On October 24, kids from all over the Tampa Bay area attended their final Advantage Tennis clinic of the year.  Even though it was the children’s last lesson, the mood on Berkeley’s tennis courts was a happy one.  During the month of October, the kids had attended free Advantage Tennis clinics, an opportunity made possible by Berkeley’s own Alex Livingstone, Class of 2016.  Each session focused on a particular skill, and the final clinic was reserved for fun tennis matches.

For Livingstone, it was an incredible four weeks.  “It was amazing to see the improvements the kids made and how far they had come in developing their tennis skills,” Livingstone said.  “All the kids had fun and left every clinic feeling accomplished.”

Livingstone’s favorite moment of the Advantage Tennis clinics was when the kids received medals at the conclusion of the last session.  In addition, each child also received an Advantage Tennis tee shirt, a new can of tennis balls and his or her own tennis racquet. These items were given out in the hopes that the participants would continue to play tennis with their new equipment and skills.

Next year, Livingstone wants Advantage Tennis to be even bigger.  “I hope to expand the camp to forty or fifty kids, have volunteers from different high schools and get sponsorships from local and national programs such as Wilson, Adidas, and the USTA,” she said.  “I think this program really holds a lot of promise and I can’t wait to develop it further.”

With Livingstone’s determination, Advantage Tennis is sure to be back next year to spread the love of tennis around Tampa Bay.