tennis competition. LETT has all the equipment necessary to introduce the game of tennis to any youth wanting to play.
Website: www.bhamtennis.com
