Northattan

“I want this to be the best place in the country,” said the former No. 1 tennis player in the world, John McEnroe, standing on a courtside balcony at his academy on Randall’s Island. “My aim is to bring tennis back to the forefront, to bring the buzz back. I’d like someone to make it and be the best player in the world, like I was.”

John McEnroe teaching a student at his academy on Randall's Island. Photo by Frederick Bernas/Northattan.

Opened in 2009, the facility boasts 20 courts -– 15 of which lie under temporary “bubble” roof structures that can be removed for outdoor play in the summer. The Sportime Corp. invested $18 million in the project before McEnroe became a partner and opened the John McEnroe Tennis Academy. But now trouble could be brewing as the company plans to expand into a nearby parking lot, building nine additional courts at an estimated cost of $7 million.

On Dec. 5, a small but noisy group of protesters accused McEnroe of “stealing public land” outside a fundraiser for “The Nation” magazine, where the sporting legend was a keynote speaker. They cited concerns about high prices and the resulting difficulties for community access, as well as a perceived lack of outreach by McEnroe’s academy into local schools.

“The parking lot is an open space that’s used by the public,” said Marina Ortiz, a community organizer who took part in the demonstration. “First and foremost, it’s city land and it should not be turned over to a private enterprise with rates that are not affordable to children and people in East Harlem and the South Bronx.”

Hourly prices for court rental vary from $40 to $105 depending on time of day and level of membership, which starts at $71 per month, with a joining fee of $500. Ben Schlansky, the chief legal officer for Sportime, said these rates are competitive by city standards and added that “50 percent of courts are reserved for parks permit holders from May 1 until Columbus Day.” That means anyone who holds a New York City public tennis permit can use the facilities at no extra cost.

Schlansky said a lack of transportation makes it hard for many public permit holders and locals to reach the island, and that Sportime and the McEnroe Academy were committed to widening outreach. “We already work with public schools to offer free community programs through the Randall’s Island Sport Foundation,” he said. “We’ve also discussed designating one of our employees to act as a liaison with the community, so we can branch out and establish more contacts.”

Mark McEnroe, a younger brother of John who is the academy’s general manager, described two such partnerships, with the DREAM Charter School in East Harlem and the Hyde Leadership Charter School in the South Bronx. “We also met Geoffrey Canada from the Harlem Children’s Zone and basically offered to take kids from schools in his purview and train them,” McEnroe said. “We haven’t been successful in making that happen, but not really because of lack of effort -– you’d be surprised how difficult it is to get schools to give you their kids to train for free.”

Sportime wants to convert this parking lot into nine new tennis courts. Photo by Frederick Bernas/Northattan

Sportime will submit its formal expansion bid to the city’s land use review procedure in the new year. Informational meetings have already been held with subgroups of Community Board 11, including the Parks and Recreation Committee. “We went there to listen, gather all the questions together, and get the board members the information they need to make an informed decision,” Schlansky said.

Frances Mastrota, who chairs the Parks and Recreation group, is taking a cautious approach. “I want to improve the land that right now is not worthy of a parking lot,” she said, “but I have to be sure that I get full value for what I’m giving.

“We hope to have a rain garden and we’re asking for lighting,” Mastrota continued. She added that the board would like to see greater equality in the way tennis scholarships are allocated: “We’d like to see scholarships that aren’t openly competitive, so children who have never held a racket in their hand can compete and then perhaps be offered one.”

Mastrota, who moved to East Harlem in 1959, says the community “felt robbed” when the tennis center originally opened without going through city land review procedures. “Parks activists were livid and frustrated by the inability to fight back,” she said. “We have been burned and the scars remain. There is a lack of trust in their word.”

Sportime’s current expansion plan includes a garden in an adjacent parking lot, as well as 45 new trees, but it recently drew criticism from elected officials that led to the postponement of a city hearing. On Dec. 15, DNAInfo.com reported that Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Comptroller John Liu and East Harlem Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito all aired concerns about the tennis center pricing out locals.

“Based on what I’ve heard so far, it seems that Sportime’s current facility at Randall’s Island has not fully engaged with the local community,” DNAInfo quoted Mark-Viverito as saying. A spokesman for Scott Stringer said the borough president was concerned that Sportime had not been “sufficiently transparent with information about the existing 20 tennis courts and the extent to which they can be made more accessible to the surrounding community and general public.”

John McEnroe was adamant that part of his personal mission is promoting broader access to the sport he loves, and the expansion would aid that: “It’s an expensive game, and I’d like to make tennis available to every kid,” he said. “It would be nice to make it more affordable to as many people as possible – that would be my goal.

“Hopefully they’ll see the expansion is something that will be good for the city and good for kids, and if they decide not to do it, that’s just bad luck.”

Pinball heavyweights from across the United States flocked to Washington Heights’ first pinball championship.

“Parkour is just training your body to overcome obstacles,” says “Vert,” who teaches the acrobatic discipline four times a week in Fort Tryon Park.

Swimmers prepare to compete in the Little Red Lighthouse Race in the Hudson River. Photo by Capri Djatiasmoro.

There are plenty of good reasons not to jump into New York City’s Hudson River. Though the waterways surrounding Manhattan have historically been plagued by pollution, city authorities are now reporting the best water quality in over a century. Still, other hazards make swimming in the Hudson dangerous. Even so, thousands take part every year in events like NYC Swim’s Little Red Lighthouse Race, which give adventure-seekers a safe way to brave the elements.

Russ Finkelstein Reports.

Watch Northattan resident Christian Liriano’s philosophy on football and the joy it brings him.

Skyler Smoke blocks for Ian Pierce during a recent game at George Washington High School. Photo by Brett Teal

Tens of thousands of high school football players suffer concussions each year.  It’s not a new problem, but it’s getting new attention as evidence mounts of the long-term consequences of head injuries.  With the fall season under way Brett Teal looks at a Northern Manhattan High School’s efforts to deal with concussions. 

There is one play Victor Jerez will never forget from last year’s football season at George Washington High School.

He was chasing a running back and grabbed his opponent’s jersey, but couldn’t make the tackle.  Jerez lost his grip, smacked head first into his teammate, and landed on the turf.

“I just laid there, I faced up and all I saw was a white light,” Jerez said.

A teammate pulled him up and he was back in the game a few plays later.  He was unaware he had suffered a concussion.

“I was dizzy, everything was shaky and I got the ball a few times, but I couldn’t do anything because everything was double or triple.”

According to a 2007 study conducted by the Journal of Athletic Training, 55,000 high school football players sustain concussions each year.

Like Jerez, many return to play without receiving medical treatment.  Numerous or untreated concussions can lead to memory loss, depression and even increase risk for Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Last season the NFL started forcing players to sit out after having a concussion.  And now, every team is required to put up a poster listing the signs, symptoms, and dangers of concussions.

Professional football has recognized the risks, but there are no national standards for dealing with head injuries at the high school level.  Four states have laws requiring coaches to receive concussion training and the National Football League is urging other states to do the same.

New York is considering a bill that would make concussion education courses mandatory for all high school coaches.  Players would not be able to re-enter a game after sustaining a head injury, and would need a medical release from a doctor clearing them to play.

Meanwhile, the problem has become a federal issue.  The House of Representatives passed a bill last week that would require concussion training for all coaches and set standards for when players have to come of the field.  The bill now goes to the Senate.

George Washington High School competes in New York City’s Public School Athletic League.  It offers concussion education, but coaches are not required to take the courses.

The team’s head coach, Fred Caprista, went to voluntary training where doctors explained cues to identify head injuries and how long athletes should be held out of games, practices and school.

The league requires doctors to be on the sideline for games, but Caprista says games represent only a portion of the hard-hitting physical activity.

“We practice all week long and injuries of all kind occur more frequently in practice,” Caprista said.  “We don’t have trainers, we don’t have doctors,” he added. “We don’t have any of that type of personnel at the practice site.”

The coach said he would rather have emergency medical technicians on the field during games because league doctors aren’t necessarily concussion experts.

“The old joke has always been you could have a gynecologist at the football game and you’re covered legally,” Caprista said.

An onsite ambulance would be better equipped to immediately treat head trauma, according to the coach.

George Washington’s team physician, Dr. James Gladstone said mandatory training could help coaches who may be blinded by the desire to win.

“There’s always a possibility of overlooking the severity of an injury if having to take the player out can affect the course of the game,” Gladstone said.  “No one wants to lose their best player”

Players also have a role in wanting to stay on the field, even after taking a helmet-to-helmet blow.

Joseph Price’s son, Brian, plays for George Washington and hopes to play college football next year. He said he worries about his son avoiding treatment to remain in a game.

“A kid just wants to play so he is going to try to hide everything,” Price said, “but a concussion is a serious matter and he could die on the field as well as off the field.”

Two George Washington football players, including Victor Jerez, had concussions last season.  And this year two more players have suffered head injuries.  Jerez ignored his symptoms and returned to play.  He said he thinks New York’s proposed law goes too far.

“Football is a physical sport and once in a while you get your head rung, but I don’t know about getting taken out of the game,” said Jerez.  “I work hard to get on the field and I expect to stay on the field.”