Stockton fourth grader wins tennis assembly

Posted on February 6, 2013 By Editor Junior Residents

Wallace Grissett, a fourth grader at John Stockton Elementary, took home first place in a Duval County Public Schools’ district-wide writing contest, answering the question “How does tennis make you a healthy person?” The prize included a tennis assembly at the school on Jan. 29 featuring five of the U.S. Davis Cup Men’s Tennis Team. Stockton Elementary also received $1,400 worth of tennis equipment and 40 tickets to the Davis Cup match between U.S. and Brazil on Feb. 2.
Wallace is one of the top USTA “10 and under” tennis players in North Florida. In his essay, Wallace wrote, “Tennis helps you have a healthy body…It makes your arms, legs, heart and lungs strong when you run around the court hitting the balls…Tennis teaches you about having a positive attitude and to never give up. Even if you lose many points, you can still come back and win.”
The assembly may have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience for many of the Stockton Elementary students, as this is the first time the Davis Cup has appeared in North Florida since the competition was founded in 1900. The U.S. is undefeated in Florida (6-0), and this will be the seventh Davis Cup tie played in the state, and the first since the U.S. defeated Sweden 4-1 in the 2004 quarter finals at the Delray Beach Tennis Center.