By Steve Seepersaud
Could tennis be a difference maker in the life of a kid from a troubled neighborhood? ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ's tennis teams and several alumni-led nonprofits feel it's worth a shot.
The Tennis Charities of Binghamton run Game, Set, Grow in partnership with the Bearcat men's and women's tennis squads, providing opportunities for middle school students across New York state to visit Binghamton to play tennis, tour ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ and SUNY Broome ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ College, watch college tennis, and gain early exposure to college life and athletics, seeing the possibilities both can offer.
Now in its second year, Game, Set, Grow recently welcomed 35 kids to the Lane-Starke Tennis Center in Binghamton, where they had court time with both Bearcat teams, attended a banquet at which student-athletes spoke about getting ready for college, toured the School of Management, and did hands-on physics experiments.
The majority of the funding for Game, Set Grow! comes from the Schorr Family Foundation, led by Lawrence Schorr '75, MA '77, LLD '09, and his wife Jennifer Brink Schorr, MBA '81. The organization covers food and lodging for all participants.
Joe Ceriello '94, executive director of Kings County Tennis League (KCTL), says Game, Set, Grow has been an incredible opportunity and partnership for his organization.
"Thanks to [men's coach Nick Ziezula] and the team at Binghamton, our kids have been able to experience collegiate-level tennis, paired with the importance of using sport to better the community, and ultimately the world," Ceriello said. "The inspiration from the Binghamton team is hard to match as, under Nick's guidance, each member serves as a role model for our kids on and off the court. Our kids come back wanting to play better and have the understanding of the work needed to put into the sport to garner better results."
Lila Boukarim '25, education coordinator for Albany-based 15-LOVE, says Game, Set, Grow sparks excitement in students about their academic and athletic futures. She says the recent trip showed clear and motivating reasons to work hard and set goals.
"As a recent Binghamton graduate, and a former 15-LOVE participant, it was an honor to chaperone this trip and support our students as they experienced and grew to love a place that means so much to me," Boukarim said. "[Participants] had the chance to play tennis with the student-athletes, ask questions about their college experiences, then watch the men’s team play a match, seeing an incredible level of tennis up close.
"After each player finished, the students met them in awe with Sharpies and tennis balls to ask for autographs," she said. "But what made that moment so powerful was that they weren't just asking for autographs from athletes they admired from a distance, they were asking the same athletes who played tennis with them that morning, or reassured them the night before that it was okay to switch majors if they didn’t know what to study."
"We are off to a great start," Ceriello said. "It would be a dream to have a KCTL player make the Binghamton team one day!"