What brings International tennis pro and World TeamTennis co-founder Billie Jean King and D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray together on a Tuesday morning? The dedication of Washington Kastles’ new home, Kastles Stadium, at the Wharf.
King and Gray participated in the dedication ceremony on June 14th. King cut the ribbon, officially opening the Kastles’ new waterfront stadium. Mark Ein, owner of the Washington Kastles, hosted the ceremony. He along with Ilana Kloss, commissioner for WTT, and Monty Hoffman, President of PN Hoffman, posed for photos with King and Gray.
The first to use the new stadium were not tennis greats like Venus Williams, who is scheduled to play at Kastles Stadium July 5th. Instead, a tennis clinic was held on a QuickStart court. The participants were fourth grade students from Amidon-Bowen Elementary School, who improved their game with the help of King.
The Washington Kastles are the newest franchise of the World TeamTennis Pro league, which is a co-ed league with a unique team format. The Kastles entered the league in 2008 and captured the 2009 King Trophy in the WTT Championships. For the 2011 season, the Kastles will serve it up on some new turf, right off the waterfront.