With a scholarship to NU in hand, Mattapan youth talks about how Sportsmen's Center anchored his life

Mattapan’s Wesley Ward, 20, earned a scholarship to Northeaster University after coming up through the Sportsmen’s orginization. Emily Harrison photo

Wesley Ward didn’t know much about tennis before he first stepped on the courts at Sportsmen’s Tennis and Enrichment Center ten years ago. Fast forward a decade, and the 20-year-old Mattapan native is headed to Northeastern on a valedictorian scholarship earned after years of athletic and academic growth at the Blue Hill Avenue facility.

In a recent interview with the Reporter, Ward praised Sportsmen’s as an anchor institution in an area where there haven’t always been many resources and outlets for kids.

“Growing up in Mattapan, it’s different than most other parts of Boston,” he said. “There isn’t a high school for this area. When I was growing up, there wasn’t really much of anything in this area, not until like very recently has there been more built,” he noted, citing the Fairmount Line having a new Blue Hill Ave. station. “Before, they just kind of skipped over our town,” he said, “So I would say growing up here has been kind of different compared to how it’s going now with things constantly improving and having opportunities and more schools being built around here, more kids going to the library.

“Sportsmen’s, of course, has been there since way before I’ve been alive. It’s been a part of my family for a long time,” added Ward. “One of the main attractions of this area is the tennis courts, the parks. It gives a lot of kids in this area of Mattapan, Dorchester, and Hyde Park, and even Roslindale the opportunity to play tennis and get help with academics and learn new things that Boston has to offer and Sportsmen’s has to offer as well.”

Academics are seen as just as important as tennis at Sportsmen’s where kids and teens participate in after-school programs and summer educational enrichment camps in addition to working on their serves and backhands. Ward recalled how the center offered him support and helped him find his footing when he was struggling in school.

“When I was in elementary school, they made sure that I got my homework done before I went on to play on the courts, and stuff like that,” said. “It was just a great learning experience while I was in elementary school and middle school.”

The social aspect of Sportsmen’s and the connections made through the wide-reaching community there have also had significant impacts on the trajectory of Ward’s life, he said.

“Sportsmen’s has a lot of opportunities for networking and to make a lot of friends,” he said. “If I didn’t go to Sportsmen’s, I wouldn’t have gone to Beacon Academy, which is a 14-month program where you get to fill in some of the gaps in your education, you get to meet new kids, you get to learn new experiences, and just strengthen everything and hone your skills...Sportsmen’s actually introduced me to Beacon Academy.

“When I was at that program, my connections at Sportsmen’s like Ms. Wiley were just motivating me to excel at Beacon. I was doing well on the tennis court but not as well in school, and so Sportsmen’s and Beacon have helped me out.”

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A younger Ward honing his tennis skills circa summer 2015. Photo courtesy Marton Balla

One of Sportsmen’s staff members close to Ward is Marton Balla, who has been his coach since he first came to the center as a 10-year-old. Balla spoke with the Reporter about how he has seen Ward grow since he arrived at the center raw and inexperienced.

“He was talented, he liked it, he got some attention, and soon he was hooked,” recalled Balla. “It was a journey. It was not always a smooth ride, just like for anybody else. There are so many aspects of the game to learn: it’s one thing to hit a tennis ball but the mental and emotional part of the game can be very difficult. Wesley has grown a lot in how he manages his emotions and...he has matured quite a bit. His attention span at the beginning was always in short bursts, but eventually he became such a grown, mature person.”

Ward’s dedication to the game caught Balla’s eye early on, he said.

“I remember when we first started in 2012, when my schedule got busy, I told him I was only available to hit with him Saturday morning at 8. I wasn’t sure if he would show up, but he was there every single Saturday morning at 8. His mom couldn’t pick him up until later, so he would play tennis from 8 to 9, and then sit in the lobby for the rest of the morning. He had that commitment at a very young age.”

These days, Balla’s conversations with Ward tend to veer into economics, which Balla studied in college and Ward intends to pursue at Northeastern. Having personally witnessed the development of Ward’s critical thinking skills and his naturally curious mind, Balla pointed to the latter half of the Sportsmen’s name— the enrichment portion— in discussing Ward’s progress.

“Overall, we have a holistic attitude toward kids. We don’t just stick to tennis; we make sure they develop as a person, and develop values like giving back to the community.”

Ward has previously volunteered at Sportsmen’s as a junior counselor, but this summer he’s taking on a bigger role as a summer coach, mentoring kids and passing along his own knowledge and experience.

“It’s beautiful when it comes full cycle like that,” said Balla. “It is very rewarding to see, and we’re all so proud of him.”

Ward’s success story, added Balla, should be an example to parents who are thinking about their children’s future.

“The tuition at Northeastern now is what, $70,000 a year? The average parent looks at that and says no way, but people need to know that Wesley and others have a way to get in there if they work hard.”

As for Ward, he’s looking forward to enjoying the “amazing” tennis courts on Northeastern’s campus, but is glad that Sportsmen’s will continue to be a second home for him.

“Tennis has meant so much to me when I was growing up that it’s something I can’t just let go,” he said. “I’d love to be able to give children the same opportunities and experiences I had, and even advance on some of the things that I was taught so that they can have a better experience.”

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