Evening star., 1937-04-18
ACCENT ON YOUTH IN TENNIS
Washington Shares Determination of National Experts Create
Young Players Who Will Later Lead in Americas
Designs the Davis Cup.

Smith, jr; David johnson and John
Hatch. And, following our youth 70
It's earliest stage, there are Leonard
Sokol, the boys champion, and his
colleagues-Bob Kirk, Billy Zeller,
Tom Walden and Taylor Chewing.
Right now attention should be
centered upon the first group, for il
Is those boys-all within the age range
of Is to 20, who will be Davis CUP
material within the next few years.
Not only are they all good players me-
chanlcally, but, in this observers
opinion, possessed of the enthusiasm
1or the game essential to reaching its
top. Rare was the day last Summer
When all were not to be found on some
court, practicing as much as playing.
And practice, the real student of the
game will tell you, is far more i'm
portant-and tedious-than tourna-
ment or friendly matches. Yet these
boys stuck at it, practicing on their
own faults and separate strokes as
diligently as "a Davis Cup player.
Infrequent competition against local
seniors, whom they often met by the
luck OF the draw in tournaments,
moreover revealed them only few
steps away from being able to give
their senior colleagues a real match.
None OF them could be taken lightly
by any OF the ranking seniors TODAY,
WASHINGTON has an ideal set-uo
for a Junior Davis Cup squad,
with interested officials, likely candi-
dates, and an exclusively tennis club.
Edgemoor, where coaching try-outs
and matches might be staged. Most
OF the leading juniors are members
OF Edsemoor and thus find good ex-
amples, provided by the more expert.
enced seniors, at their doorstep.
1t Is a fact that the city's older
heads are most enthusiastic about
these youngsters who, as a class, they
consider superior to the ranking
senior. Although, as mentioned, most
OF them probably would have a hard
time today beating Welsh, Hunt,
Dooly Mitchell, Hugh Lynch, Tony
Latona and others Of the first 10, it
must be remembered that the latter
are at. or past, the peak Of their
tennis lives. Though current leaders
locally, they have not done anything
to warrant national consideration
with the exception of Welsh and Hunt
and therefore must be counted out
of the coming acknowledgements pro-
gram.
Players like Ritzenberg, March,
Channlng. Adair, Turner, Smith,
johnson and Hatch, on the other
hand, have yet to attain their full
court growth, but have distinguished
themselves in their own class March,
IN particular, has had a noteworthy
career, several years ago holding a
national ranking of sixth among the
country's boy players. Ritzenberg.
however, now holds the upper hand
among the juniors and his conquest
Of March last Summer stamps him as
just as formidable in light OF the
latter's former record.
Little David johnson, Roosevelt
High School student, has impressed
practically every observer who has
| oNNAA iiiiAi pldy Will lis SlIOhSS ana
well-rounded game, and continuous
coaching by his father, who was a
good player himself, has improved
his technique 100 per cent in the
past two years. Turner benefited
himself by lessons from Tom Frydell,
one of the best professionals Wash
ington has had in recent years. be-
fore Frydell left Columbia Country
Club. The rest of the group came to
the fore last Summer after several
seasons OF threatening gestures.
Washington never has produced a
member Of Davis Cup team, although
1t can boast of the residency OF the
donor of the famous cup, Dwight
Davis, today. Who knows but that,
with the Inauguration of the junior
development program, some of the
kids you have watched grow up on
local courts may, in the not too-dis-
tant future, be wearing Uncle Sans
emblems on Davis Cup blazers?