Aug. 20, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Former Penn State tennis players and alums Lee Sponaugle, Virgil Chrisian and David LaSota along with other United State Tennis Association (USTA) members made news on Aug. 3 as they helped contribute to the QuickStart Tennis clinic held on the South Lawn of the White House. The three were involved in building eight tennis courts on the South Lawn of the White House.
The clinic, featuring the QuickStart play format, was part of the South Lawn Series, a summer-long series of events that brings local children, sports leagues and community programs to the South Lawn in support of First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" initiative to fight childhood obesity.
The QuickStart play format scales down the game of tennis for children 10-and-under, with age appropriate equipment for them including smaller courts, smaller racquets and softer tennis balls, to make the game easier to learn and more fun for the children. On the South Lawn, eight 36' QuickStart courts were set up with the children rotating from court to court with different coaches to practice different drills and tennis activities.
Christian, a 1987 graduate, currently serves as the USTA Director of Community Tennis. Christian had a stellar career as a Nittany Lion. In 1983 and 1985 he qualified for the NCAA Singles Championships.
Sponaugle, who is the Director of Corporate Accounts at Connor Sport Court International, also had a successful career at Penn State. He qualified for the NCAA Singles Championships in 1985 and 1986. Sponaugle and Christinan are two of only 15 players in the program's history to qualify for the Championships.
LaSota, a graduate in 1983, has done a lot of work around the country in designing tennis facilities. He is the founder of D.W. LaSota Engineering, Inc., a company that designs tennis facilities. He has been responsible for designing courts at private clubs, public tennis clubs and parks, educational institutions, resorts, and tournament tennis facilities and stadiums.
For more information on the QuickStart Tennis Clinic, please visit http://www.usta.com.