Little MO Tennis: The Art of Sharing

One of the career thrills for many of us in the tennis world would be an invitation to join the Little MO Tennis staff. During the last decade, for this tennis professional and tennis media journalist, joining the Little MO crew has had a fantastic impression on my appreciation of the positive developmental influences that tennis offers youngsters getting into the game. Before we continue, lets learn who Little MO is. She is Maureen Connolly Brinker. In1953  she was the first woman to win the Grand Slam of tennis  winning all four major tournaments (Wimbledon, U.S. Open, French Open, and Australian Open) in the same calendar year. She is still the only American woman and the youngest (age 18) to have accomplished this tour de force. One should easily say that player Little MO was one of the best in the game. Her everlasting nickname was bestowed upon her when a San Diego sportswriter juxtaposed her powerful groundstrokes to the mighty battleship The Big Missouri.  

The Little Mo Tournament circuit, which proudly has Jersey Mikes Subs as its title sponsor are in memory of Maureen “Little Mo” Connolly Brinker, who was known for her outstanding sportsmanship on and off the court. The Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation (MCBTF) has promoted junior tennis development for over 55 years and continues to benefit countless numbers of boys and girls throughout the United States and the world.  Maureen’s daughters Cindy Brinker Simmons – President  and Brenda Brinker Bottum – Vice President of the MCBTF set the pace and share a myriad of family stories. There is an openhearted welcoming feeling when the two daughters always refer to their mother Maureen as “Mom” when speaking with the parents and the kids.

Above: Little Mo Slam Champion Vlada Hrancher. Photo credit: Your Game Face.

The year-round professional tennis staff is headed-up by Carol Weyman’s wealth of professional tennis acumen with the WTA Virgina Slims of Dallas and the men’s World Championship Tennis (WCT) experience. Tournament Operations, Matthew Cody – manager  and Tiffany Hollebeck – coordinator, mix administration and kids entertainment with the best in the business. And Rick Workman, with his major league tennis success history is the Little  MO Tournament Director and  rounds out this award-winning lineup.

Little MO tennis offers the complete package for boys and girls ages 8 to 16 at Little MO junior tennis tournaments throughout the USA with their regional and national tournaments and throughout the world with their three international tournaments that welcomes families from over 60 countries. In addition to “tennis moms and dads” providing extraordinary opportunities to get their children started in tennis, these kids now are enjoying the great wholesome fun of competitive but respectful competition in the Little MO program.

The opening day consists of a warm-up tennis clinic for all players. Legendary coaches have included  Wayne, Bob, and Mike Bryan, Chris Evert, Nick Bollettieri and Rick Macci.  The parade of flags representing the countries of participating players provides patriotic pride. During the tournament, the atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming. Each opponent in her or his opening match brings a gift for her or his opponent. These young Little MO competitors are being guided toward sportsmanship and kindness for their opponents, opponents’ family members, referees, and officials. There are acknowledged Sportsmanship and Kindness awards. These kids love earning their Little MO Coins, which they receive when sportsmanship and kindness is observed. The coins are then redeemed for popular gifts. It has been rewarding to witness the love that kids have playing tennis by the Little MO code. MCBTF strives to empower young athletes by giving travel grants in addition to sportsmanship and kindness awards to deserving individuals in honor of Maureen’s legacy.

Above: Rick Macci delivers the keynote speech at this year's Little MO Internationals in Palm Beach Gardens. Photo credit: Your Game Face.

All the tournaments consist of a player party with an amusement atmosphere and dining for players, coaches, and parents. It is a fun upbeat time to meet and develop more friends. I have been impressed to see how parents make friends. Some have even fostered international family vacations. The tournaments offer two skill levels for the younger players  with a green dot flight for newer players and the yellow dot for the more experienced players. The tournaments offer singles, gender doubles and, unique to Little Mo, mixed doubles. To equalize the parity of play The Little Mo tournaments have the players participating in his or her individual current age group.

Some of the notable facilities hosting Little Mo have been the Westside Tennis Club in Forest Hills, NY (original home of the US Championships), PGA National, New Port Beach Tennis Club, The Air Force Academy,  Palm Beach Gardens Tennis & Pickleball Center, Morgan Run Resort,  Palm Springs CA ,  IMG Academy, FL ,  West Orange, NJ Tennis Club. 

The Little Mo family is proud of its former MO Slam winners; Andy Roddick, Leylah Fernandez, Dominic Thiem, Ryan Harrison, Coco Gauff, Taylor Townsend, Vasek Pospisil, Borna Coric, Jenson Brooksby, Madison Keys, Donald Young, Steve Johnson, Sonya Kenin, Denis Kudla, CiCi Bellis, Ana Konjuh, and Belinda Bencic.  Certainly, one of the Little MO highlights for The Koz  is to meet and interview the players, parents, and coaches.

Video Interview

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Written by Dave “Koz” Kozlowski — One of first seventeen Master USPTA (now RSPA) tennis professionals and Winner of the USTA Media Excellence Broadcast Award. Video: Inside Tennis with the Koz