Budding Kailua Athlete Off To D.C. Tennis Leaders’ Camp

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Taylor Pitner keeps her eye on the ball during a recent practice session. Photo by Nathalie Walker, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

When 12-year old Kailuan Taylor Pitner recently learned she had been selected to attend a United States Tennis Leadership Camp in Washington, D.C., her interest in history naturally began to multiply.

“I keep reading about these places in books,” said Pitner, who will be a seventh-grader at Kawananakoa Middle School next month. “We’ll be going to the Lincoln Memorial, and we might visit the White House.”

Pitner is only in her second year of organized tennis, making her sudden opportunity all the more exciting. A National Junior Tennis League player through Kaneohe District Park, she was chosen “by default” to attend the Leadership Camp this Tuesday through Thursday after another player who had been selected had to turn down the offer. The camp is exclusively for youths ages 12-14 who participate in NJTL programs nationwide. The attendees were mainly selected through an application process that took into account tennis ability, sportsmanship, leadership skills and financial need. The all-expense paid weeklong trip provides tennis instruction - two to three hours a day are spent with a seasoned coaching staff - as well as an educational experience.

“This NJTL Camp fulfills Arthur Ashe’s dream of teaching America’s youth the values of humanitarianism, leadership and academic achievement,” said Barry Ford, USTA’s director of outreach and advocacy. “With the camp’s emphasis on leadership development, physical fitness, good nutrition and sportsmanship, we hope that today’s attendees will become tomorrow’s leaders.”

Among the off-the-court activities Pitner and her fellow campers will take part in will be attending a Washington Kastles World Tennis Team Match.

“I can’t wait to see Serena and Venus Williams in a pro tennis match,” said Taylor, noting that both sisters are her tennis idols.

Pitner’s parents, Wendy and Craig, played tennis, as does their youngest daughter, Brooke, now 8. The couple had signed Taylor up for tennis “just for exercise,” according to Wendy Pitner.

Not long after, longtime coach Bob Keaunui took notice of Taylor’s potential and asked to add her to his team.

“I told him I didn’t think she was ready for team tennis,” Wendy recalled with a laugh. “He told me, ‘You’ll never think she’s ready; it’s time for her to learn the basics.’ “

“I’m very excited for her,” she added of the trip. “I’ve never been to D.C. myself, and my kid is going before me!”

Taylor’s team coach is Guy Zukeran.

The USTA/NJTL Tennis Leadership Camp was created in 1984 for NJTL participants who could not otherwise afford such an opportunity. Founded in 1969 by Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell and Sheridan Snyder, the NJRL is owned and managed by the United States Tennis Association.

For her part, though she hopes to keep playing when she reaches adulthood, Taylor is “just having fun” with the sport right now.

“It’s very active, and I can run around wherever I want and hit the ball,” she explained. “It’s an exciting sport. I like it, but I haven’t been practicing a lot lately. Usually, I do practice a lot.”

Taylor, who just returned from a family vacation in California last Wednesday, was to leave for D.C. on Monday. Her trip to the nation’s capitol will mark the first time she travels by herself.

“My aunt tells me I’m being very mature in traveling by myself,” she said.