Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Final: Lead In - Nadege Jorda


When David Minnihan first came to Norman, there were no serious tennis facilities for the community. The Westwood Tennis center featured only eight courts, two of which were unplayable. Since then with Minnihan's help, Westwood now has 12 outdoor courts and a 2,300 sq. ft. clubhouse. The tennis center won the 2007 National Facility of the Year award. Westwood partners with the University of Oklahoma to use OU's indoor courts for patrons and players to train year round.

"I think the Norman community is real proud of this facility," Minnihan said. "It's one of the nicer parks in the city. It's not only state recognized, but nationally recognized."

While the center's success is admirable, Minnihan enjoys another aspect of his job at Westwood.

"My passion is junior development," Minnihan said.

One special junior player in particular is Nadege Jorda. At 14, she is working towards her goal of playing professional tennis.

"He's really supportive. He helps me a lot with my tennis," Jorda said of Minnihan.

At 12, she walked into Westwood. Now she is turning heads by winning tournaments.

"She's won a ton of tournaments," Minnihan said.

Jorda has achieved the number one ranking for her age group in the state of Oklahoma. She has now moved on to playing older competitors.


By: Kelley Jones and Zack Hedrick

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