This article originally printed in the 2024 Juneteenth Classic Edition of the Portland Tennis Courterly
HOW THE KIDS N’ TENNIS FUNDRAISER BECAME PORTLAND’S TOP TOURNAMENT:
Since its first iteration in 2004, the Juneteenth Classic has served up consistent support for non-profit tennis programming
By Tyler Pell
Nearly four decades ago, Don Johnson and Andre St. James saw a glaring disparity in Portland's tennis community: very few children of color were learning to play the game. The duo were determined to do something about it.
Growing up, Johnson and St. James kept busy with a variety of sports—primarily baseball and basketball. “We couldn’t play tennis. We couldn’t afford to play tennis,” Johnson explained. “There was no accessibility to courts, no coaches.” Johnson didn’t learn to play tennis until he was serving in the military in the mid-1970s. He was a quick study. By 1979, he was out of the military, back home in Portland, and not just playing tournaments, but winning them.
Johnson started a long career as an educator at Portland Public Schools in 1983. He also had experience coaching youth sports. But even into the 1980s, opportunities for kids in Northeast Portland to learn tennis were close to nonexistent.
In 1987, Johnson and St. James officially launched Kids N’ Tennis, a free tennis camp for kids at Irving Park.
“The premise was this: if African-American kids, other kids of color, and kids from low-income families were interested in learning how to play tennis, they could receive quality coaching from a cadre of coaches similar to the coaching and training kids were receiving in private clubs, country clubs, and other tennis facilities. Then those kids—our kids—could be successful and compete for tennis scholarships.” At that time, there weren’t any programs for Johnson and St. James to model theirs on. “So we did the research, we attended some meetings, we got some background,” Johnson described, “and we went for it.”
After the inaugural camp, many of the participants wished to continue. Bolstered by support from the USTA and community leaders, Kids N’ Tennis acquired its 501(c)(3) non-profit status in 1992.
Current Kids N’ Tennis President Mike Navarro also works as an educator, at an alternative high school in Gresham. He’s been with the non-profit since meeting Johnson at Irving Park 1999. Navarro believes that what really makes Kids N’ Tennis unique is the sense of inclusion they offer. “We're super culturally responsive to kids and families. We’re mostly coaches of color and we really focus on non-traditional and BIPOC populations where we can leverage our experiences on our kids' behalf.”
In addition to their eight-week summer classes at Irving Park, Kids N’ Tennis offers year-round weekly tennis lessons at Portland Tennis Center, as well as more intensive training during winter break.
While Kids N’ Tennis does produce high-level youth players, to Navarro and Johnson the measure of success is far more broad than a tournament podium; they want to grow the game and all the good that comes with it. “Tennis is one of those sports that, the more you learn about it, the more you learn about yourself and about how you can make decisions in life that will really benefit you.”
Navarro remembers one particular camper whose family had a history of diabetes. “One of my favorite memories was when his mom thanked me and Don for helping him out when he was younger. Now he's in his 30s and tennis has helped him find a lifestyle that has kept him healthy and fit.”
In addition to their summer camps and weekly training programs, the annual tournament that Kids N’ Tennis puts on, the Juneteenth Classic, has grown into one of the biggest and most beloved in the city. The first Juneteenth Classic was in 2004. This year’s tournament is the 11th Juneteenth Classic. Despite some fits and starts in its early days, the Juneteenth Classic has now earned a reputation as ‘the’ Portland tennis tournament for adult recreational players of various levels.
Kasi Muthu won the men’s open division at the tournament in 2021. Even though Muthu has won other, bigger tournaments, his Juneteenth title means just a little bit more to him. “To win a tournament that’s being run by people who look like you, it was incredible,” Muthu reflected. “I felt the love. I really think the reason I won the tournament is because I had coached a lot of those kids who go to Kids N’ Tennis camps, and there was like a karmic energy that elevated me.”
The Juneteenth Classic attracts about as many participants as the adult recreational tournaments at the USTA-run Vancouver Tennis Center across the river in Washington. To Muthu and many others who look forward to the Juneteenth Classic, the tournament is truly unique. Not just because it marks the unofficial start of Portland’s summer tennis season—it’s the environment where the camaraderie, love, and passion of a vital segment of the Portland tennis community is most palpable.
While Kids N’ Tennis continues to serve children who are less likely to have access to the game of tennis, time has brought many changes to the organization’s makeup. After Johnson retired from Portland Public Schools, he moved to Texas and started a sister organization, called Kids N’ Tennis - TEXAS. But he still comes back to Portland for each year’s Juneteenth Classic and for the start of the summer camp.
His friend and fellow Kids N’ Tennis founder, Andre St. James, passed away in 2018. St. James was not only a pillar of the local tennis community; he was a remarkable upright bass player, a cornerstone of Portland’s jazz community. The work that Johnson and St. James did together in the early days of Kids N’ Tennis created the momentum that helps power the organization today.
“We try not to lose sight of who we are and what we’re good at,” Johnson stressed. “We know how to build programs and design pathways and options for kids within the infrastructure of the program.”
For 37 years, Kids N’ Tennis has thrived on collaboration, partnering with numerous community, regional and national entities. These partnerships don’t just promote tennis, they emphasize health, nutrition and education. Kids N’ Tennis has successfully engaged tennis enthusiasts of all ages in mentoring, community service, and fostering a safe, positive environment for youth to build confidence and self-esteem.
To date, more than 2,000 young players have benefited from the organization’s efforts, with many alumni graduating from college, and quite a few of them becoming tennis teaching professionals in the Portland area.
For more information or to get involved, visit the Kids N’ Tennis website (www.kids-n-tennis.org). Your support will help Kids N’ Tennis continue and expand their mission of opportunity and empowerment through tennis.