Details are to come in an exclusive story on Tenniswire.org in April, but the reason for the effort is simple: There was no set track to see kids grow from in-school and after-school programming to high school and college as a transition into adulthoood. There was no bridge from pre-teen to Adult Leagues.

"We couldn't agree more," says Jason Jamison, the manager of school tennis. "We don't want to just get kids excited about the game when they're in P.E. class, we want to provide them with a pathway to continue the sport through high school and college."

Word has it that momentum for this enlightened thinking sparked during Alan Schwartz's presidency (2003-2004). Kurt Kamperman, chief of community tennis, and team turned the long-considered conundrum into an opportunity.

In less than a year the community tennis clan rehauled the schools program by creating a new P.E. curriculum; developed after-school initiatives; instituted a no-cut coaching endeavor for high school tennis; customized solutions with communities through outreach and advocacy; and promoted club tennis at colleges.

The work isn't done--it's a process.

Seen on late-night cable...

"Prince of Tennis" is a Japanese anime cartoon whose main character, Echizen Ryoma, is a high school star. He is successful on court, but his biggest battle is striking beyond the shadow of his father--a former pro. The cartoon got its start in 2001, but made its debut to American audiences on The Cartoon Network on Dec. 23. Check it out:
- POT page on Anime News Network
- POT page on Anime Chains
- POT page on Tokyo TV (Japanese)

You may recall that the 41-year-old company, which introduced the first all-leather tennis shoe, went into ballistic growth mode in the late 1990s when it jumped into streetwear; the stock tripled in 1999 alone. Since that time, foreign sales have continued to escalate and the U.S. market has shrunk. In fact, the company anticipates a 30% drop in domestic sales for 2007.

The addition of the blond bombshell--supported by TV and print ads--is likely an attempt to boost "soft" domestic sales. It's no detraction from the company's street cred, and could serve to expose that demographic to tennis.

The Kournikova announcement came one day after K- Swiss announced a collaboration with South Africa's "urban culture icon" DJ Fresh. The deal is touted by Music Industry Online as "guaranteed to make 2007 an epic year for each of these hip hop heavyweights."

If K-Swiss can be considered a 'hip hop heavyweight' and retain its connection to tennis, the sport could bridge a major gap.

The Kournikova deal seems a natural: Both she and the brand share tennis as their claims to fame that delivered them to a wider audience and dividends.