Lobs & Lessons at the Mary & Frances Youth Center on the campus of VCU was the 2011 National Junior Tennis League Program of the Year. Here is an overview:
In 2000, an initiative called Advantage Virginia was established. Advantage Virginia was an initiative led by VCU and advised by a board of local and national members committed to making Virginia a destination for tennis. Their plan was to build a world-class tennis facility in Richmond that would attract major tournaments and to develop a youth tennis academy. The program was designed to benefit both VCU and the greater Richmond region.
The tennis academy would be a developmental program for youth, offering tennis instruction, tutoring and mentoring to aid the city’s youth and build teamwork, sportsmanship and discipline. The key ingredient would be the topspin lob program. The program would develop mini-camps with tennis instruction and an academic component, utilizing volunteers.
