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Photo by Richard Gwin

Seventeen-year-old Jenny Lowen returns a serve during a recent practice at Free State High School.

Photo by Richard Gwin

Ivy Herndon 7, left, and Cameryn Thomas 8, dip into a Wimbledon tradition — strawberries and cream. The two were sharpening their skills during a practice at Free State High School.

When Kirsty Elliott was 5 years old, she fell in love. The culprit: a lime green ball and a racket. Elliott’s longest relationship, excluding that of her parents, has been with tennis.

Her parents introduced her to the sport as a way of making friends and staying fit.

“They said it was a wonderful sport to socialize with,” Elliott says. “They didn’t introduce me to tennis because they thought I was going to make it a profession or use it to pay for my college education.”

But that’s what Elliott did. Growing up, she lived on three continents: Africa, Europe and North America. She managed to infiltrate the elite tennis circuits of all three.

At one point, when Elliott was 12 and living in London, she was selected to train for Wimbledon, the world’s oldest and most respected tennis championship, which launches its tournament this week. But her parents plucked her from the national training squad by deciding to move back to South Africa.

Elliott was disappointed but just clutched her racket tighter and managed to again become one of the topped-ranked juniors in the country. It seemed no matter the location, the language or the culture, Elliott could make sense of things by picking up a racket and smacking a tennis ball.

So when Elliott, who now has two children, ages 5 and 7, of her own, moved to Lawrence three years ago, she joined the Lawrence Tennis Association. Chosen to be junior director, she quickly focused on breathing life into local youth tennis.

Elliott’s done well for herself — and for Lawrence. Before she came here, there wasn’t a junior league. During Elliott’s first year, 25 teens became involved. Now more than 100 play.

“What I’m really excited about ... is the kids aren’t just learning how to compete against each other, but they’re also making friends,” says Elliott. “These kids play against each other, and obviously one of them loses, and they still want to get together and practice.”

Right now, there’s a lot of interest in youth tennis. The program has swelled so quickly, in fact, Elliott had to recruit help. So she asked Mary Pellett, who coaches girls tennis at Central Junior High School, to get involved.

“It’s been really fantastic,” Pellet says. “In the summer mornings from 9 to 12, all of the courts at Free State and Southwest Junior High are full with kids playing tennis.”

LTA serves more than youth tennis. Board members organize matches and tournaments for adults, too.

“We are an association that strives to promote tennis in the community and surrounding areas to all ages,” says Tom Stutz, an LTA member. “We have leagues, both adult and youth. We have mixers. But mainly, we play and have a good time.”

One area that isn’t growing as fast as the others, though, is women’s social tennis. Right now about 15 women play. But Elliott overseas that group, too, and if her past provides a hint as at what the future holds, the group’s health and size will improve with time.

And there are plenty of women in Lawrence interested in tennis. Lisa Zink has been playing with LTA for three years. A recreational player, she started the sport to spice up her exercise routine.

“I think everyone’s experience with tennis falls into different categories,” says Zink. “Some start very young. Then there are the people like me who have goofed around with whoever, hitting balls back and forth.”

With no formal training in tennis, Zink met Elliott and started taking lessons. The lessons didn’t just improve her skill level. They enhanced her excitement about the sport, an excitement that’s permeating lots of Lawrence residents.

Tennis is alive and well in Lawrence, says Elliott. Alive enough to keep her busy scrambling to the courts to teach lessons, hit balls and organize matches.

This week, though, when Wimbledon debuts, Elliott, who nearly busted into the prestigious tournament herself, will take time to watch.

“For a while I used to get pretty depressed every time it came on,” Elliott says. “It’s just the one tournament I would have liked to play in, and I was so close. But ah. C’est la vie. That’s life. I’m happy where I am, and I’m enjoying what I do.”