Ft. Bragg, NC – June 7, 2014

Saturday, June 7, 2014 marked T3’s second visit to Ft. Bragg, NC. On July 2, 2013 Ft. Bragg was the site of our very first event What a difference in weather! Last year’s event was held at the Phipps Epps Fitness Center due to torrential rain and flash flood warnings, this year we were able to stay outdoors on a beautiful summer day.

About 160 participants signed up for a day of tennis and fun. The majority of the participants this year were kids. How cool was that?

Everyone got a T3 band, a T-shirt, a USO hat and a great day of instruction. The USO once again proved why they are invaluable partners by providing lunch for everyone. Thank you Ed Shock, Cristin Perry and the North Carolina USO personnel: Renee Lane, Director and Beverly Jackson, Assistant.

Once again, the amazing JoAnne Russell joined us along with Tim Wilkison, former top ranked US junior, 23 ranked player in the world and all around great guy. Many of you might remember him as “Dr. Dirt,” a nickname he earned by diving around the grass at Wimbledon. Thank you both for taking the time to thank our troops and their families for all their sacrifices.

‘It was a great experience participating in the Ft. Bragg event. The day was well-organized, all the coaches did a great job, there were a lot of volunteers, the players were enthusiastic and it wasn’t too hot!” -Tim

T3 was honored to have the following pros helping us as well: Lt. Col. Jay Ware, US Army and USPTA member (stationed at Ft. Bragg), Kevin Caccia, Director of Tennis at Highland Country Club, Fayetteville, NC and Francie Barrigan, former NC State star and currently the Head Women’s Coach at Methodist University, Fayetteville, NC.

The Second Annual T3/Ft. Bragg Event could not have happened without the invaluable help of Jackie Thomas and Kevin Wells. They once again were able to pull everything together, make it all seamless and successful. When Dick saw Kevin’s family at the event, he said, “It felt like returning and seeing family.” Jackie commented, “You guys are like my family!” That’s how we roll at T3. Our events are typically large

affairs, but they have the feel of a big family reunion. I think the reason for that feeling is due largely to the fact that military people and support personnel are extremely respectful, connect quickly, help others and are so willing to put themselves out there for anyone. We’ve never encountered anything like that in all the years we’ve been doing events. This gives us the drive to push for more events, more bases and more tennis. Thanks to everyone! A giant shout-out goes to the amazing volunteers: Gwendolyn Fleming, Indira Harris, Martha Ramirez, Julie Milani, Wanda Wozniak, Becky Shigekawa, Jessica Velasquez, Dr. Jillian Ballantyne and anyone else I’ve left off because I wasn’t able to get your names- you’re not forgotten! xoxo

Ellen Stone, a T3 founding partner made sure that the registration process went smoothly. We’d like to congratulate Ellen and her daughter Anna, who was recently accepted to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Another shout-out goes to T3’s photographer Trevor Chan and his wife Joy on the birth of their baby girl, Skye Lin Chan on June 5, 2014. Skye Lin is a big, beautiful and healthy baby and we can’t wait to put a racquet in her hand!

As our program continues to grow, we are able to add new bases to our schedule, as well as return to others. This is truly a sign of the program’s success. Ft. Bragg marked a special moment in T3’s history, as it illustrates our successful “test” event, as well as a successful return engagement.

We are now taking the summer to book more events, raise money and plan on making T3 an even better product. Please take a moment to read the below sampling of testimonials taken at Ft. Bragg.

T3’s next event will be at Joint Base Andrews in Morningside, MD on September 27, 2014. Following JBA, we will be at McDill Air Force Base in Tampa, FL on November 15, 2014.

“Very positive experience for little kids and adults. Pros and volunteers showed great passion for tennis, teaching and troops. Thank you!”

“Everyone was so kind. The smile on the kids’ faces says it all… it was perfect! Thank you!”

“The event was well organized. The volunteers were very friendly and warm. The pros seemed to really enjoy what they are doing. Thank you for all of the effort to make this happen.”

“The clinic was run extremely well. My son had a blast. The coaches were great with the kids.”

And this one is my personal favorite: “My 7 year old said, ‘This was the best day ever.’ My 8 year old said, ‘Mom, I want to play tennis now.’ This opened up a whole new sport for them.”

Thank you Ft. Bragg!