NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville tennis program that started with chairs and caution tape in a bus lane now has two new courts, a hitting wall, and lights for after-school play.
Bus Lane Kids founder Andy Mizell launched the program in 2017, turning an unconventional space into a place where children could find community through tennis.
"We started in the bus lane with chairs and caution tape," Mizell said.
The program grew quickly, regularly drawing 30 to 50 kids at a time. Mizell said his vision for something more permanent was inspired by his former Lipscomb University coach, Lynn Griffith.
"He told me to not give up and to keep going," Mizell said.
Griffith died in 2020, but his encouragement stayed with Mizell through the years it took to make the new facility a reality.
The new courts also solve a seasonal challenge the program had faced.
"When the daylight savings happens we don't have daylight after school, so now we will be able to stay and participate," Mizell said.
For Cole Griffith, the grand opening carried a personal meaning. He is the son of the coach whose legacy helped inspire the program.
"This is just a tangible result that you can see of anything's possible, hard work, and don't stop believing," Cole Griffith said.
What began nearly a decade ago with makeshift equipment in a bus lane has grown into a facility designed to give Nashville kids a real opportunity to play — and to pass that opportunity on.
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