Up, Up and Away! Parks Sisters Update

It's the first weekend in June and it's an important weekend for the Amazing Parks Sisters. Alycia and Mikayla traveled to College Park, Maryland, to take part in a High Performance Tennis Combine. It's the first of several trips they'll be taking during the summer months to participate in training sessions at facilities that are designated as High Performance Facilities by the United States Tennis Association. This weekend's trip comes a week after the Parks Sisters spent two days participating in workout sessions that were taped at Rick Macci's academy in Florida. Alycia and Mikayla were among some of the nation's elite junior talent that will be seen in future installments of Tennis Channel Academy. The Tennis Channel's cameras came to Florida to show Macci's special brand of instruction and the Amazing Parks Sisters were there. In all, four segments were taped last Friday and Saturday. According to Michael Parks, " The producers of the television project were amazed at what they saw from Alycia and Mikayla."

Remember, this is June, so now we can say that the Parks Sisters have been playing tennis for two years. They now have their summer workout schedule that has them on the court twice daily, from 8 to 10 a.m. followed by school work, then back on court from 3-5 p.m. After the afternoon workout it's time to go to the beach, or ride on their bikes and scooters for awhile before doing homework. This time is important to Michael Parks, who wants the girls to have fun, and when workout time is done Alycia and Mikayla usually leave the facility to keep their lives balanced.

Finally, Alycia and Mikayla would like to give a special thanks to Airtran Airways for their assistance with travel to the High Performance Tennis Combine in Maryland this weekend. It may be the start of a long relationship  that could include a feature on the Parks Sisters in the "GO" inflight magazine. We'll keep you posted. Meanwhile, the segments that were shot at Rick Macci's will be shown in July and August on the Tennis Channel. Also, don't forget to read about the Amazing Parks Sisters in the July/Augusta edition of USTA Magazine. And keep an eye on Sam's Passing Shots. There's more to come....

America SCORES Cup: Great Soccer for a Great Cause

Sure enjoyed meeting the good folks at America SCORES this weekend, where I got to kick off the 2010 SCORES Cup, now in its fourth year. More than 10 corporate and local teams came together to compete for the championship title at Georgia Soccer Park in College Park. Concessions International took home the coveted SCORES Cup after a heated final match with law firm King & Spalding that went into overtime and ended with 11 rounds of penalty kicks. Great soccer for a great cause. America SCORES helps underserved youth succeed on the soccer field and in the classroom. Check them out at http://www.americascoresatlanta.org/. 

Scenes from the America SCORES Cup, May 15, 2010:

Parks Sisters Update

I just want to bring you up to date on the Parks Sisters as they are working every day and visiting the USTA Training Center. Alycia, who is 9, and Mikayla, 10, are continuing to amaze the experts in South Florida. While they continue to work with Rodney Harmon each day, they are getting to train at some of the other top facilities in the area near Boca Raton. They have been to the renowned Rick Macci Tennis Academy. Alycia and Mikayla took part in a recent showcase at Macci's, and performed better than players who were older and who have been in high performance progams longer. Remember, it was June of 2008 when the Parks Sisters got tennis racquets for bringing home straight A's. They have been playing less than two years.

Get ready to see more of these young ladies as they will be the subject of a story in the July issue of  USTA Magazine. Alycia and Mikalya will also be among the young players who will be training at Rick Macci's Academy later this month when Tennis Channel cameras are expected to visit. Wait until Tennis Channel viewers see these girls showing off their incredible gifts. The girls will also be on the road this summer, visiting some of the USTA's high performance training centers. They will be in Washington, D.C. July 3-6. Be sure to check back here at Samspassingshots to see where the Amazing Parks Sisters will be working out this summer. Maybe you'll be able to stop by and get a rare look at "The Future of Tennis" in the USA.

..... I'm Just Saying

Now that the Hawks' season is done, we are free to speculate about who will and won't be returning next season. It seems that All-Star Guard Joe Johnson may have talked his way out of town after that 30 point loss in game 3. When asked about the home crowd booing the Hawks' effort, Johnson replied, "I don't care if they show up or not." Nice choice of words for a player who failed to show up for the entire Orlando series.

It brings to mind a young David Justice who took a shot at Atlanta Braves fans for sitting on their hands, while the fans in Cleveland were on their feet and yelling for entire games. It was the 1995 World Series and while Braves fans voiced their displeasure with Justice's comments, they were all smiles when number 23 hit the solo homer that produced Atlanta's only major league sports title. Justice's 1996 season was shortened by injury and before the 1997 season began he was traded to Cleveland. Braves fans were stunned, and years later Justice admitted that he was heartbroken. While he had productive seasons in Cleveland and a super season with the Yankees in 2000, I will always feel that Atlanta was where David Justice belonged. In coming seasons we will see a numbers of star players from the Braves run of division championships retired to he outfield wall of Turner Field. The 31 of Greg Maddux will be followed by the 29 of John Smoltz, the 47 of Tom Glavine, the 6 of Bobby Cox, and finally the 10 of Chipper Jones. What a shame that the 23 of David Justice won't be there. Justice did return to Atlanta three years ago for induction in the Braves Hall of Fame, a bittersweet moment indeed. His departure from Atlanta was very much like that of Ron Gant, Fred McGriff, Deion Sanders and Gary Sheffield. All were African-American players who were fan favorites, yet they were seen as expendable by the club's front office. Those decisions, along with the shrinking number of African-American players in the majors in recent years, made Turner Field an un-cool place to go for Atlanta's black community.

This may be the summer that Turner Field becomes cool again and the reason is a rookie in right field named Jason Heyward. Heyward is a 20-year-old local product who leads the team in home runs and runs batted in. Oh, and by the way, he's African-American and the good folks in the Braves offices are watching to see if the black community will return to the ball park to see him. On my first visit to a Braves game this season I was asked  if I liked Jason Heyward, and what was I hearing in the community. I am a Braves fan, and I am a Jason Heyward fan. I have talked to folks at church, barber shops and the mall. They like Jason Heyward, and they also think that as soon as he reaches All-Star status the Braves will trade him away. At 6-4 , 245 pounds, Heyward is a big guy with broad shoulders. It seems unfair that he be saddled with the job of bringing an entire community back to the ballpark, but that is the case. My hope is that Jason Heyward will have the long productive career that he seems headed for, and that he gets to play every game in a Braves uniform. We may not get to see David Justice's 23 on the outfield wall, but maybe in time we'll see Jason Heyward's 22 there.  I'm just saying....

Come Out And Play...

Hello on a rainy Saturday. It won't be a good day for tennis and it gives me an excuse to miss playing. I must admit, the weather has been perfect for playing recently but schedule and commitments have kept me away from the game I love. I promised myself that after age 50 (now 51), that I would get my game in shape and play some tournaments. Try to take some hardware from the old heads. I still want to make that happen. Yesterday I ended up on the court for the first of a series of  tennis related events, sponsored by Cadillac. The event is good news for a number of reasons. First of all, it's good to see that GM has recovered to the point that it can once again be involved with sporting events in the community. The economy had kept GM on the sidelines and away from involvement with golf tournaments. GM officials that I spoke with say that they want to aim at the tennis market and that Atlanta was the area that they wanted to start in. Of course I agree with them. When it comes to tennis there is "No Town Like The A"!  Cadillac Tennis Taste Drive was held at the tennis complex at the Lake Windward Community in Alpharetta and was an event that provided tennis instruction, food by Chef Linton Hopkins and test driving new Cadillacs. It was a great time and I got a much needed tip to help my wandering forehand.To watch for future events keep an eye on http://www.cadillactennis.com/.
If you have been playing and feel like you are up to playing in tournaments for a good cause, I have two for you: Baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron and wife Billye Aaron will host the 9th annual Golf and Tennis Weekend in support of the Morehouse School of Medicine. The tennis event will be played at Sugar Creek in Decatur and will be operated by the Coan Tennis Association. Play begins next Friday, April 30th and runs through Sunday, May 2nd. For more info go to http://www.coantennis.com/.
The other event is next Saturday at Horseshoe Bend. Tennis For CURE is a tournament to benefit CURE Childhood Cancer, and will be played in honor of 10-year-old Madie Dreesman, who suffers from "Rhabdoid Cancer." The doubles teams will be made up of an adult and teenager and play will begin at 2 p.m. For more info contact Melissa Anthony at 770-778-1715. 

Hopefully the rain will be gone next Saturday so that you can Come Out And Play.

Tiger Tracks In Augusta

What a week it's been here in Augusta. Before today's first round there had been more for the media to cover here than any time in my memory of working this event, which goes back to 1986. All the anticipation and hype of Tiger Woods' return from his troubled winter led us to arrive Monday morning at 6 a.m. I've been to the Masters many times, but it had always been after sunrise. I arrived before most of the folks who actually work here. That's okay, because when the grounds opened at 8 a.m. I was on the front row, as Tiger teed off his first official practice round. A security detail walked the entire 18 holes inside the ropes, while uniformed security and Richmond County (Augusta) law enforcement officers were walking among the spectators. I even peeked at a cheat sheet that security had with pictures of each of Tiger's alleged mistresses and famous attorney Gloria Allred. So far, haven't seen any of these fine folks. The press conference was special because I was one of only 205 members of the media who received a ticket to attend. I didn't get to ask a question, but that's fine. Just being in the room at a historic moment was good enough for me--this time. Thought after that everybody was ready to move ahead and play golf. Wrong. Masters Chairman Billy Payne blasted Tiger on the eve of the tournament. It sent shockwaves through the press center and left us wondering what would be next. That evening I met AJ Calloway from EXTRA, the tabloid TV show that airs on our station. He was in town for the Masters, but had tickets not media credentials, as the Golf Club would not grant media requests from the tabloid shows. Then on Thursday, it was time to play. Just as Tiger walks to number one tee to begin, a plane flies overhead with a banner reading, "Tiger: Did You Mean Bootyism??" Someone was making fun of Tiger's personal issues that threaten his marriage, and the fact that he has promised to return to his religious teachings. Tiger would later say that he never saw the plane, and I believe him. He attacked the Masters course and showed flashes of the form that has made him the world's best golfer, and very wealthy. All this and today's only Thursday. Tiger will start round two just two shots out of first place. Not bad for a man who really needed to play. The weekend should be great theater here.

Parks Sisters Update

As promised, this blog will keep you updated on Mikayla and Alycia Parks, the 9- and 10-year-old tennis phenoms who relocated from Henry County to South Florida two months ago. I have been in constant contact with their father, who tells me that the girls are enjoying the move. The opportunity to train with some of the nation's top tennis coaches is truly a dream come true. It didn't take long for word to get around the tennis camps in that area, and whenever Alycia and Mikayla hit the courts it just seems like other folks drift over to that court to watch them hit the ball. Remember, they started playing tennis in June of 2008, less than two years ago. They have spent a great deal of time with Rodney Harmon, who has led the USTA training center, and has consistently said he has "never seen anything like them before." Off the court, the girls are continuing to excel with their school work. For those who don't know, Alycia and Mikayla received their first tennis racquets for bringing home straight "A's." They also love riding their scooters, as the warm Florida climate has allowed them to play outside, while we were all bundled up here in Atlanta. One of the most important things about the move to Florida is all of the great players who live and train there. The girls have met and taken pictures with Hall of Famer Chris Evert, whose family runs a training center nearby. They attended professional tournaments at Del Ray Beach and Key Biscayne and were introduced to a number of the players. These are exciting times for the Parks family. It's a treat to speak with their father, Michael Parks, and hear the pride in his voice. Michael Parks has a right to be proud; he and his wife Erica are raising two girls who have a chance to touch the entire world through their incredible gift. A basketball star in his native North Carolina, Mr. Parks knows a thing or two about athletics--and about who has that special something when it's time to compete.The thing I hear in his voice is constant amazement. He knew his girls had something special, but is amazed at how they have taken to tennis and their determination to achieve a little bit more each day. He described to me Alycia using the overhead serving motion to hit a ball off of a wall with alternating hands without letting the ball hit the floor--nothing that he had to remind her to do, or even encourage her to do. The Parks sisters look for ways to make the game a challenge and fun, and are the ultimate self-starters.