To promote and develop tennis in Virginia.

Virginia Wheelchair Tennis Players in the Nation’s Capital

It was USTA Day on the Hill on Thursday May 10th. A large group of tennis players climbed up or rolled up Capitol Hill to meet with legislators and their staff members. The USTA members were organized into small groups to visit with legislators. The purpose of the visit was to create an awareness among senators and representatives of how much USTA is doing in their communities to encourage their constituents to play tennis and to create a pathway for young tennis players to learn a healthy activity, compete, improve their tennis skills and their life skills.

There were eight in our group, including three wheelchair tennis players. Valeria Reyes-Chian is from Fairfax, VA and a freshman at Chantilly High School. Valeria made a splash when she became the only wheelchair tennis player in Virginia to play on a varsity high school tennis team. Bruce Patton, from Richmond, VA, is a veteran of the Viet Nam War and has played wheelchair tennis for more than twenty-five years. Steve Bobadilla is from Rockville, MD and is a junior at Montgomery College. All three players play in wheelchair tennis tournaments and are wonderful role models for people with different abilities. Valeria and Steve were accompanied by their fathers, German and Victor.

The group also included Rod Dulany, the executive director of USTA/MidAtlantic Section, as well as Joe Grover, president of the Richmond Tennis Association, and Shima Grover, co-chair of the Virginia Wheelchair Tennis Committee. It was a chilly and windy day, and the Rayburn and Cannon House Office Buildings were fortunately connected by an underground passage. The transition to the Dirksen Senate Office Building for lunch at the cafeteria took us around the Capitol Building and the Supreme Court on what seemed to be a continuously up-hill sidewalk that gave both wheelchair and able bodied tennis players a workout. During an early morning orientation meeting, the USTA participants were advised that we may be meeting with legislators’ aides. All of the aides we met were well informed and efficient. At Representative James Langevin’s office we first met with Ms. Kirtley Fisher but were surprised and pleased to be invited into Representative Langevin’s room for a photo op with the Mr. Langevin himself. Representative Langevin (D-RI) was paralyzed as the result of a shooting accident at age sixteen. He navigates using a motorized wheelchair.

We also met with congressional aides for Representatives Nick Rahall (D-WV), Andy Harris (R-MD) and Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Michael Enzi (R-WY) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA). We all enjoyed meeting congressmen and talking to them about the sport we love. Our “ask” was not for funds but for the legislators to join the recently formed Tennis Caucus and to actively support tennis through appearances and statements.