The Grand Rapids Wheelchair Sport Association (GRWSA) will hold a demonstration of wheelchair tennis as part of the National City/RX Optical Exhibition and opening night events of the USTA Boys 18 & 16 National Championships at Kalamazoo College. Festivities begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, August 5, 2005 at Stowe Stadium on the campus of Kalamazoo College.

?This demonstration is a great addition to our tournament and we are proud to showcase the talent and strength of these athletes?, said Timon Corwin Tournament Director. ?The skill and speed of these players is simply remarkable. This is exciting tennis.?

The players include Curt Bender, who is consistently ranked in the top 20 wheelchair tennis players in the United States, and Dan Bolhouse, singles winner of three USTA-sanctioned tournaments in Grand Rapids, Nashville, and Washington, D.C. in 2004. Bender and Bolhouse will play for 30 minutes with professional tennis players Taylor Dent and Mark Philippoussis in what is commonly known as ?a one-up, one-down." Dent and Philippoussis will also play each other as part of the tournament?s traditional professional exhibition.

The rules for wheelchair tennis are the same as able-bodied tennis with the exception that the wheelchair tennis player is allowed two bounces of the ball. The first bounce of the ball must be within the court boundaries.

Sources: Darlene Pontello (Tournament Office) & David