Stay focused, don’t be nervous, communicate and understand team work; all essential tenets required of the 600 registered participants that showed up for the 2011 U.S. Open ball person tryouts at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
On a dreary day in Flushing, the massive turnout, representing a 25 percent increase in participation, wrapped around the Indoor Tennis Center. The tryout was open to ages 14 and older but was flooded with young adolescence in search of the coolest summer job around. The mood was tense during the waiting process as most first time would-be ball people did not know what to expect.
“It would be a great status update for my Facebook page if I made it,” said Mike Rubin, 16, before his first ever tryout.
Reporter and webmaster for The Queens Courier, Billy Rennison participated in the U.S. Open media tryout modeled after the same ball retrieval drills and cross-court throwing drills that are required from the pros.
Judged by Danny Casesa, USTA ballperson supervisor, Rennison received a high rating based on speed around the net and accuracy from his long-distance throws (a good throw is received on one bounce).
According to Tina Tapps, manager of tennis programs at the USTA National Tennis Center and US Open director of ballpersons, only 80 people will be chosen to collect balls and keep the pace moving at this year’s U.S. Open that begins that the end of August. For stand out participants, 20 will be net collectors. For others, 60 will be on the back line.
“There is a huge growth factor and a lot of great values these adolescence can learn,” said Tapps, who described the work of a ballperson as “not as easy as it looks.”
After the first round of cuts, those that shined the brightest will receive notification of a second tryout in July.
“There are a lot of people here so you never know,” said Jason D’haiti, 17, from Flushing. “I just have to work hard.”
