Nearly four decades of free youth tennis in Portland — built one summer camp, one racquet, and one kid at a time.
Growing up in Portland, Don Johnson and Andre St. James filled their days with baseball and basketball — tennis was simply out of reach. "We couldn't play tennis. We couldn't afford to play tennis," Johnson recalled. There were no courts, no coaches, no way in.
Johnson finally learned the game while serving in the military in the mid-1970s, and he learned it fast — by 1979 he was back home and winning tournaments. But even into the 1980s, kids in Northeast Portland had almost no path to the sport. So in 1987, he and St. James launched Kids N' Tennis: a free camp at Irving Park, in the heart of Portland's African American community.
The idea was simple and radical at once — give kids of color and kids from low-income families the same quality coaching that private clubs offered, so they could thrive, compete, and even earn tennis scholarships. After that first camp, the kids wanted more. With backing from the USTA and community leaders, Kids N' Tennis earned its 501(c)(3) status in 1992 — and never looked back.
Portland Tennis Courterly traces our roots and the rise of the Juneteenth Classic — the recreational tournament Kids N' Tennis launched in 2004 that's grown into one of the most beloved in the city, and a vital celebration of community, camaraderie, and the game.
By Tyler Pell · Portland Tennis Courterly
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