Deadline to apply for the largest tennis scholarship in the Midwest approaching fast
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – The deadline to apply for the Kevin Minor Legacy Fund — the largest tennis scholarship in the Midwest — is fast approaching.
The Kevin Minor Legacy Fund will award a female tennis player younger than 14 with $5,000 for training and travel.
The deadline for entry is Monday, May 1.
Kevin Minor was a leading figure in the Chicago tennis community who spent much of his life guiding and supporting young tennis players throughout the Midwest.
Bryan Smith, the director of high performance at Pearson Automotive Tennis Club in Zionsville, has been a tennis coach for over 25 years. During that span of time, he saw families struggle to pay for the sport.
“We’ve seen parents have multiple jobs. We’ve seen parents go into debt,” Smith said. “That’s when Kevin would do his best to help.”
One of the people who knew Minor best is his daughter, I-Team 8’s Jasmine Minor. Jasmine says her father coached her and her sisters to become Division I tennis players.
Brienne Minor, Jasmine’s sister, won the NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championship in 2017. She says tennis is an expensive sport.
“A lot comes with it like paying for flights, hotels, tournaments, rackets, clothes, shoes,” Brienne explained.
Jasmine echoed that sentiment, adding that money can put a barrier on who can play.
“Between the ages of eight and 18, a parent is going to spend an average of $300,000 per player,” Jasmine said. “Brienne would be in Canada playing a tournament, I’d be in Florida, and my older sister would be in California all at the same time. Who’s paying for all those flights, hotels, the tournament fees to sign up? It’s expensive.”
The Minor sisters agree that they had a fantastic support system in their father.
To honor him and continue his legacy of helping others, they started the Kevin Minor Legacy Fund to award a deserving female athlete a scholarship.
“The Kevin Minor Legacy Fund is all about giving affordability and accessibility to other young female athletes,” Jasmine said. “This means a lot to us because $5,000 is a very big deal for any player to have. We want to make sure we really pick someone special for this.”
Requirements for the scholarship include:
- Must be under 14 years of age
- Reside in the USTA/Midwest Section
- Have a Midwest Section ranking
- An eligible candidate must exhibit exceptional sportsmanship
- Achieves a GPA of 3.0 or higher
- Plans to enroll in an accredited college or university
“Kids eligible for the scholarship should send us a little two-minute video explaining why they love tennis and what it means to them,” Jasmine said.
Brienne said, “This fund can really make a difference in someone’s career. So, I think as a family, we’re going to sit down, go through all the applications, and see who is hitting the criteria and who is in the most need of the scholarship fund.”
A winner will be announced by June 1.
For more information, visit the Kevin Minor Legacy Fund website.
Click here to apply for the scholarship at the USTA Midwest Tennis & Education Foundation website.