Free USTA tennis, Take 2 - THE GAME OF MY LIFE by Bill Velasco

There’s a saying that goes "If you can’t bring Muhammad to the mountain, bring the mountain to Muhammad."

Well, Muhammad, old boy, the mountain is coming back.

After the success of last year’s free tennis clinics in the Philippines, United States Tennis Association member Elmer Dolera is coming back to give more. Last year, with the help of The STAR, Dolera and United States Professional Tennis Association teaching pro Ted Sayrahder leap-frogged all over the country to give free tennis clinics all over the Philippines. Their success was chronicled by PinoyCityUsa.com, one of the top Filipino websites based in the United States. For his efforts, Dolera was given an Outstanding Pinoy of the month citation.

"Elmer Dolera’s Philippine tennis adventures uplifted Filipino morale and pride through sports participation in locations that included Puerto Princesa, Boracay, Cebu, Dumaguete City, Tacloban City and Tagbilaran City. They were welcomed with such enthusiasm that even some groups created large signs to greet them on their arrival. He was able to touch the lives of students starting from elementary age up to adulthood," the site declared.

"The good news is that we’re coming back," stated a proud Dolera in an exclusive e-mail to The STAR. "Now, we’ve been able to find sponsors who will help us around the country, and we hope to do this more frequently."

On May 9, Dolera will be at the Plantation Bay in Mactan, Cebu, for clinics from the 10th to the 15th before moving on to Tagbilaran, Bohol from the 19th to the 23rd. The latter trip will be of special significance to Dolera, who was born in nearby Tubigon before his family migrated to Salinas in California. The clinics will be absolutely free of charge. Sponsors provide for travel expenses, host tennis clubs provide food and accommodations, Dolera and company provide the know-how.

What is commendable about Dolera’s efforts is that he does not pick and choose. Last year, he and Sayrahder hopped all over Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao, thanks to their sponsors. Given the recent political events, he was bent on going, no matter what. Dolera was again named Outstanding Pinoy of PinoyCityUsa.com for the month of February, 2001.

Sayrahder, by the way, is the manager and tennis director of the Forest Crest Tennis Club in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. He is certified by both The United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) and the United States Professional Tennis Registry (USPTR), and conducts regional tests for those who wish to become USPTA teaching pros. He and Dolera will be accompanied by Glenn Delaney, who has been a teaching professional for over 20 years and is certified as a professional in the USPTA & PTA. Delaney is one of the leading professionals in the Pacific Northwest when it comes to working with junior players 10 years old and under.

Not just a few observers have noted how Philippine tennis gradually declined from a high in the middle to late 1980’s. Although we have occasionally attained some measure of success, the bottom line is that accomplishments in the sport have been spotty. One problem is the extremely high cost of travel, adversely affected by the one-sided peso-dollar exchange rate. While players from Japan and Thailand have been going to the US and Europe to raise their games, many of our players find their hands tied, more so since Congress slashed the Philippine Sports Commission’s budget.

Fortunately for Dolera, Philippine Airlines, Wilson Sporting Goods and WS Sports have generously come to the rescue once again. Last year’s grueling schedule was an eye-opener for the group, which is why they’ve come back. They realize how much of a difference they’ve made, and are going to keep on finding a way to give tennis in the Philippines good service.