Los Cab Sports Village

2 ❘ LOS CAB LIFE ❘ JULY 2018 ● ON THE COURTS JR. REGIONALS ....................... TOP KIDS COMPETE F or nearly 40 years, Los Cab Sports Village has hosted the Southern Cali- fornia Tennis Association Junior Sectionals, and the 116th annual event was a smashing success at the club June 16-25. Nearly 1,000 boys and girls competed in divisions from 10U to 18U, as well as boys and girls 18U dou- bles, and there were a total of 1,206 matches played over the course of the largest annual junior tournament in the nation. Among the notable sto- rylines was Taylor Johnson capping her junior career with a Girls 18s champi- onship before heading to UCLA this fall and Siem Woldeab winning the Boys 18s trophies in sin- gles and doubles. "This tournament is a showcase for our out- standing Southern Califor- nia players," said SCTA Director of Junior Tennis Trevor Kronemann. "It all culminates with the Junior Sectionals. There's nothing better than witnessing the best of competition and sportsmanship among our young players." ........................................... > VISIT socaljuniortennis.com. M itch Bridge has been in- volved in tennis as a player or coach since he was old enough to hold a racquet. The former touring professional and founder of the highly regarded Jackson-Bridge Tennis Academy at Los Cab Sports Village has always been motivated by his love for the game to help others – and was re- cently recognized for his efforts with the USPTA's Orange County Coach of the Year award. "It's nice to be acknowledged, and whatever helps promote tennis is a good thing as far as I'm concerned," said Bridge, who was honored at an awards banquet in early June. "It was cool." A USPTA member since 1989 who has won 100 men's open titles as a player, the 54-year-old Long Beach resident relishes the challenge of try- ing to help young players improve their skills every day. "I enjoy working with kids and seeing the development process in junior tennis," Bridge said. "The stu- dents at Jackson-Bridge are all-in and train really hard. It's challenging but fun because you're in it together." Bridge said the key to his success has been his ability to connect with junior players. His coaching philoso- phy is simple – have as much fun as you can while working your butt off. "You can enjoy tennis and work really hard at it, too," he said. "Mak- ing the process enjoyable is very im- portant because everyone is putting in a ton of work." He said Los Cab has been the per- fect setting for his academy, which opened last year. "It's a great place to be," he said. "The ownership and management have created a really welcoming en- vironment. It's terrific to be at the right club." .......................................................... > VISIT jacksonbridgetennis.com. Tennis coach Mitch Bridge. TENNIS TITAN ■ HELPING KIDS REACH THEIR POTENTIAL HAS EARNED MITCH BRIDGE COACH OF THE YEAR HONORS

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