By Kimberly Blackfield

Town Crier Intern

Several local tennis players got their start with the Midpeninsula Tennis Patrons, a non-profit organization dedicated to introducing Bay Area youth to the sport.

Some of these players went from competing in MTP tournaments to playing tennis in college, including Los Altos natives Stephanie and Stacey Savides. The sisters played for rival universities: Stephanie at Stanford and Stacey at Cal.

The MTP has been helping children from Redwood City to Santa Clara learn the fundamentals of competitive tennis since 1965. The organization hosts numerous tournaments each year and runs the tennis programs at local intermediate schools. Teams at Blach and Egan junior highs and Pinewood School are guided by MTP coaches.

The MTP puts on two types of tournaments: junior novice for beginners and junior ladder play for competitive players.

The MTP’s next junior novice tournament, for those 16 and under, is scheduled for Saturday and Sunday at Los Altos High. Today is the last day to register for the tourney, which costs $10 for MTP members and $15 for nonmembers. To register, call 948-1709.

Junior ladder play is for experienced players 8-18. Players are recommended for different levels of the ladder according to ability.

“Ladder challenges by ability and (enables members) to meet other players,” said MTP staff member Jackie Monfort.

The future of the MTP looks bright, according to Monfort, as more children are taking up tennis. In fact, this spring there were more potential players than available spots at the intermediate school level.

“(Success should) go up as indicated by the number of middle school players, because many were turned down,” said Monfort.

If this trend continues, Monfort indicated that the MTP would consider adding more teams to the intermediate school program and hosting additional tournaments.