Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 15 August 1997 — Page 1

FRIDAY, AUGUST 15, 1997 ■ MARION COUNTY S COMPLETE GUIDE TO HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

Brian Hunter of the Indianapolis Indians has provided valuable veteran leadership for the team during their recent 14game winning streak. See page 3 of the sports section for a story on the team’s veterans. (Recorder photo by John Crider)

Haywoode Workman of the Indiana Pacers takes part in the recent Tuskeegee Airmen Golf Outing. (Recorder photo by Micheal Patton)

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RGA CtiampioisNps eacMinges Minority parUcipatfon By JIM NELSON Sports Writer

The RCA Championships offers something for everyone — well almost everyone. Despite being named Tournament of the Year for nine consecutive years by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATPX a large portion of Indianapolis’ African-American community still has not embraced the RCA Championships as an event. Officials at the RCA Championships hope to change that — soon. “Our objective is to make this a festival, not just a tennis event,” said Rob MacGill, tournament director of the RCA Championships and he adds he hopes the African-American community will get involved with the RCA Championships because it is an event that should be shared by everyone in Indianapolis. ‘T’d like to see the minority community involved for a lot of reasons,” MacGill said. “Let them see the event firsthand. This is an event that is owned by our entire community. Let the minority community see it, become involved in it, make it a part of their pride like a lot of other events in the city.” MacGill adds he hopes recent discussions with Indiana Black Expo and the city of Indianapolis could create a permanent site for Black Expo’s conceit series on an expanded part of the Indianapolis Tennis Center, home of the RCA Championships. By creating a permanent concert venue, more African Americans would become familiar with the facilities at the Indianapolis Tennis Center and that familiarity could ultimately lead to more involvement from the minority community as volunteers for the RCA Championships. Of the many reasons for African Americans to get involved in the RCA Championships, MacGill said one of the most important of which is the chance to work with the best groups of volunteers in the country. In fact, just ask MacGill what makes the RCA Championships special and he will tell you. “The 1,200 volunteers. They really make the difference in my opinion. They extend hospitality to players and fans,” he said. But a lack of involvement is not true for all African Ameri-

cans. In fact, whenever you complete a volunteer application for the RCA Championships, the application goes to the attention of an African American. Annette Henderson has been a volunteer with the event for See RCA, Page 2