Opening the Court for Colorado's Next Generation

Fifty Lakewood kids instantly filled up the Phamily Tennis's Inaugural Summer Tennis Series roster. That day, the founding team felt its calling more strongly than ever before; the next generation was in demand for these opportunities.

As one of the most expensive youth sports today, tennis carries annual costs that climb into the four figures once lesson fees, court time, and equipment are factored in. For rising high schoolers desiring to play competitively, these numbers can reach five figures. For most families, that puts the sport out of reach. Phamily Tennis addresses that problem.

The First Serve of Phamily Tennis

Phamily Tennis is a Colorado-based nonprofit founded in 2026 by Eric Pham, Xalen Mitchell, and Aiden Seo, three motivated young community leaders who strive to serve one clear mission: to make tennis accessible to kids regardless of cost, experience, and background!

The organization's first summer program will provide each enrolled kid with a free racquet to take home, weekly group lessons, and mentorship from a team of volunteer coaches. In these sessions, students will be grouped by age and experience, and practices will take place on the tennis courts of D'Evelyn. Coaches will teach core tennis skills, help students practice them in real games, and, yes, prepare them to "mog" responsibly on the court. Most importantly, students will be encouraged, or possibly even required, to have fun. Of course, families will pay nothing.

A Message from the Court

Each of the three co-founders fills a distinct role to keep the program in full swing. Eric Pham, who serves as President and Head Coach with eight years of playing experience and four years of coaching experience, runs the entire program and keeps operations moving smoothly. Xalen Mitchell, also a Head Coach, has nine years of playing experience and four years of coaching experience, and credits tennis with giving him the "friends, mentors, and a job," a foundation he aims to pass on to the next generation. Aiden Seo, Head of Creative Marketing, oversees design and community outreach, shaping the visual identity of Phamily Tennis to new families.

"When I first started building this, I knew I wanted to create something meaningful for the Lakewood community, but seeing this many families trust us with their kids has made it feel real in a completely different way." –Eric Pham

A Movement in Motion

There is still a lot of work ahead, and the ambitious young team will be putting their best efforts into the summer to ensure that every Friday, kids leaving the court do so with confidence and community supporting them. Most importantly, they are proud of how far they have come in such a short time and extremely thankful for every kid, parent, sponsor, and volunteer who has supported them so far. What began as a few sessions with a handful of kids has grown into an interconnected Lakewood community touching hundreds of young lives. Through their leadership and dedication, Eric, Xalen, and Aiden continue to build a program where every child has a chance to play, grow, and belong.