"Little Mo" Tournaments
Schedule Update (5-15-2021)
Greetings from all of us at the "Little Mo" and Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation (MCB)! We hope this newsletter finds you well and enjoying the wonderful spring weather. This past year, we have missed seeing our players and families and so we are really looking forward to our "Little Mo" events starting in July. Thank you so much for your continued loyal support and a special thank you to our proud sponsors: Tennis Competitors of Dallas (TCD), RBC Wealth Management, Wilson Sporting Goods, and Lucky in Love Kids. The "Little Mo" is truly a "one of a kind" tournament for young tennis players and we hope you will plan on joining us for all of the fun and festivities!
 
We are excited to announce that registration is NOW OPEN for our four "Little Mo" Regionals (North, South, East, West) and the 15th Annual "Little Mo" Internationals in Florida (December 3-8, 2021)! To register, please scroll down and click on the events below:
"Road to the Little Mo Nationals"
The "Little Mo" tournaments began in 1976 for Dallas players and later expanded to include players from other cities in Texas. In 1998, the "Little Mo" expanded to a national level with the creation of the "Road to the Little Mo Nationals" for boys and girls ages 8-12. These events are unique in that younger players have an opportunity to compete against others who are the same age. The "Road to the Little Mo Nationals" is now in its 24th year as a yearlong circuit of sectional, regional, and national tournaments for players who reside in the USA and its territories. It is the only circuit of its kind for talented, high-performance boys and girls in the United States.

The Road begins in the spring with a sectional tournament in 20 different cities across the country. The top eight players (quarterfinalists) in each age division from the Sectionals advance to one of the four "Little Mo" Regionals (North, South, East, West) held in the summer. The top four players (semifinalists) in each age division from the Regionals advance to the prestigious "Little Mo" Nationals held in the fall at the Austin Tennis Academy in Austin, Texas. The top 160 players who reach the "Little Mo" Nationals are the youngest and brightest future stars in American tennis.

Many well-known collegiate players and famous tennis professionals have participated in the "Little Mo" tournaments over the years including Andy Roddick, Dominic Thiem, Taylor Fritz, Sebastian Korda, Borna Coric, Sofia Kenin, Belinda Bencic, Madison Keys, Coco Gauff, Taylor Townsend, Mackie McDonald, Ryan Harrison, Vasek Pospisil, Donald Young, Steve Johnson, Denis Kudla, CiCi Bellis, and Ana Konjuh among many others. Roddick won the "Little Mo" in 1992 at 10 years of age and said, "the ‘Little Mo’ was my first big win!" Gauff won the "Little Mo" in 2012 (age 8) and said, "the ‘Little Mo’ was where the belief began." This is all wonderful news for junior tennis and we are so proud that the "Little Mo" continues to be one of the most popular events for young players around the world. In 2019, approximately 3,000 young players worldwide competed in the "Little Mo" tournaments and we hope to see even more youngsters play this wonderful "sport of a lifetime" this year!

Due to COVID-19, we unfortunately had to cancel our "Little Mo" Sectionals this year, but we are planning on hosting our "Little Mo" Regionals and Nationals. See below:
"Little Mo" West Regionals
Berkeley Tennis Club
Berkeley, California
July 17-19, 2021
"Little Mo" East Regionals
BallenIsles Country Club
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
July 31 - August 2, 2021
"Little Mo" South Regionals
Arlington Tennis Center
Arlington, Texas
August 21-23, 2021
"Little Mo" North Regionals
Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning
Bronx, New York
September 5-7, 2021
REGISTRATION FOR THE "LITTLE MO" REGIONALS IS OPEN TO ALL USA PLAYERS (BOYS AND GIRLS AGES 8-12):
Due to the cancellation of the "Little Mo" Sectionals this year, the Road will begin with our regional tournaments. The four "Little Mo" Regionals will now be open to any player (ages 8-12) living in the USA or USA territories. All USA players will automatically qualify for the Regionals - no special qualification or ranking is needed to enter. Players will be able to choose the regional tournament in which they would like to participate (regardless of where they currently live). Players will also be able to play in as many regional events as they would like.

GREEN DOT WILL BE ADDED TO THE "LITTLE MO" REGIONALS:
Yellow (regular) ball divisions will be offered for boys and girls (ages 8, 9, 10, 11, 12) at the four "Little Mo" Regionals in addition to a green dot division option for ages 8, 9, and 10. In the past, we have offered the green dot divisions at our sectional events, but our regional events have been for the yellow ball divisions only. Since we were unable to host the Sectionals this year, we have added the green dot divisions to the Regionals. While the green dot players will not be able to advance to the Nationals, we might consider them as replacement players if there is an opening in the yellow ball divisions at the Nationals.

Registration by Birth Year:
Players must register in the proper age division according to their birth year for all "Little Mo" events. This ensures players are competing against others who are born in the same calendar year (8's play 8's, 9's play 9's, 10's play 10's, et cetera).

Age Eligibility for Boys and Girls (BG):
  • BG 12's - born in 2009
  • BG 11's - born in 2010
  • BG 10's - born in 2011
  • BG 9's - born in 2012
  • BG 8's - born in 2013 or 2014

Events:
Boys and Girls 8’s, 9’s, 10’s, 11’s, and 12’s. Singles only event. Yellow (regular) ball divisions will be offered for ages 8-12 in addition to a green dot division option for ages 8, 9, and 10. Players can only register for one Singles event. All age divisions will be played on a full 78’ tennis court with either the yellow or green dot ball.

Draw Format / Scoring:
Each age division will feature a Full Feed-in Consolation through the Quarterfinals with a 3rd/4th Playoff. A Round Robin format will be used for all age divisions with five or less players. Players are guaranteed at least 2 singles matches. All age divisions will play best two out of three tiebreak sets (6-game sets) with a 10-point match tiebreak (first to 10, win by 2) in lieu of a third set for all main draw and consolation matches. Regular scoring (with ad) will be used with a 5-minute warm-up for all matches.

Universal Tennis Rating (UTR):
All yellow ball results from the "Road to the Little Mo Nationals" (Regionals, Nationals) will count towards your Universal Tennis Rating (UTR). At this time, UTR only accepts yellow ball results so the green dot divisions will not count for UTR. Our seeding is also primarily based on UTR, which includes "Little Mo" and other tournament results. All "Little Mo" players will receive a special discount on upgrading to UTR Power - please scroll down for more information!
24th Annual "Little Mo" Nationals
presented by
RBC Wealth Management
Austin Tennis Academy
Austin, Texas
September 24-27, 2021
Advancing to the "Little Mo" Nationals:
Players must compete in the "Little Mo" Regionals in order to qualify for the "Little Mo" Nationals. The top four players (semifinalists) in each age division from the Regionals will advance to the Nationals, forming a 16 draw size in each age division. If you advance to the semifinal round (top 4) in your age division at the Regionals and you (and your parent/coach) have followed the Code of Conduct, you will receive your Nationals invitation by email from the MCB office following the event. Once we have completed our first regional event in the middle of July, we will open registration for the Nationals.

Special Travel Grants to be given to the Top Four Players from each "Little Mo" Regionals:
In addition to having a guaranteed spot in the Nationals draw, the top four players (semifinalists) from each of the four "Little Mo" Regionals will also be awarded with a special travel grant to attend the Nationals. More details to follow.

Alternate Players and Wildcards for the "Little Mo" Nationals:
If one of the top four players (semifinalists) from the Regionals cannot attend the Nationals, we will contact the Consolation Winner as the first alternate to take their place. If the Consolation Winner cannot attend, we will consider other players in the Regionals as replacements based on their results and UTR. The MCB office will let you know via email if there is an opening as soon as possible. If we are unable to find a replacement player from the Regionals, we may consider providing special wildcards to players who did not play in the Regionals in order to fill the draws. If wildcards are needed, we will be considering players based on their UTR.
"Little Mo" Internationals
In 2006, MCB created the "Little Mo" Internationals in order for USA players to experience different styles of play and meet others from various countries and cultures from around the world. The "Little Mo" Internationals is open to any player worldwide and has become one of the premier junior tournaments for internationally talented boys and girls (ages 8-12). We have also added the "Big Mo" division for ages 13-16. These events are held at some of the most prominent and historic tennis clubs in the United States. Our host sites are the Balboa Tennis Club in San Diego, California (June), The West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, New York (August), and the Palm Beach Gardens Tennis Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (December).

Due to COVID-19, we unfortunately had to cancel our international events in California and New York this year, but we are planning on hosting our 15th Annual "Little Mo" Internationals in Florida. See below:
15th Annual "Little Mo" Internationals in Florida
Palm Beach Gardens Tennis Center
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
December 3-8, 2021
Registration by Birth Year:
Players must register in the proper age division according to their birth year for all "Little Mo" events. This ensures players are competing against others who are born in the same calendar year (8's play 8's, 9's play 9's, 10's play 10's, et cetera).

Age Eligibility for Boys and Girls (BG):
  • BG 16's - born in 2005
  • BG 15's - born in 2006
  • BG 14's - born in 2007
  • BG 13's - born in 2008
  • BG 12's - born in 2009
  • BG 11's - born in 2010
  • BG 10's - born in 2011
  • BG 9's - born in 2012
  • BG 8's - born in 2013 or 2014

Events:
Boys and Girls 8’s, 9’s, 10’s, 11’s, 12’s, 13’s, 14’s, 15’s, and 16’s. Singles, Doubles, and Mixed Doubles for all age divisions. Yellow (regular) ball divisions will be offered for ages 8-16 in addition to a green dot division option for ages 8, 9, and 10. Players can only register for one Singles, one Doubles, and one Mixed Doubles event. All age divisions will be played on a full 78’ tennis court with either the yellow or green dot ball.

Draw Format / Scoring:
In Singles, each age division will feature a First Match Losers Consolation with a 3rd/4th Place Playoff. A Round Robin format will be used for all age divisions with five or less players. Players are guaranteed at least 2 singles matches. All age divisions will play best two out of three tiebreak sets (6-game sets) with a 10-point match tiebreak (first to 10, win by 2) in lieu of a third set for all main draw and consolation matches. Regular scoring (with ad) will be used with a 5-minute warm-up for all Singles matches.

In Doubles and Mixed Doubles, each age division will feature a Single Elimination format. All age divisions will play an 8-game pro set with a 7-point tiebreaker at 8 all (first to 7, win by 2). Regular scoring (with ad) will be used with a 5-minute warm-up for all Doubles and Mixed Doubles matches.

Universal Tennis Rating (UTR):
All Singles and Doubles yellow ball results from the 15th Annual "Little Mo" Internationals in Florida will count towards your Universal Tennis Rating (UTR). At this time, UTR only accepts yellow ball results so the green dot divisions will not count for UTR. Our seeding is also primarily based on UTR, which includes "Little Mo" and other tournament results. All "Little Mo" players will receive a special discount on upgrading to UTR Power - please scroll down for more information!
Would you like to be a Sponsor of the "Little Mo" Tournaments?
We are actively looking for sponsors for the "Little Mo" tournaments. If you are interested or you know someone who works for a company that would be interested in being a sponsor of our "Road to the Little Mo Nationals" circuit of sectionals, regionals, and nationals and/or the "Little Mo" Internationals (California, New York, Florida), please send an email to: [email protected]. We will be happy to send a customized PowerPoint sponsorship proposal, which would include branding opportunities such as placing banners at various sites across the country, advertising in the player program and booklet, and having your logo on the t-shirts. We are also always trying to improve the "Little Mo", so please let us know if you have any ideas or suggestions.

*Please note there is still a possibility that the 2021 "Little Mo" events could be cancelled due to COVID-19. The health, safety, and concerns of our players, families, clubs, academies, and tournament directors across the country will continue to be the most important considerations in whether we are able to host the "Little Mo" events.
Special UTR Power Discount for "Little Mo" Players
Upgrade to a yearly UTR Power subscription by June 1st and receive a $10 discount (normally $99/year)!
We are excited to be partnering with Universal Tennis Rating (UTR) and we will be accepting registrations for our "Little Mo" events through their platform this year! The UTR system was created in 2006 in order to encourage and facilitate competitive matches between similarly rated players. For more information on UTR, please click here to visit their website.

UTR is also offering a special $10 discount for all "Little Mo" players who upgrade to a Power Subscription by June 1st, 2021 (click on the button above)!

There are many benefits to upgrading to a UTR Power Subscription for our "Little Mo" players:

  • Save $10 per UTR Verified Event - all 2021 "Little Mo" tournaments will be Verified UTR Events!
  • Access advanced player statistics and better prepare for your matches (win-loss record, longest win streak, rating history, verified Singles & Doubles world rankings, and results analysis).
  • See the two decimal point rating for all players on UTR instead of their rounded UTR rating for deeper insight.
  • Access UTR's advanced search features for over 2,000 colleges and see where you fit in any college lineup.

"LITTLE MO" / UTR GIFT BAG:
We will also be giving a special "Little Mo" / UTR gift bag at the "Little Mo" tournaments to the first 100 players to upgrade to Power!
US Open Box Seat Tickets
August 30 - September 12, 2021
FOR SALE SOON!
Section 21 | Box F | Seats 7-8
Have you thought about attending the US Open tennis tournament in New York this year?
The Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation (MCB) is offering two of its wonderful lower box seat tickets (Section 21, Box F, Seats 7 and 8) at the 2021 US Open. Get ready to enjoy some of the best viewing in the famed Arthur Ashe Stadium while you watch some of the greatest tennis players of our time compete for the Grand Slam title! This special event will be held from Monday, August 30 through Sunday, September 12 in Flushing Meadows, New York.

We will have all 25 tennis sessions (morning and evening) available for purchase in the coming months. Please click here for the 2021 US Open Schedule of Events - box seat tickets are for Main Draw only, not Qualifying. For the first week (August 30 - September 5), the cost of two box seat tickets will range from $650 - $2300. For the second week (September 6-12), the cost of two box seat tickets will range from $1300 - $7000. Your purchase will help benefit the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation and its junior tournaments - the cost of the tickets will be tax deductible for any amount over the fair market value.

For more information on reserving or purchasing the US Open box seat tickets, please email Brenda Brinker Bottum (MCB Vice President) at: [email protected]. *We are currently waiting on more information from the USTA and New York City officials regarding the 2021 US Open and spectator seating.

We hope you will plan on joining us for the US Open! In addition to the outstanding tennis, New York offers many fun tourist attractions and sights to see for the entire family: Times Square, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Broadway shows, Bronx Zoo, a fun carriage ride through Central Park, Citi Field for a New York Yankees or Mets baseball game, and much more!
As you may know, MCB officially launched the first-ever "Little Mo" Club earlier this year! It is an online platform that will give our players an exciting and new way to connect with each other and receive wonderful member benefits.

We would like to welcome our new members to the "Little Mo" Club! Also, a special thank you to our sponsors and partners for their continued support: Wilson, Tennis Warehouse, Lucky In Love Kids, OnCourt OffCourt, I Love to Watch You Play, Alien Pros, Allistair McCaw, Parenting Aces (Lisa Stone), and Top Tennis Training.

By joining the "Little Mo" Club, members will not only receive great benefits but also help further the mission of the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation. We hope you will enjoy being a part of the new "Little Mo" Club! For more information, please visit: www.littlemoclub.com. Also, please follow the "Little Mo" Club on Instagram: www.instagram.com/littlemoclub.
We look forward to bringing more content, fun activities, and great promotions to our "Little Mo" Club members! Our members will be able to enjoy the following benefits:


  • Stay connected and communicate with other players.

  • Have access to high-quality content including news, interviews, and webinars with college and pro players as well as coaches and tennis celebrities.

  • Participate in fun activities such as virtual tournaments, auctions, and raffles. Some of the items will include tickets for major tournaments, complimentary training camps at tennis academies, racquets, apparel, and much more! 

  • Have access to special discounts and promos from our partners/sponsors.


We have many big surprises lined up for our members over the next few months including even more raffle giveaways (Wilson, Lucky in Love), interviews with tennis experts, and the first "Little Mo" Club virtual tournament for Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo later this year (the first 16 players that register for a Major "Mo" account (annual subscription only) will receive a free AO2 videogame)!
Wilson racquet giveaway!
Lucky in Love Kids clothing giveaway!
Former "Little Mo" champion Coco Gauff sends a message to all "Little Mo" players!
In 2012, Coco Gauff won the "Little Mo" Nationals in Austin, Texas and the Nesquik "Little Mo" Internationals in Forest Hills, New York as an 8-year-old! Later that same year, she was the Girls 8 Singles and Girls 8/9 Doubles champion at the "Little Mo" Internationals in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida!
Coco said, "the 'Little Mo' is where the belief began!"
In an interview during the 2019 US Open, Coco said, "I loved tennis. I was so-so about it in the beginning because when I was younger I didn't want to practice at all. I just wanted to play with my friends. When I turned 8, that was when I played 'Little Mo' and after that I decided to do that for the rest of my life." 

We are so proud of her and glad that the "Little Mo" was such a memorable part of her tennis career! You can also click on the video link for Coco's Wimbledon interview in which she also mentioned her big win at the "Little Mo"!
"Little Mo" Club - Special Interviews
Sign up to be a member today to watch the full interviews!
Over the past few months, the "Little Mo" Club has been interviewing tennis experts about their lives and tennis journeys, sharing personal secrets and interesting knowledge for our players and parents. We have included some short videos of these interviews below for you to enjoy! If you would like to watch the full interviews, please sign up to be a "Little Mo" Club member. Members have access to all of our exclusive videos, interviews, discounts, and other content.
"Little Mo" player Matias Moran had a great interview with 2-time "Little Mo" Slam champion Akasha Urhobo and her father TJ! Please click on the link above to watch a shortened version of Akasha's interview and hear more about her tennis journey and goals!

Akasha won the 2016 and 2017 "Little Mo" Slam - winning all three "Little Mo" Internationals (California, New York, and Florida) in one calendar year. She is the only player to have won the "Little Mo" Slam twice, receiving two 6-foot trophies - the tallest trophy in junior tennis!
The "Little Mo" Club had a wonderful interview and yoga session with Kalindi Dinoffer. She not only spoke about the importance of practicing yoga and meditation for young athletes but also shared a few practical exercises as well. Click on the link above to hear a quick tip from Kalindi's interview that could help you loosen up in a tight match!

As a former competitive junior tennis player, Kalindi is trained in multiple aspects of mindfulness in life and in sports and enjoys sharing on her blog MindfulKalindi.com. She is certified to teach yoga, fitness, reiki, and MFR. Kalindi also serves as the Vice President of Marketing at OnCourt OffCourt, a leading supplier of tennis, pickleball, fitness, and yoga training aids and equipment. Kalindi has had articles published in Tennis Industry Magazine and Pickleball Magazine, and she has conducted workshops at conferences around the world. She is eager to share her knowledge on the importance of adopting good habits and practicing mindfulness for competitive athletes.

All "Little Mo" players have access to a $10 discount on any OnCourt OffCourt orders over $50 with promo code: LITTLEMO10.
Matias Moran had a unique opportunity to interview Roy Barth at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina! Growing up in San Diego, Roy was a top nationally ranked junior player and personally trained by Maureen "Little Mo" Connolly from age 12 to 14. Please click on the link above to hear a short segment from Roy's interview about his personal connection with Maureen Connolly and how to win more matches!

Roy was also a two-time All-American at UCLA and was inducted into the Intercollegiate Men’s Tennis Hall of Fame. He went on to compete in the professional men’s tour where he was ranked as high as #8 in singles and #2 in doubles in the United States, and as high as #45 in in the world in singles. He competed in all four Grand Slams against players like Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Ilie Nastase, and Arthur Ashe. After retiring from the pro tour, Roy became the Director of Tennis at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort, growing it for the next 40 years into the #1 tennis resort in the world. Roy has published a wonderful book about his life’s journey in tennis entitled "Point of Impact". It is Roy’s personal story woven through the history of tennis with life and business lessons learned along the way.
The "Little Mo" Club's first interview this year was with special guest Allistair McCaw! A world-renowned Sports Performance Consultant, Leadership, and Mindset Coach, Allistair talks with us about the importance of developing mental toughness from a young age. He has also spoken at the "Little Mo" Internationals in Florida for many years giving great advice to our players and parents. Please click on the link above to watch the beginning of our Q&A session with Allistair and hear his thoughts on mental toughness for players!

Over the past 26 years, Allistair has worked with numerous Olympians, Paralympians, World Champion Athletes and no less than 17 Grand Slam Champions. Between 2014-2018, he worked with ATP World #5 player, Kevin Anderson, and now spends most of his time consulting to coaches, athletes and parents. Allistair is a highly sought-after keynote speaker around the globe and a best-selling author of three books, "7 Keys to Being A Great Coach", "Champion Minded", and "Becoming a Great Team Player". He is also the podcast host of "Champion Minded".
 
Social Media:
Twitter:  @allistairmccaw
Instagram: #bechampionminded
 
All of his books are available on Amazon worldwide. Also, all "Little Mo" Club members have access to a 30% discount on Allistair McCaw's online courses!
OnCourt OffCourt Featured Product:
NEUROMUSCULAR BALANCING VIDEO

All "Little Mo" players will receive a special $10 discount when using the coupon code: YOGAVIDEO10 (original price $39.95).

Can you juggle like former "Little Mo" Champion Sebastian Korda?
*Video from ATP Tennis TV
Can you juggle like Sebastian Korda? If so, please email your juggling tennis video to: [email protected]. We will post your video on our MCB social media to showcase your special talent! You will also receive a wonderful "Little Mo" gift bag at the 15th Annual "Little Mo" Internationals in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida (December 3-8, 2021). Please visit the "Little Mo/Big Mo" booth during the tournament to pick up your gift bag!

A Special Thank You To Our Sponsors:
The "Little Mo" tournaments are hosted by MCB to honor the memory of its tennis champion namesake, Maureen Connolly. Known by her nickname "Little Mo", she was the first woman to achieve the Grand Slam of tennis in 1953 by winning all four major tournaments (Australian, French, Wimbledon, and US Open) in the same year. Only five players in the history of tennis have won the calendar Grand Slam. Maureen is still the only American woman and the youngest at age 18 to have accomplished this magnificent feat. Unfortunately, her career would be short-lived due to a horseback riding accident the following year. While she could no longer compete at an elite level, her legacy as a legendary tennis star would continue through the founding of the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation (MCB). Sadly, "Little Mo" passed away the following year from cancer at the young age of 34.
In 1968, Maureen Connolly Brinker and her dear friend Nancy Jeffett cofounded MCB with the mission of furthering junior tennis development worldwide. Each year, the Foundation organizes approximately 30 tournaments throughout the United States for talented boys and girls (ages 8-16). These events are designed to provide outstanding competition while also encouraging players to develop new friendships, learn good sportsmanship, and most of all, have fun. The "Little Mo" is also unique in that it gives young players the opportunity to compete at a high level and gauge their ability against others born in the same year (i.e., 8's play 8's, 9's play 9's). MCB strives to empower young athletes by giving travel grants in addition to sportsmanship and kindness awards to deserving individuals in honor of Maureen’s legacy. The Foundation also contributes financially to other notable programs including the National Junior Tennis League for inner-city youth and Invest In A Child for deaf and wheelchair tennis. In 2019, approximately 3,000 young players worldwide competed in the "Little Mo" tournaments and we hope to see even more youngsters play this wonderful "sport of a lifetime" this year!
MCB has promoted the development of junior tennis for over 50 years and continues to benefit countless numbers of boys and girls throughout the United States and worldwide. Thank you so much for your support of the "Little Mo" tournaments and the legacy of Maureen Connolly Brinker. It is our mission to provide players with a special and meaningful experience at all of our events. We would very much appreciate your help in spreading the word about the "Little Mo" so we can continue to impact future generations of young players. The MCB Tennis Foundation is led by its directors: Cindy Brinker Simmons (President), Brenda Brinker Bottum (Vice President), and Elizabeth Jeffett (Vice President). Carol Weyman (Executive Vice President) and Matthew Cody (Tournament Operations Manager) coordinate the "Little Mo" tournaments. For more information about the "Little Mo" and MCB, please visit our website: www.mcbtennis.org. Wishing you all the best and Play "Mo" Tennis!