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ESPN CLASSIC TO BROADCAST "50,000 BALLS" DOCUMENTARY ON JUNE 21


Film illuminates tough and tender moments in lives of four competitive junior tennis players



Los Angeles—"50,000 Balls," an award-winning film about junior tennis, debuts June 21 at 11 p.m. ET on ESPN Classic. The documentary tracks four 12-year-old elite athletes on the road to the national championships, revealing the mental, emotional and physical demands of being junior high school students and top-ranked junior tennis players. The title refers to a coach's quote in the film that it takes hitting about 50,000 balls to do it right.

"It's a great depiction of what it takes to excel at tennis at the junior level," says Jay Berger, Head of Men's Tennis for USTA Player Development. "It's also a great story about innocent kids striving to reach their goals and the hard work it takes."

"50,000 Balls," created and produced by the late Tom Pura, father of one of the featured players, swept the documentary category awards at the 2008 Northern California Film Festival by winning both the "Jury Award" and the "Audience Award." The film also achieved "Official Selection" honors last year at the Newport International Film Festival, the Rome International Film Festival, and the Santa Fe Film Festival.
"Tom wanted to capture this unique moment in the kids' lives when they have to be men on the court, but are boys off the court," says Sara Weinheimer, President of Pura Vida Productions and wife of the late Tom Pura. "Parents often have questions about what it takes to groom a world-class player. This documentary fills the void by revealing the challenges and the rewards of national junior competition and sharing the advice of top coaches."

Tom Gullikson, a national coach for the USTA and former U.S. Davis Cup captain, says, "This documentary is a tremendous educational tool for parents and coaches, and it should motivate and inspire kids. You see the kids battle on the court, then you see through the parents' eyes the agony and success they experience."

Interviews with the players, parents and coaches are interspersed through hard-rocking on-court action and scenes from home and school. The DVD, for sale on www.50kBalls.com, includes bonus material featuring coaches Berger, Gullikson, Gilad Bloom, Chris Lewis, Billy McQuaid, and Dave Licker discussing their coaching philosophies.

ESPN Classic airs the film on June 21 at 11 p.m. ET, and ESPNU shows it on July 3 at 10 p.m. ET.


ABOUT THE FILM View trailer and press kit at www.50kBalls.com
"50,000 Balls" showcases the tough and tender moments of competitive tennis by following top-ranked national players, their parents and coaches through the 2006 summer tournament season, ultimately ending at the USTA Boys' 12s National Championships in North Little Rock, Ark. The boys are New York native T.J. Pura, who resides in Los Angeles; Mitchell Krueger of Aledo, Texas; Joseph DiGiulio of Newport Beach, Calif.; and Mitchell Polnet of Churchville, Penn.

The title, "50,000 Balls," refers to coach McQuaid's comment early in the film: "By the time you've hit your 50,000th tennis ball you've probably got an idea how to do it…some kids hit their 50,000th ball by the time they're 18; some—like these kids—have already hit it." The same notion, that greatness requires singular focus and practice, is also advanced by best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell in "Outliers: The Story of Success," which was written while filming was under way for "50,000 Balls." Gladwell wrote that success in any skill requires at least 10,000 hours of dedicated practice. He calls it "The 10,000 Hour Rule."

PRESS KIT