I’ve played competitive tennis for many years, but my most memorable experience wasn’t at a tournament—it was on the courts during an inclusive tennis clinic I organized with Special Olympics Massachusetts alongside "Lets Tennis," a free platform I created that enables competitive tennis players to coach and mentor anyone wanting to get started. On a clear, sunny day, we gathered at my school, Roxbury Latin, on its beautiful tennis courts for a day of forehands, backhands, and every other shot in between.

Trying out a sport can be challenging for anyone, but it is even harder for people who have intellectual disabilities. Tennis is no exception to this and there are many barriers with finding coaches, courts, equipment and the right support. That afternoon, our goal was simple: remove those barriers. My friends and I, all competitive tennis players—Alexander Fine, Collin Hwang (Newton North), Eric Archerman, Alan Archerman (Roxbury Latin), Grant Fan (Milton Academy)—paired up with Special Olympics athletes one-on-one, offering encouragement, celebrating every connection with the ball, and adapting drills to meet each player’s needs.

Many of these athletes were new to tennis, but at the end of the day, it was clear that they all enjoyed participating in a new sport and gained confidence to pick up a racquet next time. It was truly a very humbling experience for us volunteers as well.

We saw how meaningful it was for these athletes to be given access to a new sport, and the many possible opportunities in the future for them.

The cause of sports equity is very meaningful to me because I have personally experienced the impactful benefits that sports can have on and off the court. That’s why I created letstennis.org, which partnered with Special Olympics for this clinic. This program positively contributes to lifelong health, both mental and physical, and can truly be an equalizer for all communities.

Special Olympics is an extraordinary and impactful organization to promote equity and inclusion in sports. Partnerships like what Lets Tennis has with Special Olympics bring our missions to life. Sports equity cannot be a one day effort, and hence we plan to stay connected with  Special Olympics and the athletes to continue supporting them in their tennis journey.

This story was contributed by Sid Chalamalasetty (Junior, Roxbury Latin).