Young tennis players get shot at big time
By Jeff Tully

February 9 2002

If all goes well, a group of young Burbank tennis players will
get the opportunity to play at the same venue that has
hosted the likes of Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.

Two 12-and-under youth teams from the Burbank Tennis
Center will be busy this weekend taking part in the Southern California Assn. Championships at UCLA.

If the local boys' and girls' squads do well in the six-member team-tennis format event Saturday at the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center, they will earn a spot in Sunday's finals at
the center-court stadium at Los Angeles Tennis Center on the UCLA campus. In the round-robin event that features singles and doubles, the Burbank teams are assured of at least three matches. The 12-and-under tournament is one of many separate age-group competitions taking part throughout the weekend.

"The exciting part of the whole thing is our players get a
chance to play in a stadium where some of the best players in the world have played," Burbank Coach Larry Lambert said.

"We will be playing teams from San Diego all the way up to Santa Barbara. So there are going to be some good teams
and some very good players."

Although the possibility of playing at UCLA for a Southern California championship might seem overwhelming for some young players, many of the Burbank athletes are looking
forward to the competition.

"I'm not nervous, but I'm very excited," Ryan Williams, 12,
said. "I'm confident that we can win it all. We were
undefeated in the San Fernando Valley, so why not all of Southern California.

"Playing in the big stadium will be pretty cool, actually. Just bring the TV [cameras] and I'm there."

The boys' team also includes Roger Ham, 10, Gary Archie, 9, Brian Glynn, 12, Peter Shammas, 12, and Richard Catabona,
8.

Nina Argade, 11, said she knows her Burbank team will be
up against some talented squads. But she welcomes the challenge of the tough competition.

"I have kind of mixed feelings about playing," she said. "I'm nervous because I don't know how I'm going to play, and
I'm excited because we will be able to play at UCLA."

Also on the girls' team are Allyce Archie, 12, Avery Archie,
11, Jessica Harrow, 10, and Sara Lee, 8.

The Burbank teams, which both won San Fernando Valley League championships this season, are no strangers to
winning Southern California titles. In five years of existence, both teams won championships in 1999. The girls' are also defending champions, taking last season's title.

"This is a totally a fun thing for the kids," Lambert said.
"What is neat about this is that although tennis is usually an individual sport, the team concept of it is great for the
players. They root for each other and there is good
camaraderie with the players.

"To win a championship is quite an accomplishment. And
to be the best team in Southern California, from over 100
teams, in really something."

*

The team-tennis concept is just one of many programs
offered to area youth from the Burbank Tennis Center.

The venue sponsors weekday classes from 4:30 to 7 p.m. for athletes who want to either learn the game, or improve their skills. Players from the classes can then earn a spot in team tennis, which has two seasons in spring and fall.

Players can also take part in tournaments, clinics and other specialty events held throughout the season.

"What we want is to develop athletes who will hopefully
do well on the team, play all the tournaments we have at the Burbank Tennis Center, and then go on to play high school tennis locally," Lambert said. "We are building for the future."

Lambert said team tennis takes dedication, and many of his players devote a great deal of time to the sport.

"For the team tennis, we practice once a week and we
play our games on Sundays," he said. "So they put the
time in and do a lot of work."

From its inception, one of the goals of the Burbank Tennis Center has been to develop and guide young talent who
one day might crack the professional ranks.

And who knows, maybe some of the area's team-tennis
players might make their way back to the UCLA stadium some day on the professional circuit, representing Burbank.

* JEFF TULLY is the sports editor of the Burbank Leader.
He can be reached at 843-8700, or by e-mail at jeff.tully@latimes.com.