Beach City Tennis Academy hosted its annual charity Tennis Pro-Am tournament on Saturday, June 27 at Christine Reed Memorial Park in Santa Monica. The event featured the top local Tennis Professional talent. Though unseasonal rain dampened the court, it did not dampen the spirit of the exhibition match or the enthusiasm of these gifted players who donated their time for the cause.
The event represented a rare cooperative effort between ostensible tennis pro competitors, most notably Sanad Rashed and Austin Soliz of Beach City Tennis Academy. The event ably showcased the pros' range of talents and reminded us all that some of the best Tennis Professionals in the world can be found in Southern California. Beach City Tennis Academy is well known for offering premium private, semi private, and group lessons throughout the west side of Los Angeles, the Southbay, and Orange County.
"The main goal of this event was to raise money for charity and have some collegial fun without injuries," said Troy Mass, director of tennis at Beach City Tennis Academy. "All of the tennis pros involved strongly believe in actively giving back to the communities in which we operate. This tournament was one of several events this year where you can see the Beach City Tennis professionals compete in 2015."
The charity beneficiary of the event was ThanksUSA.
"Military families are heroes in our community. ‘Tennis Thanks the Troops' awards needs-based scholarships to the children and spouses of U.S. Military families to help offset the rising cost of college," explained Mass.
Former Scholarship winner Jasmine Ruffin, offered an inspirational testimonial about the opportunity offered to her by her scholarship.
"It's helped me a lot to pursue my education," she explained. She is currently a sophomore at Cal State Northridge. "We are pleased we raised over a thousand dollars for ThanksUSA," said Mass.
"It is a privilege to do business in the city Santa Monica. We are grateful to our sponsors, Babolat, ThanksUSA, and the USTA for contributing to our effort and helping support Tennis Thanks the Troops. Without our sponsors, these kinds of community events would not be possible," said Mass.
