Ashe, King, Casals Memorabilia on Public sale to Profit LATF

By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Saturday, October 14, 2024

Arthur Ashe, Rosie Casals, Pancho Gonzalez and Billie Jean King are champions dedicated to a standard trigger: serving to children pursue training and tennis desires. 

Now, you possibly can personal treasured items of tennis historical past from the enduring champions—and profit the Latin American Tennis Basis’s youth packages within the course of.  

Extra: Gonzales on Gonzales

Go to the LATF’s on-line public sale this weekend to bid or peruse some priceless items of memorabilia donated by Corridor of Famers King and Casals and the households of the late Corridor of Famers Ashe and Gonzalez. 

Proceeds from the public sale profit the LATF and its founders Love & Tennis Basis and The Richard Pancho Gonzalez Youth Basis which offer tennis and teaching programs to youngsters in California.

The public sale ends on Monday, October sixteenth at 10 p.m. MST.

Organizers intention to boost $100,000 from the public sale to assist fund the Latin American Tennis Basis’s tennis and teaching programs.

Among the many notable public sale gadgets accessible this weekend:

*An Arthur Ashe Journal package deal that includes the tennis trailblazer on the covers of Sports activities Illustrated and Tennis Journal.

*A doubles lesson taught by two-time Corridor of Famer Rosie Casals. This gives the successful bidder the prospect to hit balls with Corridor of Famer Rosie Casals and in addition take pleasure in a 90-minute doubles clinic with three of your folks at Indian Ridge Nation Membership in Palm Desert. 

*A 3-day, two-night ticket package deal to the 2024 Argentina Open. Go to the enduring Buenos Aires Garden Tennis Membership for the event, February Twelfth-18th, 2024. The successful bidder earns field seat tickets for February 14th, fifteenth, and sixteenth and the package deal contains two nights keep on the event’s official lodge the place the gamers keep.

*Artist LeRoy Neimen’s combined doubles art work autographed by Billie Jean King, Chrissie Evert and Stan Smith.

*Billie Jean King has donated her autographed autobiography, 2023 US Open program and art work for the public sale.  

*A bronze three-and-a-half foot Bobby Riggs sculpture of the champion by artist John Petek of Montana. One in all solely two of Petek-created Riggs’ sculptures in existence. The opposite offered within the Nineteen Nineties for $30,000, based on the public sale home. Petek additionally sculpted Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell, Muhammad Ali, and Pete Rose. John Petek was a Billings, MT native, a gifted painter and sculptor, and a nationally famend artist.

Proceeds from the public sale gadgets profit the LATF and its ongoing youth packages.

Based by former Latin tennis champion, Rosie Casals and members of the family of the legendary Pancho Gonzalez, the one champion ever inducted into the Worldwide Tennis Corridor of Fame whereas nonetheless an lively participant, LATF gives alternatives to Latin People of all ages

LATF present excessive efficiency coaching and scholarships to junior opponents who qualify by way of an software course of. The LATF mission assertion is to “provide instructional and mentor packages, tennis clinics, aggressive tournaments, and group occasions in partnership with different Latino-focused group organizations to develop consciousness of the game among the many Latin American group.” 
 

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“The Basis has helped present teaching to loads of children and in addition aggressive gamers needing monetary help to journey and compete,” Greg Gonzales, nephew of Pancho Gonzalez, and Co-Founder and Vice President of the Richard Gonzalez Youth Basis informed Tennis Now. “We ask tennis followers: please assist our Youth Improvement Fund to provide these children good actions.

“You may donate straight or go to the public sale and place a bid figuring out your donation or bid goes to assist our youngsters. Thanks for serving to.”

The Wisconsin women’ highschool tennis workforce, a squad comprised primarily of kids of Mexican farm employees pictured above, are among the many gamers who the LATF have labored with and mentored by way of its packages.

Picture credit: LATF