Hawai'i's Tennis Weekend started 23 years ago as a way to bring together all the game's diverse elements — pros and amateurs, officials and organizers, coaches and merchandisers.

Over the years the USTA/Hawai'i Pacific Section, which celebrates Tennis Weekend tomorrow and Sunday, has included seemingly every segment of a game that promotes itself as the sport for a lifetime. But this year, for the first time, Tennis Weekend will include a tennis angel.

Vailima Watson, who has introduced the sport to more than a thousand kids in Kalihi Valley, will be inducted into the Hawai'i Tennis Hall of Fame at tomorrow's banquet. Watson enters in the nonplayer category. Former University of Hawai'i coach Jim Schwitters is in the player category.

Watson's background is as varied as the kids she works with as Kokua Kalihi Valley's Community Outreach Coordinator. She was born in Calcutta of Samoan and Indian parents, moved to Samoa and then Hawai'i. She worked 15 years as a dancer in the Tavana Polynesian Revue in Waikiki to get her daughters through Punahou and La Pietra.

Tennis came into the Watsons' lives accidentally. Vailima put her foot down — along with a hammer — on husband Jerry's surfing hobby one memorable day soon after he bought a new board. She was tired of watching him from the beach with their youngest daughter and destroyed the board.

They searched for a family sport and wandered to Diamond Head Tennis Center, teaching themselves to play. Daughters Wanaao and Lahi "grew up" there and became accomplished players, using cut-down racquets and learning from their parents and extended DHTC family.

SERVING UP OPPORTUNITIES

Vailima and Jerry worked as resident managers at family abuse shelters until she took a job at Kokua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services in 1989. The community-organized nonprofit was formed in 1972 to meet the health needs of the valley's growing Asian and Pacific Island population.

There were no kids programs then.

"I couldn't get anybody to come so I said, 'I know how to play tennis.' That's how it started," Watson said. "I was the only one teaching. The following year my husband started to teach, then my daughter came to help and a friend of hers from Texas came out to help. It was good, it worked out."

More than good. Her free tennis clinics at Kalihi Recreation Center and Farrington boomed.

"At that time it was only weekends," Watson said. "As we got more kids we added more tennis, to three days a week. But the priority was always school first. If you don't do good in school you couldn't go watch matches because you didn't earn that."

She introduced her kids to Junior Team Tennis in 1991. Watson reached out to Kaewai Elementary, Dole Intermediate, Fern Elementary, the Girl Scouts, Kalakaua Intermediate, the Police Athletics League, Kalihi Valley Homes, Kalihi Palama Health and Social Services and the Department of Parks and Recreation. Her programs are integrated so kids can play year-round.

By 1996, she was feeding kids into Farrington's varsity program. In 2006, she took it over. She has a no-cut policy and JV and Varsity practice together as one team. Others show up, from other schools and graduates. There is a place for everyone, even if it is so crowded they can only hit on the wall.

"We are not promoting state champions, but the interest in tennis in Kalihi ... hobby sports here don't really take off, but she has done a miraculous job getting tennis interest up," said Farrington athletic director Harold Tanaka. "The numbers have increased tremendously."

The numbers include Kelly Manzano, who has been with Watson three years between Medical Terminology and Trigonometry classes she hopes will lead to a nursing career. She initially liked tennis because "I don't have to run as much."

Aituava Atonio, a 2007 Farrington graduate, now comes back to help. She has played tennis with Watson since she was 10.

"I played softball and volleyball too, but I like this one," Atonio said. "I always play singles. I don't have to feel bad for letting my whole team down."

HELPING KICK TOBACCO

About 10 years ago Watson introduced a Health Education/Social Development component called Tennis Without Tobacco (TNT). Her high school kids talk about everything from goal-setting to teen pregnancy every Thursday before practice, voting on the topic of the day. Her youngest kids, who work through A-plus and YMCA programs, deal with issues like hygiene. At the Dole Academy, anywhere from 60 to 90 kids take on serious topics each Tuesday.

That's one area where she could use help.

"We're the only program that has a health component and it's so needed for these kids," Watson said. "What we need is more funding for that. We have to get people trained. It's really integral to our program and a lot of them don't have it. A lot of these kids don't have parents at home; they're too busy working two or three jobs. It's really hard for them and the kids as well. My cell phone is open 24 hours a day and so are the others I work with. We don't want anything to happen."

How did tennis get to be the hub of all this?

"When I first started, that was the only sport I could really do. I enjoyed it," said Watson, who is so involved with her kids now she has played on just one tennis team the last 20 years. "A lot of kids don't play football. All these kids are not football or volleyball players. They got used to tennis."

With the help of the USTA, Watson has given them racquets and shoes, and tons of time. She currently works with about 100 kids, half at Farrington. All must maintain their grades and work on two community service programs a month.

"That's required," Watson said. "Otherwise it's not worth it. I tell them you can't just play tennis your whole life. You've got to think about other things happening in the world today. But they are good kids."

And getting better. Improvement is how Watson measures success and there is no question how successful she has been.

RETURN FOR SCHWITTERS

Jim Schwitters was inducted two years ago in the nonplayer category. He started in the game at age 7 and attended St. Ambrose College (Iowa) on a tennis scholarship. He was active on the American Clay Court Tour and in exhibitions with players such as Maureen Connelly, Maria Bueno and Jack Kramer before moving to Hawai'i in 1961.

The Diamond Head Tennis Center regular played tournaments all over the U.S., South Pacific, Asia and Europe. He won six USPTA titles, including the 1966 Canadian Open. He also has two singles championships in National 45s and one in the 60s, along with three national doubles titles.

Schwitters has been ranked No. 1 in his age group nearly every year in Hawai'i since 1974, winning more than 350 tournaments and earning 20-plus national rankings. He started his coaching career at UH in 1964 and retired in 2003 with 1,312 wins with the men's and women's programs.