Shaping leaders and training tennis champions at Holla Community Center

MORVEN — Down at Holla Community Development Center they are doing more than hosting parties and providing free tutoring, they also have a decade-old thriving tennis program, the Holla Eagles Tennis Program. Lessons are provided behind the Holla Community Development Center on a regulation sized tennis court and Holla is looking for new recruits to the program.

“You got to understand I grew up idolizing Arthur Ashe. I wanted to play like Arthur Ashe,” states Leon Gatewood, founder of the non-profit organization, Holla. He credits his early admiration of Ashe with igniting his passion for tennis.

Gatewood’s partner in the Eagles Tennis Program is Alex Gaddy, another young man who grew up with big dreams inspired by the legendary Ashe.

A professional American tennis player, Ashe is known for his three Grand Slam titles in singles and two in doubles. During his storied career, Ashe was the first Black player selected to the United States Davis Cup Team. Another amazing accomplishment in Ashe’s career was being the only Black man to win the singles titles at Wimbledon, the US Open, and the Australian Open.

The Eagles Tennis Program has produced several success stories of their own, not just in tennis but also in life.

Drenre Taylor is one of Holla’s tennis success stories. Having trained under the wing of the Gaddy and Gatewood team, Taylor earned an impressive scholarship to further her education at Livingstone College, Gatewood’s alma mater.

This passion for the sport led a younger Gatewood to play tennis in high school. Gatewood was a founding member of the former Bowman High School’s [Anson High School] inaugural tennis team. Today, Gatewood looks back fondly on his memories of competing against Pinecrest High School.

“When I got to Livingstone College I’d never had a leather grip racket,” reflects Gatewood, still in awe of how that first feel of leather changed his play. Though he did not make the tennis team at Livingstone, Gatewood’s passion for tennis has never faltered.

“These kids have leather grip rackets, a tennis ball machine, just everything they need,” shares Gatewood proudly. The Eagles Tennis Program has come a long way from its humble beginnings.

At first, Holla did not have enough money to put in a full regulation size court.

“Then along came the Katie B. Reynolds trust which offered us some additional monies,” Gatewood gratefully mentions. “The (Reynolds) trust allowed us to extend the tennis court to full regulation size.”

“These kids here get free lessons, free trips… these kids have even been to the US Open in New York… free equipment and uniforms,” boasts Gatewood.

Sharing a cherished memory from the US Open trip, Gatewood exclaims, “I got to see Sloan Stevens with my own eyes!”

At only thirty-years of age, the very impressive Sloan achieved a career- best ranking score of World No. 3 after playing at Wimbledon in 2018. She also won the 2017 US Open and has won seven WTA Tour singles titles in total!

“The Eagles Tennis Program is the only tennis program in Anson County that actually trains kids how to play tennis,” remarks Gatewood. “We are open to ages 8 to 16, completely free of charge,” he adds.

“But it is not just about the athletics here,” Gaddy is quick to remind. “We focus on combining academics, literacy, and tennis. We are a member of the National Junior Tennis and Learning Facility organization, which was founded by the great Arthur Ashe and to just be a member we are required to focus on combining literacy with tennis,” shares Gaddy.

“We wouldn’t be getting any funding from any of these organizations, if we weren’t combining tutoring, the arts, and all those other things in our program, we would not be getting the funding that we get here,” informs Gaddy.

Many studies have shown a link between playing a sport and going on to be successful in life. Athletics teach endurance, perseverance to see a task through, and an appreciation for teamwork, among many other laudable character traits.

From its inception, the Holla organization has had many successful partnerships, and their tennis program has been no different.

“Where we are today, we have partnered with some of the most reputable tennis community organizations in the area. Creating partnerships is very important. We knew we couldn’t do it alone, so we were encouraged to find organizations, such as the United States Tennis Association (USTA), the government body over all of tennis in America,” mentions Gaddy, citing just one of their many prestigious partnerships in the tennis world.

“We were also fortunate to partner with the American Tennis Association, which is the oldest black sports organization in America, founded in 1914, so African Americans have a rich history of tennis, but we are not familiar with it,” laments Gaddy.

“I get excited talking about the tennis program, you gotta calm me down,” continues Gaddy, attempting to make light of his passion for the sport.

“Another one of our partners is the NC Tennis foundation (NCTF), which is based in Greensboro. Their mission is to make sure tennis is assessable to everyone around the state, especially those in under-underserved communities,” explains Gaddy.

“Which we happen to be,” interjected Gatewood, jokingly stating the obvious.

“They (NCTF) are responsible for giving our young tennis players scholarships to attend summer tennis camps at institutions such as Wake, Duke, and Davidson,” continues Gaddy, just naming a few.

“Those were overnight camps the kids were invited to attend free of charge,” adds Gatewood.

“We are not looking for a US Open Star, we believe if the young people can have enough discipline to learn how to play this hard sport, then we are doing our job and it is coinciding with literacy,” shares Gaddy.

“We use tennis as a carrot, a chance to encourage these kids to be exposed to travel. We took a trip down to Fort Lauderdale to the American Tennis Association Tournament, where we had a great time,” remembers Gaddy.

“Another organization we have teamed up with is One Love Tennis out of Wilmington, which has as its founder, Lenny Simpson. He is the youngest person, and the only black person to play US Lawn Tennis, or the US Open,” Gaddy explains, referencing a time when tennis was played on grass.The last time the US Open was played on grass occurred in 1974.

Even the pandemic could not keep the Eagles Tennis Program players off the court for long. During the pandemic. Holla was fortunate to receive a tennis ball machine, donated by United Way, so that athletes could continue practicing tennis while also practicing safe distancing.

Now that the Eagles Tennis Program’s original members are beginning to age out, Holla is looking to bring awareness to the program, and encourage new recruits.

“They sign up today, we can have them on the tennis court tomorrow,” promises Gatewood.

Being a member of the Eagles Tennis Program is free of charge and open to area youth ages 8 to 16. More information on the Eagles Tennis Program can be found on Holla’s Facebook page, their website, www.holla.ws, or by calling (704) 851-3144.