Tennis lessons are labor of love

The program targets pupils at Warren's three middle schools.
By DENISE DICK
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
WARREN -- Don Motley wishes someone had been around to teach him tennis when he was young.
That's why Motley, of Warren, gives lessons to middle school pupils each spring through the Marcus Garvey Institute of Awareness. The institute's tennis program is a branch of the National Junior Tennis League and the United States Tennis Association.
He started about eight years ago and has pupils from each of the city's three middle schools.
"I was 25 when I started playing tennis, and that was 25 years ago. It's just a love for the game," he said.
He wants young people to know sports aren't limited to football, baseball and basketball.
Ten pupils showed up for practice on a recent afternoon, but Motley said 15 to 20 usually attend.
Getting into the game
He lines up the aspiring athletes, hits a ball to them and instructs them as they try to hit it back.
"Nice try; hit it -- play out the point," he tells one boy.
"Swing low to high. It's an even, smooth swing," he instructs another.
His young pupils from Western Reserve Middle School seem to enjoy learning the ins and outs of the game.
"It's interacting with people, and it's just fun," said Marvin Logan, 10, a fifth-grader, between his turns batting the ball back and forth over the net at Deemer Park.
James Wesley, 10, another fifth-grader, agreed.
"I'm not good at anything else, so I tried this," James said. "I'm good at this."
High school sports
One aim of the program is to be a feeder system for the tennis team at Warren G. Harding High School.
"This year is the first year that a lot of my kids are going to the high school," Motley said.
The institute also conducts tennis sessions for youths during the summer months at both Deemer and Packard parks.
Rhonda Warren of Youngstown plans to start a similar program in that city, but details are still being worked out.
"We're recruiting kids right now," she said.
Abdu Awolowo, chairman of the institute, said the middle school pupils are encouraged to continue their tennis pursuits through the summer tennis camps at Deemer and Packard parks starting Monday. There is a $35 fee for the sessions, but the program offers scholarships.
"For the first four weeks, we'll teach them basic tennis skills," Awolowo said. "In July, we'll divide them into teams."
Organizers hope to set up matches with pupils from the Youngstown program and other tennis programs for middle school pupils.
The institute also hopes to expand to offer drama programs and computer instruction to young people. The program follows the words of the late Arthur Ashe, Awolowo said. The tennis pro instructed young people to spend three hours in the classroom for every one hour on the tennis court, he said.
"We're trying to reach kids and whatever we can do to encourage their participation, we'll try to do," Awolowo said.