This summer Lee will host its 21st annual Kay McDaniel Summer Tennis Clinic. The clinic will be held June 4-8 at Lee’s tennis courts. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from former world-ranked professional tennis player, McDaniel, the director, and her capable staff of instructors.

“I have extraordinary instructors who faithfully teach at my clinics,” said McDaniel. “Every year, 35 enthusiastic instructors come to serve tennis and the love of God to Kay’s Kids.”

The clinic will accept 350 children and it already has 300 participants enrolled. The ages for participants are 6-13 ranging in all skill levels.

McDaniel shares inspiring stories of how she overcame difficult obstacles in sports and in life. From age eleven she dreamed of becoming a professional tennis player. Her first tennis racquet was a Green Stamp racket which McDaniel collected over 10,000 stamps to obtain. Her mother sewed all her tennis clothes until age fifteen when top sponsors, such as Fila, Adidas, TAIL and Nike sponsored her tennis career.

An early setback for McDaniel was the death of her tennis coach, and later an injury threatened her pro career until God miraculously healed it. McDaniel went on to realize her dream by competing at tennis’ Grand Slams for six years against legendary players such as Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, and Steffi Graf. She rose to the top 35 in the world in singles and held a #20 world ranking in doubles.

McDaniel, an assistant professor at Lee in the health and exercise science and secondary education department, hopes to inspire greatness in all her participants. Her tennis clinic receives rave reviews from parents and kids alike. Over 20 cities will be represented in McDaniel’s tennis clinics this year.

“I love that Ms. K visits each court to share her talent and advice to the kids up close and personal,” said one participant’s parent. “She makes herself so accessible. My son really looks up to her and her great choice of junior instructors!”

Prizes such as t-shirts, medals, tennis grips, sweatbands, tennis visors, water bottles, tennis magazines and string dampeners will be given out during the week. At the exciting award’s event on the last day of the tennis clinic, one boy will receive a tennis racquet and one girl will receive a tennis skirt that McDaniel wore when she was playing professional tennis.

This year’s theme is based on the story of Noah and Hebrews 11:7. McDaniel will share that Noah showed us that the words “it’s never been done before” should never stop us from doing what God asks of us. That is the lesson McDaniel hopes to teach at the clinic. McDaniel stated that each year the clinic emphasizes “dreaming big, setting small goals, believing God, expecting obstacles but pressing through them all.”

Another parent raved, “Ms. K selects such unique themes each year and I marvel how she interweaves it throughout the camps, with instructors, and with her stories. This camp is just fantastic!”

The clinic is free, but space is limited. For more information and the registration form please visit http://kaymcdanieltennisclinics.websterz.com.