Youth gets an intro to tennis at Glendale

SOUTHEAST GLENDALE — There are better places for Katie Poblano to be than at a shopping mall.

Take a local tennis court, for example. It’s a haven for the 8-year-old Glendale resident to sharpen her skills, even during the hot summer days.

“I don’t like to shop,” said Poblano, who will enter the fourth grade at Fremont Elementary School in the fall. “I’m more into sports.

“I need to get more active, and this is a good way to do that.”

Poblano is one of 42 participants who has flocked to Glendale High to take part in a six-week program that’s been put on by the LA84 Foundation, in conjunction with the Southern California Tennis Assn. and the National Junior Tennis League. The clinic, geared for those who can’t afford tennis lessons or camp, runs through Aug. 14 and provides valuable opportunities to learn basic skills for just $10.

For 10 minutes, Poblano returned forehand and backhand shots after having completed serving and running drills.

“My dad got me into tennis, so I played with him a lot,” Poblano said. “Here, it’s good to be able to [get people] playing the sport who don’t always get to play it. I love hitting the ball and serving.”

Poblano was joined by a slew of other participants, including Nick Alaimo of Glendale.

Alaimo, 9, said he wanted to learn another sport. Tennis proved to be his latest endeavor.

“I like to play sports a lot, and baseball is my favorite sport,” Alaimo said. “I wanted to give tennis a try.

“I like hitting the ball because it feels like you have power. You can try new things here, and it doesn’t take a long time. It’s something I want to keep doing.”

Under the guidance of camp Coach Ron Zambrano, who is the tennis professional at Fremont Tennis Center, the participants can master certain skills.

Zambrano, who also coaches the St. Francis High and Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy tennis teams, said the price is right to teach the campers.

“Some camps can cost $150 or more,” said Zambrano, who led St. Francis to a third-place finish in the Mission League before advancing to the CIF Southern Section Division I playoffs last May. “Here, you get around 40 kids exposed to tennis at a cost of $10 for six weeks and they can learn a few things.

“You can get more attention here on skills. The goal is to give them a little more athleticism. We change the drills up about every 10 minutes. It’s based on fun, and we want to keep it fun so that they come back again.”

The camp features two separate sessions. Sessions held Monday and Wednesday are geared for those between the ages of 6-12. Tuesday and Thursday meetings are designed for ages 10-18. Most campers are from Glendale.

Reggie Perry helped coordinate Glendale to be among more than 50 sites across Southern California to host the program. After several years of trying to develop a local tie, Perry succeeded.

“Glendale is a hot bed for tennis,” said Perry, a Glendale native. “We wanted to get it going, and we were able to get it off the ground.

“It’s a chance for the kids to learn about tennis.”

Perry said the supplies, such as racquets and balls, are paid for by the SCTA.

Similar camps are being held from Los Angeles to Oxnard to Twentynine Palms. A closing ceremony will be held at each site.

 CHARLES RICH covers sports. He can be reached at (818) 637-3228 or charles.rich@latimes.com.