UB Women’s Tennis A Big Hit With Middle School Students

BUFFALO, NY – Prior to their home weekend against Niagara, the University at Buffalo Women's Tennis team took some time to give back to the Buffalo community by working with students from the West Minster Community Charter School. The clinic was co-sponsored by the tennis team and the Buffalo Niagara Tennis Club, which provided all the equipment for the event.

As part of the Excellence in the Community category for the Bulls Pride Challenge, the Women's Tennis team decided to share their love for tennis with middle school students. During their time with the middle school students, the Women's Tennis team taught the basics of tennis and shared helpful tips about healthy living.

"This project was a great opportunity to serve the community," said junior Anamaria Candanoza, who helped set this event up. "We did our best to make this project an unforgettable experience for the kids. These kids not only learned about tennis, but also learned the importance of eating healthy and exercising."

Another benefit to this opportunity was introducing the idea of college athletics to middle school students. "For us, it was a pleasure to share our experiences with younger kids who will hopefully follow in our steps and one day represent UB," senior Tamara Markovic said.

By the time it was all over, everyone had learned a little bit more about tennis and knew a few more ways to be healthier.

"It was great to see the students from Buffalo Promise Neighborhood (BPN) benefit from the opportunity to be coached by Division I student athletes and by a former Mid-American Conference Champion recipient, Ms. Kristen Ortman who is now the head coach of the women's tennis team," said Marck Abraham, a school counselor at Westminster and former UB Football player. "Our students learned the importance of daily exercise, diet and education.  They also learned and participated in the fundamentals of tennis."

This project is just one of the many that the UB student-athletes are involved in throughout the year around the community.