The Chicago chapter of the ITA College Tennis Alumni network held a very successful event on Wednesday, April 24th prior to the Big 10 Men’s Tennis Championships at Northwestern University. Organized by Lisa Finke (Yale, 1987) and assisted by Denny Schackter (Wisconsin, 1970), the event accomplished its goals: 37 former players attended representing 25 schools.
In addition, representatives of the Chicago District Tennis Association (USTA) were present to interact and recruit volunteers for their programming. The goals of the event were to socialize, emphasize how important alums are for the preservation of college tennis, encourage advocacy in communities for court construction and maintenance, make new tennis friends, promote giving back and helping high school players in their areas, and networking and mentoring recent graduates in their respective fields of endeavor.
The event was originally scheduled from 6-8pm, but did not end until 8:45pm as folks were just having too much fun socializing! Goals for the future include more social events, play days, news about chapter members, and promoting tennis as the great lifetime sport that it is.
Denny Schackter, co-Chapter coordinator & Wisconsin alum
If you are located in the Chicago, IL area and are interested in joining the chapter and participating in more fun events like this, please contact Lisa Finke (LF4NSRC@gmail.com) or Denny Schackter (dennyschackter@gmail.com).