SALT LAKE CITY — Most young people who have been before Judge Andrew Valdez in 3rd District Juvenile Court have heard him say, "You need to find a mentor and also enter the tennis program."
Valdez believes the most important things to teach young people are discipline, structure and how one day they can be the winner and the next be the loser. He said he always has been grateful because somebody who cared put a tennis racket in his hands and believed in him.
When Valdez was 9 years old, he met Jack Keller for the first time. The young Valdez was standing on the corner of 200 South and Main Street selling newspapers and offered him one. Keller responded that he had already bought one.
However, Valdez was not satisfied with his answer and said, "Why don't you buy one from me one of these days?"
This sentence opened the doors to his future, Valdez said. From that day on, Keller always bought the paper from Valdez, who was always waiting for him on the same corner.
Valdez said that one day, in the beginning of spring, Keller invited him to play tennis.
"I'd like to teach you how to play tennis," Valdez remembers Keller saying. "I know how to play, and I'd like to teach you how to play."
Surprised, Valdez asked Keller, "Why?" Keller responded, "Your world should be bigger. If you play tennis, you will go to college some day. You will be a successful person."
Valdez said from that day, his life changed. He learned to play tennis, and although he had never in his life picked up a racket, each string held a dream for him, each ball he hit took him a step up, and now, he is applying the law of reward with the young people who come to his court.
According to Valdez, the tennis world has its own culture, and it is practiced by certain social classes. He said that when he was playing tennis he had the opportunity to meet doctors, lawyers and engineers, and he never would have had the opportunity to interact with them if it not for tennis.
Among the principles Valdez shares with youths are that tennis expands the world of those who play it, can change people's attitudes and makes them realize that all players are equal.
"You get the youths off of their street and show them a much bigger world that can be good," Valdez said. "Tennis expands their world through education, through reading, through experiences that allow them entry into a bigger and better world."
Edgar Cuenca, 14, is on probation, and he is active in the tennis program as part of his commitment to change his life.
"I am very grateful to have this opportunity to share time with Judge Valdez outside the courtroom," he said during a tennis lesson in Liberty Park. "When I see him here playing with us, he inspires me and reminds me that I have to do the right things and that I should go forward without looking back at my past."
One of the primary principles they apply to the court is that all are equal, yet all are competitive, and the best ones win.
Edgar said tennis has helped him grow stronger and competitive, in the good sense, and has helped him to establish goals and shut down his frustrations.
"When I am angry, I take my racket and some balls and go the park. I hit a wall until I calm down. This has helped me to control my feelings and reactions," Edgar said.
Frank Deres, 13, also has benefited from the program. He has lived in the U.S. since he was 5, and he is also on probation for making decisions that have taken him on the wrong path.
Frank said tennis has helped him because, in the same way he has worked to learn to control the ball, he has been able to learn to control his decisions.
"I've been able to organize myself at home and to organize my activities," Frank said, while taking a break during a match with Valdez. "I am listening again to my mom, and now I am helping her with the housework. I enjoy going out with my family and sharing activities with them. I'm in the process of moving forward with my life."
Just as the lives of these young people have been touched by the hands of Valdez, thousands of lives have been changed through court programs established by him for the benefit of young people at risk.
Valdez has organized a tennis program for at-risk children in the third grade, which is carried out during the school year. Parents play an important role, as they have to take responsibility for transportation and to make sure the kids are always on time for practices.
"This program teaches responsibility to both parents, and children, and how to work together," Valdez said.
Another young person in the group, Francisco Perez, said his life has been positively influenced through playing tennis.
"I thought that I couldn't hit the ball with the racket," Francisco said. "Now with a little practice and dedication, I can be more accurate and at least hit the ball and pass it to the other side of the court. It also has helped me because I understand that when we are playing, we are all equal.
"It was a white Mormon who reached out to help me when I was a boy. His kindness crossed all racial and religious lines and he probably save my life. His act of kindness and favor has impacted many lives and continues to pay it forward," Valdez concluded.
e-mail: cskinner@elobservadordeutah.com