2009 Bank of the West Classic Hosts Kids Day
STANFORD, Calif. (www.BankOfTheWestClassic.com) – Four hundred children attended Kids Day at the 2009 Bank of the West Classic Monday morning at Arillaga Plaza in the Taube Family Tennis Center. The elementary school age youth came from around the Bay Area and all received transportation to and from the tournament as well as admittance to the first match of the day. The event was sponsored by USTA Norcal and Round Table Pizza.
The group participated in Kids Town Hall, an interactive panel and Q&A session consisting of twelve panelists with a variety of sports-related backgrounds. The discussion centered on the obstacles panelists overcame to achieve success and the important role sports played in their lives. The panel included three U.S. competitors in this year’s Bank of the West Classic doubles draw: Carly Gullickson, Laura Granville, and Jill Craybas.
Other panelists included: Jim Otto, retired Oakland Raider; Bryant Young, retired San Francisco 49er; Don Johnson, member of the Tennis Hall of Fame; Natalie Dillon, Stanford University student receiving grant money from the USTA; Brooke Workeneh, junior tennis player receiving development money from the USTA; Craig Pasqua, Chair of the USTA Norcal Diversity Committee; and Ken Harper, Founder of Harper for Kids. Brothers and Oakland residents, Laurence and Joshua Atkins, age eleven and nine, also participated on the panel and provided a younger perspective.
The Bank of the West mascot, a golden bear, made an appearance at the end of the event and posed for pictures.
ABOUT THE BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC: The Bank of the West Classic is the longest-running women-only professional tennis tournament in the world and is the first stop of the Olympus US Open Series. A Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Premier event, the Bank of the West Classic features a 32-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw with total prize money of $700,000. Held on Stanford University’s campus at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium since 1997, former champions include: Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Andrea Jaeger, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport and Venus Williams. The Bank of the West Classic is owned and operated by IMG.
ABOUT BANK OF THE WEST: With more than $66 billion in assets, San Francisco-based Bank of the West is one of the nation’s 25 largest banks. Founded in 1874, Bank of the West is a full-service financial institution with nearly 4 million accounts in more than 700 branch and commercial offices across 19 Western and Midwestern states.
