Love is the difference

by Alexandra Leatu, Leatu Public Relations

NTF, the National Tennis Foundation, was developed by Remington Reynolds and Steve Gareleck in 2009 after finding extreme success with their businesses Premier Live and the annual event on Sir Richard Branson’s private island called the Necker Cup. Rem and Steve are soulful entrepreneurs who do everything with a focus on how to grow the love for tennis, domestically and internationally. NTF was based on that foundation of love, not only for the sport, but for those that can have their lives unequivocally impacted by it. One story of how love is the difference within NTF is that of Jeron Smith. The Vegas Chapter of NTF welcomed Jeron Smith into their program in 2017. Jeron is based out of the Tortola Sports Club and has consistently maintained a #1 junior British Virgin Islands (BVI) ranking. He is truly dedicated on and off the court and volunteers his Saturdays to coaching others and giving back with an NTF partner program, ACEing Autism. Jeron and his family are one of many BVI locals whose lives were forever changed by Hurricane Irma in September of 2017. Jeron’s family, along with so many others, were left with next to nothing. As a true testament to Jeron’s character, this did not slow him down as he put his own training aside to step up and assist his community with the rebuilding efforts. In addition and at no charge, he volunteered his tennis coaching skills 6 days a week for 6 weeks to mentor and train other children who were unable to evacuate the island. Not only was Jeron thriving in our NTF program as a player due to the resources the Vegas chapter was able to provide for his training growth but NTF was able to provide travel and transportation for him to go back to BVI after the destructive natural disaster.

Jeron is just one of the many children that have felt “Love is the difference” with NTF. He competes at a

high level representing BVI and NTF, but more importantly competes to further love. Love for the game.

Love for humanity.

APPRECIATION IN ITS SIMPLEST FORM

Luke Shields, 2019 Mountain West Conference Head Men’s Tennis Coach of the Year, talks us through his renewed appreciation for his family and career, something he may not have achieved without this pandemic. Sometimes, through unexpected circumstances, we find ourselves again, through our passions.

Control What You Can Control

As a Head Tennis Coach of a Collegiate Women’s Tennis Team, nothing slows me down. Inspiration comes in many different forms and my job turned into being that change, that light, that motivation for my players during this unthinkable time. Check out my workouts and videos on Instagram.

The American Dream

Andreea Stanescu’s dream was to become a student athlete at an American university. Arriving at Georgia State, she realized sacrificing the comfort of her home country didn’t mean comprising the entire connection to her international heritage, thanks to her team.

Andreea’s journey can be followed on her Instagram as she shares moments on and off the court.

https://instagram.com/andreea_stanescu_?igshid=1041l5tbityed

For Athletes, Loss of Identity is Part of the Journey

Ema Burgic-Bucko is a former Bosnian professional tennis player who has struggled to cope with her loss of identity after retiring; feeling pressure from societal expectations as a woman and succumbing to those expectations. But, there is always a silver lining.

Author: aleatu