Kelly Lamble (right) and John Lamble (second to right) play a mock quadruples tennis match with pro tennis players Leif Shiras and John-Laffnie De Jager.
Photograph by Paul Myers
Net Result
Lamble siblings represent Foothill at Siebel Open
By Rebecca Ray
Photographs by Paul Myers
John and Kelly Lamble will never forget March 1. That's when the siblings from Foothill Elementary School played tennis with professional tennis players at the Compaq Center in San Jose.
John, 9, and Kelly, 11, are two of 24 elementary students from Santa Clara County who learned tennis from the pros at the eighth annual Siebel Open Kids Day. Twelve of the students, including John and Kelly, got to play with the pros for winning an essay contest. Each winner was allowed to invite a friend to learn from the pros, too.
The Siebel Open, an annual men's professional tennis tournament, took place at the Compaq Center Feb. 25 through March 3.
Photograph by Paul Myers
Matt Fassler of the Los Gatos-Saratoga Department of Community Education and Recreation shows his support for Foothill School at the Siebel Open Kids Day on March 1.
On Kids Day, 26 schools, including Foothill, watched professional tennis players Leif Shiras from the United States, Wayne Black and Kevin Ullyett from Zimbabwe and John-Laffnie De Jager from South Africa instruct the essay contest winners and demonstrate tennis fundamentals and etiquette.
Afterward, the students were treated to a quarterfinal set between American Jan-Michael Gambill and Wayne Arthurs from Australia.
Kelly and John said that their favorite part of the event was shaking hands with the sponsors and pros. Essay contest winners were also presented with new tennis racquets.
John, who is in fourth grade, and Kelly, a fifth-grader, have competed in tennis tournaments since they were in first and second grade, respectively. They have also attended the Siebel Open with their family for the past three or four years.
Photograph by Paul Myers
Ryan Mulligan (bottom center), a third-grader at Foothill Elementary School, cheers with his classmates at the Compaq Center at the eighth annual Siebel Open Kids Day.
The students wrote essays about tennis and sportsmanship. "During the time that I have watched tennis on TV, I've noticed that certain players attract more attention than others," Kelly wrote in her essay. "These players are not the ones ranked #1. They are the ones who always try their hardest every time and display good sportsmanship."
"It doesn't matter if you lose, because you always get something out of playing," John wrote in his essay.
Tennis is more than just a spectator sport for the Lamble siblings. The brother and sister were each rated among the best in the 2001 Northern California Tennis Association rankings. Kelly was ranked #1 in the NCTA Girls 10 Open Singles group, and John was ranked #13 in the Boys 10 Open Singles division. John was the highest- ranking 9-year-old in the age group.
Mary Tembrock's fifth-grade class from Foothill also had something to be proud of. The class was the runner-up for the spirit award, behind Ruskin Elementary of San Jose. The award was given for wearing school colors, displaying school signs, being quiet when asked to be quiet and yelling when asked to be loud.
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