Jason Harnett,
Here at the Lakeshore Foundation for the
USTA, ITF Junior Wheelchair Tennis Camp Americas
North, South, and Central America
We have kids from five different countries here.
The United States, Canada, Chile,
Colombia, and Guatemala
We have training in the morning
which is real tennis specific stuff
some chair mobility, but mostly stroke production.
In the afternoon we have an actual ITF Sanction Tournament
so the kids in this tournament will end up getting a world ranking by the end of this camp.
The most special part of this camp is the older kids
interacting with the younger kids,
and I think it's almost like a mentoring type situation.
I think that makes this very very unique and special.
My name is is Alissa Montenegro.
I'm from Southern California.
I've been playing tennis for 5 years.
Tennis just makes me feel happy when I play.
Like when I come to this camp
I can meet new people and see how people are when they play
Every year when I come here
I get better with my back hand.
If I could become like an actual Paralympic that would be best thing ever.
I like the Lakeshore Facility,
I enjoy being here in Alabama
because it is a new place that I get to explore
and it is pretty cool here.
It is my first time in this Lakeshore Facility,
It feels like a complete facility.
It has got everything you need in it.
Everything is adaptive to every kind of disability.
I like the new location.
It's really nice to be in the dorms and
to be able to grab snacks when ever you want or a drink when you want.
My name is Judy Lee,
and I am from Vancouver, Canada
and I have only been playing tennis for a couple of year.
I have Cerebral Palsy
I walk with tip toes, and bent knees.
I feel like I used to be one of those people who
would try something and maybe
give it one or two goes and
I would be like "not going to work," so I would just give up
But with this sport, I have teammates.
I have friends, I have coaches who come to me like
"You can do this, try harder, push, hit the ball, keep moving"
I think through this sport I have become more positive.
For me I feel more free in chair because
when I am standing I am not able to run as fast,
but with the chair, I can push as fast as I want
through the court or wherever I want to go.
I am Nathan Melnyk
I am from Center-port, New York.
I have been playing wheelchair tennis for around seven and a half years now.
It's all about improving yourself,
and I really like that aspect.
I've been going to this camp since my freshmen year summer,
so this will be my fourth camp.
It's significant because it really teaches you that it is not just the US,
Every country has really able,
really strong wheelchair tennis players.
Well this camp makes you feel
pretty good about yourself.
People with disabilities are just like anybody else in the world.
We should be teated equally as everybody else because
we are not different than anybody else.