Tennis / Chris J. Parker : Olympics Left a Golden Legacy for Youths

Medals awarded at the 1984 Summer Olympics in tennis--a demonstration sport--carried nothing but symbolic value. But the money generated from the Games has gilded programs for Southern California youth players.

Of the $230 million in profit generated by the L. A. Games, $90 million was earmarked for the Amateur Athletic Foundation of Los Angeles, a nonprofit organization that supplies grants to more than 200 programs.

Among the AAF’s most successful programs is the National Junior Tennis League of Southern California, a summer instructional program organized by the Southern California Tennis Assn. that introduces youngsters to tennis. About 4,800 youngsters will participate this summer at 90 Southern California sites, including 10 Valley-area locations. Among those participating in the program is the Studio City Recreation Center, Val Verde Park in Saugus, the Victory-Vineland Recreation Center in North Hollywood and Lanark Park in Canoga Park.

The program starts Monday and lasts six weeks. For $5, participants receive eight hours of tennis instruction, a T-shirt, a ticket to the Volvo Tennis/Los Angeles Men’s Championship in September and--if needed--a racquet.

“We’re trying to focus on positive teaching experiences and learning experiences as well as competition,” said Elaine Beachey, the AAF grant associate who works with the SCTA. “This is a good way to reach so many youths.”

The program has boomed since its inception six years ago, when the NJTL of Southern California served 300 youth players, aged 8 to 18, at eight locations. AAF sponsorship, along with the backing of more than 150 corporate donors such as Transamerica and Unocal, has made the Southern California NJTL chapter the second largest among the nation’s 220 locals.

“It has grown as people find out about it, and the sponsors have been coming to us,” said program director Amy Gibbons, who added that the program is especially geared for underprivileged youngsters. “The goal is to introduce tennis to kids who might not have had a chance. We don’t want to confuse it with a country club. There’s not a lot of individual lessons, but for the price, you can’t beat it.”

The program kicks off today with ceremonies at Salazar Park in East Los Angeles featuring former Wimbledon champions Jack Kramer and Alex Olmedo.

Information: (213) 208-3838.

Quick learner: Ron Tosches sold himself short at the Spirit of Independence tournament at Cal State Northridge last week. He hoped to avoid embarrassment and expected an early departure.

But the former Cleveland High football player and All-City Section wrestler advanced to Monday’s final of the Men’s A Division singles, losing to Leon December of Encino, 6-3, 6-3.

“I was really surprised. I just went there to meet people that were better than me,” said Tosches, who has been playing for two years and taking lessons for only three months.

“I didn’t even think I’d win in the first round. That was the hook, I said that if I won one match, I’d be happy.”

Tosches, 31, won three straight-set matches before losing to December.

Doubling up: Barry Horowitz of Woodland Hills was the only double winner at the CSUN tournament, the second stop in the Chrysler California Tennis Series.

Horowitz won the B+ singles title, beating Palmdale’s Emery Nyaki, 6-0, 6-1, then teamed with Masake Latu of Gardena to win the men’s doubles championship.

Burbank’s Kathy Kelly beat Marilynne Rosen, 6-2, 6-2, in the women’s B final to win her second consecutive Chrysler tournament.

Openings: Entries are still being taken for the 18th Thousand Oaks Racquet Club Junior Tennis Championships. The tournament, which runs July 25-30, is open to boys’ and girls’ singles and doubles players aged 12 to 18.

Information: (805) 495-0437.

Add juniors: More than 100 Southern California juniors are expected to compete in the weeklong USTA National Hardcourt Championships starting Sunday at several Northern California sites. Seven entrants are from the Valley area.

Glendale’s Frank Salazar will compete in the boys’ 18-and-under division in Burlingame, and Sam Salant of Studio City will compete in the boys’ 16-and-under division in San Jose.

Three girls--Woodland Hills’ Natasha Pospich, Northridge’s Alisha Portnoy and Thousand Oaks’ Kristin Smith--will compete in the 16-and-under division in San Jose. Stacy Jellen (14-and-under) of Calabasas will compete in San Rafael, and Northridge’s Meilen Tu (12-and-under) will compete in Mountain View.