Two young tennis players from Greenville are headed to a tennis camp in New Orleans next week to work on not just their tennis games but also how to be future leaders.
Zara Washington, of Greenville High, and Michael Columbus, of St. Joseph Catholic School, are participating in the 2024 National Junior Tennis League (NJTL) Regional Leadership Camp, hosted by the United States Tennis Association (USTA). The camp will be held in New Orleans,from June 13-16.
Zara and Michael were selected by local USTA director, Mr. Birlette Jelks.
The two will be chaperoned by Greenville High School tennis coach Jaslyn Barrow.
“They will get to do a lot in New Orleans,” Coach Jelks said. “They will check out tennis programs in the area like the Tulane tennis program. They will also learn about being leaders in community and will participate in tennis events.”
Coach Barrow is a former student of Coach Jelks and she attended many similar tennis camps in her youth. She later played four years of tennis at Tougallo College in Jackson.
“I am very excited about going with them because they get to experience a new environment with a diversity of players. I have gone to a leadership camp at the University of Mississippi Ole Miss at Jackson State and one in Denver, Colorado. At these camps, I learned different strategies for playing tennis and for living a disciplined life. Tennis and life tied go hand and hand,” she said.
