Established by Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder in 1969, NJTL is a community-driven delivery system, funded by the USTA, that significantly impacts the lives of America's youth. USTA NJTL develops the character of young people through tennis and emphasizes the ideals of Arthur Ashe by:
• Reaching out to those who may not otherwise have the opportunity to learn and play tennis
• Instilling in young people the values of humanitarianism, leadership and academic excellence
• Providing participants the opportunity to fully develop their tennis skills so they can derive a lifetime of enjoyment from the sport
An on-line registration form must be completed to become an official USTA NJTL Chapter/Program. As a registered USTA NJTL Chapter/Program, all of the following programs are available to you in order to enrich your program and its participants. NJTL reaches more than 250,000 children nationwide. With over 26 chapters, USTA Texas has over 16,000 participants in the program. For more information on the NJTL program in Texas, contact Carlos Hernandez, at 512-443-1334 ext. 215 or email him at hernandez@texas.usta.com.
NJTL Texas Chapters
NJTL Tennis Leadership Camp 
Twenty NJTL participants were selected to participate in this year’s Leadership Camp which took place August 5-8 in Austin. The campers participated in a variety of tennis activities each morning culminating in a round robin team competition Sunday. After tennis each day, the participants had the opportunity to take part in many of the enriching activities the Capitol City of Texas had to offer. The kids toured the Texas State Capitol, explored the Bob Bullock Museum and took a dip in the natural Barton Springs Pool. The participants even had a chance to take a ride on Lady Bird Lake where they experienced the world famous Austin Nightlife – the nearly 1.5 million bats living under the Congress Street Bridge. The Leadership Camp provided participants with tennis instruction, leadership qualities, and memories that will last a lifetime!
NJTL Kids' Days
NJTL Kids’ Days (formerly known as Regional Rallies) traveled to Houston, Dallas and San Angelo this summer bringing together active NJTL participants and neighboring NJTL chapters. Hundreds of participants took part in these fun-filled days of tennis activities, friendly competition and other social events ranging from baseball games and musical performances to even a Zumba Dance lesson! Participants had the opportunity to win prizes and awards, and everyone took home a shirt commemorating their experience at Kids’ Day.
The USTA Texas Staff would like to express a very special Thank You to the NJTL Coordinators, Host Cities, Volunteers and Parents for their hard work and dedication in making the summer one to remember!
Arthur Ashe Art and Essay Contest (Deadline June 1)
To help commemorate the legacy of humanitarian and tennis great Arthur Ashe, USTA/NJTL sponsors an annual essay and art contest asking entrants to respond to a quote from Arthur Ashe. Ten National essay winners receive an all-expense paid trip to New York to be guests at Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day, a day-long festival of kids’ tennis activities that includes interactive games, musical entertainment and free clinics.
• Two ways to win: (1) written essays ( 300 words or less ) or (2) Draw a picture or create artwork in answer a question that varies each year
• Essays will be judged based on knowledge of Arthur Ashe, message clarity, and writing style. Art will be judged on creativity.
• Contest is open to boys and girls in the following age categories: 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 & under.
This year’s Arthur Ashe Essay Contest participants responded to the following question:
"If Arthur Ashe were alive today, what do you think would give him hope?"
Contestants were eager to share their opinion on Ashe’s greatest accomplishment as hundreds of essays were received for this year’s contest. After the section winners were chosen, their essays went on to compete at the national level. USTA Texas is very proud as one of our own was selected as a national winner capturing the grand prize – a trip to New York City where he will be a VIP guest at Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day.
For more information on the NJTL program in Texas, contact
Carlos Hernandez, at 512-443-1334 ext. 215 or email him at
hernandez@texas.usta.com