In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Rosie Casals/Pancho Gonzalez foundations along with the SCTA Tennis Service Reps organized and ran a morning of tennis for 120 students from the Coachella Valley Unified School District. Kids were divided into 8 teams – all named after famous tennis champions. To begin the day, each team captain read a short bio of the “Team Champions.” Included were Billie Jean King, Althea Gibson, Maria Bueno, Charlie Pasarell, Arthur Ashe, Rafael Osuna, and of course Pancho & Rosie.

Also contributing to the day, was Claudia Hernandez, who played for USC (85/86) and Taylor Johnson who will be playing for UCLA in January. Both spoke of the opportunities that tennis has given them, including a college scholarship and the ability to travel the world. After a fun morning the kids were treated to lunch at the garden, that included a Mariachi Band!!

The day concluded with an evening reception honoring Charlie Pasarell, his contribution to tennis and the creation of NJTL (with Arthur Ashe, his teammate and friend). Charlie also spoke of Pancho and his influence on and off the court.