Today in South Florida at the BMW Tennis Championship, you are sure to see sunny skies, breeze-blown palm trees, top-class tennis, and about 70 kids running around in black shorts and blue t-shirts.

These are the ball kids.

These youngsters have been trained specifically to work as ball people in the BMW Tennis Championship, as well as in other South Florida tennis tournaments, such as the Sony Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne. They are here under Corey Lewin, a local volunteer who trains and schedules the kids for the tournament.

“The kids come and are trained specifically for this event, and then I schedule them when I think they’re ready,” said Lewin in describing the training process.

For their training, which takes place at the Sunrise Tennis Club, the kids attend multiple three-hour training sessions, held on Monday and Thursday nights, until Levin feels they are ready for a tournament.

There is no minimum age requirement to be a ball person, as long as aspiring ball people attend enough training sessions to fully understand their responsibilities. The youngest ball kid at this year’s BMW Tennis Championship is just eight years old.

The BMW Tennis Championship takes kids of all ages, allowing younger ones the opportunity to get their feet wet in a lower-pressure situation than, say, the Sony Ericsson.

“I’ll put a kid in as young as eight if they’re good, as long as they are fully trained,” explained Lewin.

The kids rotate between matches and courts, depending on their skill level as ball people and the number of kids available. Once the semifinals begin, the top ball kids are assigned to Stadium Court.

For the tournament, the kids receive eight dollars' worth of meal tickets for free meals every day, two admission tickets for family members, and the tournament uniform of shirt, shorts, and hat.

When they’re not on the court, the youngsters hang around the food court area, listen to the live music, and enjoy the overall Championship experience.

For the BMW Tennis Championship, the kids mostly come from the local Broward area.

“We are always looking for more kids…especially for these smaller tournaments” said Lewin.

For more information on becoming a ball kid for next year’s tournament, email Corey Lewin at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Story by Briana Bramm, BMW Tennis Championship Media Staff
March 20, 2010