{
  "id": 16998796,
  "title": "Middle school tennis league marks 30 years",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/middle-school-tennis-league-marks-30-years",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-29T03:07:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/middle-school-tennis-league-marks-030700394.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 1995, the United States had a Democratic president, Bill Clinton, while New Mexico was governed by Democrat Gary Johnson. The Academy Award for Best Picture in that year went to \"Forrest Gump,\" starring Hanks. Tennis stars Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf were dominating the game, with Sampras winning Wimbledon that year.\n\nBack in Albuquerque, junior tennis programs at the high school level were struggling. Sue Jollensten, a former top junior player in the 1960s, recognized this issue. She had seen the benefits of representing her school through tennis, but there was no girls team at Del Norte High School and no middle school (junior high) tennis program at all. With assistance from La Cueva High School coach Dick Johnson, club pro Gary Stansifer, and other tennis enthusiasts, Jollensten founded the Northern New Mexico Middle-School Tennis League in 1996.\n\nThis pioneering effort was driven by Jollensten's determination, as reported by Cee Ann Vaughan, the USTA's northern New Mexico representative at the time. She recalls Jollensten's persistence: \"She didn't take no for an answer. She said, ‘Well, we've got all these kids. Let's get them playing tennis.''' As a result, the league began with six teams and around 100 participants in its inaugural year, growing significantly over the years.\n\nCurrently, the league serves over 300 students, featuring teams from Albuquerque's Los Alamos, Santa Fe, and Belen schools. The program has helped young players like Jollensten, who grew up playing tennis, and kids who were new to the sport. The league introduced the Coed Mix-and-Match Division to accommodate both male and female players of varying skill levels, allowing them to compete fairly against each other.\n\nAlthough not affiliated with the New Mexico Athletic Association, the Middle-School Tennis League has positively impacted high school tennis programs. Some former league participants, like Loryn Erikkson and Delila Baldonado, went on to play tennis in high school. The league's vision remains intact, with the hope that young players will continue to enjoy tennis throughout their lives, as Jollensten and Vaughan emphasize its value as a lifelong sport.",
  "summary": "The year was 1995. Bill Clinton was the president of the United States, Gary Johnson was the governor of New Mexico and “Forrest Gump” won the Oscar for best picture. Pete Sampras and Steffi Graf won at Wimbledon. Meanwhile, in Albuquerque, junior tennis was not holding serve. The city’s high school programs were feeling the effects. Few kids other than those who’d grown up with the sport, at ...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}