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Atlanta Entrepreneur Doing Her Part to Get Kids Fit and Active

An Atlanta woman is operating a franchise that introduces kids to tennis and golf. The potential benefits here are endless.

You've also heard all the statistics, and to this day, it remains alarming.

The latest report from the CDC says that only 29% percent of high school students surveyed had participated in at least 60 minutes per day of physical activity on each of the last seven days.
That leads to obesity, and in 2020, more than one third of children and adolescents fit the definition of being overweight or obese.

One Atlanta entrepreneur is doing something about this trend and also introducing kids to sports that they can play their entire life.

Tenesha Davis is the owner and director of TGA of Gwinnett County, a franchise and program that brings tennis and golf enrichment programs to elementary and middle school campuses across America. Davis is a former athlete herself, and she knows the value that sports can bring not only to the kids, but the entire family unit.

"We keep the kids moving at all times," stated Davis. "We are a relatively new territory and in almost two years, we've had over 500 kids come through the program."

Davis also says that she estimates that 25-30% of the kids would never have been exposed to tennis, golf or exercise opportunities without her franchise.

The fact that TGA is a franchise opportunity is interesting to many, and the goal to make what Davis is doing in Atlanta, happen all over the country.

Former top-5 ATP professional and Australian and U.S. Finalist Todd Martin, who also serves on the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Board of Directors believed in the business model enough, to invest in his own TGA tennis franchise in the Jacksonville, Fla. area.

"I like the whole concept, as I first heard about it in a USTA board meeting," Martin told me in an interview. "When I started creating my academy, I wanted a school program with it, and now my TGA program is linked to my business."

Davis says it makes her feel good that someone with the background of Todd Martin is on board with the model.

"TGA does a great job communicating with the franchise owners and we all share the same goal in giving kids that normally wouldn't have had access to these sports, the opportunity to experience them," said Davis. "We need their help in order to expand, and they are giving it to us."

That would include minorities.

Davis says her program is very diverse and even though she runs it like a business, the reward comes when she puts a tennis racket or a golf club in a child's hand and their eyes light up.

In our talk, I can tell Davis is passionate about everything she undertakes and she emphasized to me that she was an active child, always on the go and playing sports in her home state of Indiana. In other words, she is not only has the ability to be a teacher, but a role model.

"I played basketball, which was a team sports, but I have experience with individual sports as well, and they are all great exercise for not only the kids, but they bring what they learn at TGA home to their siblings and parents."

The USTA sees merit in a program like TGA, and they have even partnered with the organization thinking it's a great way to get the word out about tennis to kids, and there could be an unintended byproduct of the partnership.

" We want to establish an infrastructure to be where kids are," explains Scott Schultz, the managing director of youth and collegiate tennis for the USTA. "That could mean suburbs or in the inner cities."

Schultz also says the possibility exists that the next great American tennis champion could come out of a program like this, but that's by no means the main goal of the TGA partnership.

Joshua Jacobs, the founder and CEO of TGA Premier Junior Golf and Tennis was voted one of "The Top 40 Under 40" by GOLF Magazine in 2020 for his contributions to the game and his after-school golf franchise model.

Being a young entrepreneur himself, Jacobs knows what each of his franchisees will encounter, but what lies at the end of the proverbial rainbow is a healthier Atlanta and a healthier America.

The CDC says that for kids that get regular exercise, the benefits are many. They include:

Builds and maintains healthy bones and muscles.

Helps reduce the risk of developing obesity and chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and colon cancer.

Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety and promotes psychological well-being.

Proven to help improve students' academic performance.

Davis is leading the way, and setting an example in Atlanta. She is also giving kids a shot at sports they maybe had only viewed on television.

The TGA model is working not only in Atlanta, but it's looking to make its mark in all 50 states.

"The reactions and smiles from the kids let me know what I'm doing is working," adds Davis.

TGA's motto is "Keep Swinging!" and all involved hope that kids swinging a tennis racket or a golf club make for a long and healthy life.

Rick Limpert is an Atlanta-based writer who covers events, sports and technology. You can follow him on Twitter @RickRoswell.