Kay McDaniel Tennis Clinics: Where Kids Learn To Press Through Obstacles

Hundreds of kids, parents, instructors and the director celebrated the 25th annual Kay McDaniel Tennis Clinics June 6-10. The week concluded with Cleveland Mayor Tom Rowland honoring Ms. McDaniel with a proclamation for her dedication for her many years of service to the Cleveland community. 

The tennis event had over 400 registered participants this year, the most in the history of the event. 

The tennis clinic is where kids not only learned how to play tennis, but received prizes, certificates, a free T-shirt and group photos. Kids ages 6-13 came from 23 cities in Tennessee and Georgia to learn from director Kay McDaniel and her 45 staff of instructors. 

Ms. McDaniel is a former world ranked professional tennis player. This year’s theme was Ms. McDaniel’s jingle that all the clinic kids enthusiastically know by heart: “Dream big, set small goals, believe God, expect obstacles, and press through.” She captivated her audience everyday by sharing inspiring personal stories of how she overcame difficult obstacles to reach the top echelon of professional world tennis. From age 11, she dreamed of becoming a professional tennis player. Her first tennis racquet was a Green Stamp racket where Ms. McDaniel collected over 10,000 stamps to fill 10 S&H books to obtain it. Her mother sewed all her tennis clothes until age 15 when top sponsors, such as Fila, Adidas, TAIL and Nike, sponsored her tennis career. An early setback was the death of her tennis coach and later an injury threatened her pro career until God miraculously healed it. 

Ms. McDaniel went on to realize her dream by competing at tennis’ Grand Slams for six years against legendary players such as Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, and Steffi Graf. She rose to the top 35 in the world in singles and held a #20 world ranking in doubles. 

“The kids were very excited all week, continually moving and learning, and they didn’t want to go home when the clinics ended,” said Ms. McDaniel. “One of my favorite aspects of these clinics is seeing the kids and instructors each year. Some of the instructors have been with me 8-15 years, and many kids have faithfully attended 5-6 years.” 

According to Ms. McDaniel, at age 13, when the time is up to be a camper, many of them desire to give back to the clinics and become clinic junior instructors. “Over the years, we have bonded so well, that we are like family,” said Ms. McDaniel. 

There were four distinctive awards given at the closing ceremony. The “Most Inspiring Head Instructor” award went to Jordan Willcutt, currently a math teacher at Signal Mountain. Jordan was a Lee student and has been involved in the clinics for 13 years. Lexi Bowman received the “Most Inspiring Junior Instructor” award for her service to the clinics. 

Maggie Arrowwood and Nate Jones received medals from Ms. McDaniel for their “Most Improved” tennis skills. Carson Hicks and Soleyda Alderman each earned special “Most Christ-Like” medals for their passionate play and compassionate hearts. A TAIL tennis skirt that Ms. McDaniel wore while competing at Wimbledon was given to Hannah Playstead for her “Most Promising” talent. A new tennis racquet was given to Gab Curtis for his “Most Promising” tennis abilities. Aminah Hamidi, Talya Thompson and Nathan Collier each received the “Most Devoted Attendee” award, having all attended eight consecutive years at Ms. McDaniel’s clinics. 

One parent commented, “My entire family looks forward to this camp every single year. It’s the highlight of our summer. All the families feel this way – it’s exceptional.” 

Another parent said, “The values that Kay is teaching our children, the friends they make, the kindness felt by all, the organized fun, and the way Kay tries to make each child feel so special are just some of the reasons we can’t wait for the camps each year.” 

In order to participate in the 2017 Kay McDaniel Tennis Clinics to be held June 5-9, register online at www.kaymcdanieltennisclinics.com) by June 30. A second opportunity to register will begin April 1, 2017, but space is limited. All skill levels are welcomed, boys and girls, ages 6-13.