SPORTS
In next week’s sports section, look for the 2012 fall sports previews for Mercer Island High School and a special 2012 fall sports calendar.
PAGE 14 | Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Mercer Island rEporter | www.mi-reporter.com
MIHS tennis player gives back, one racket at a time
Matt Phelps returns to Island to help his mother
By Megan Managan
mmanagan@mi-reporter.com
Mercer Island High School sophomore Ben Elliot knows about tennis. He has played for the last six years and is a member of the MIHS team. His older brother plays, as does his dad. Tennis players know that racket stringing comes with the game, but Elliot has set out to solve the problem of where to get those rackets restrung, while helping the community. E l liot st ar te d String4Others, which donates the money earned from stringing rackets to local nonprofits. Elliot said he got the idea because he has grown up with the idea of volunteering and knowing it was something he wanted to do. “I wanted to find a way to give back,” he said. While he has been stringing tennis rackets for a couple of years, a skill that his dad taught him, the idea of doing it as a service for others is a recent revelation. “I’ve been doing it for the last couple of years, but started the business a couple of months ago,” he said. “My dad taught me how [to string]. It seems like it’s difficult, but once you do it a couple times, it’s
not so hard.” Money earned will go to the Mercer Island Family Assistance Program, unless someone specifies another charity. “I liked it because it’s more directed to people on Mercer Island,” he said. “There are a lot of people on Mercer Island who don’t want to publicize they need help, so hopefully this can help them.” Elliot said the amount of time it takes to restring a racket really depends on the type of string being used. The Technifibre pro red code poly takes about an hour for Elliot to restring because it’s thicker, but the synthetic gut string takes him only about 30 minutes. Either way, String4Others has a same day or next day service, meaning he’ll restring it and get it back to customers as fast as he can. Elliot said he has done one or two rackets a week since starting String4Others, mostly for friends of the family and tennis players who the Elliots know. He hopes to expand and get much busier. “I’d love to get more rackets per week,” he said. As of right now, Elliot is the sole racket stringer, but he said he’s teaching his younger brother how to do it.
Former Reporter sports editor Phelps searches for gold
Contributed Photo
Ben Elliot, a sophomore at Mercer Island High School, runs String4Others, a business that gives its money to nonprofits. “Maybe someday he’ll take it over for me,” said Elliot. So far Elliot said his favorite part of restringing rackets for the community has been the chance to meet and talk to the people who bring in their rackets. “I like meeting the people who bring me their rackets,” he said. “I’m also going to really like when we can start giving the money away.” Elliot charges $25 to
restring a racket with Wilson Extreme Synthetic Gut, and $30 for the Technifibre pro red code poly. If customers want to bring their own string, Elliot charges $20. All the money will be donated to the MI Family Assistance Program or to a charity of choice. To learn more or to contact Elliot, email him at string4others@gmail.com or visit the website at string4others.org.
have lunch and then she plays with my son for a few hours while I catch up on house work. Last week we were all set to have lunch when she called me to say Just when she was going you think you’re On Sports to be late. It was out, they pull not a big suryou back in. prise. I love Mercer But when she Island, but I arrived, she was rarely have a in tears. She had reason to come lost her wedding back. My mom, ring the day Diane, visits before someMatt Phelps Mercer Island where between more than I karate class and do as she takes home. karate classes at Z-Ultimate Now my mom losing Self Defense Studio each something is not cause for week. surprise. Not even her wedShe also makes the trek ding ring. I figured that she to Kirkland to see me, have set it down at home and lunch and spend some time just forgot. As we pulled out with her grandson each of the driveway, she began Wednesday. Normally, we to tell me the story of how she was late for class, took it off and put it in a pocket in her bag. She wasn’t sure if she zipped the pocket. That made me nervous, and I immediately got on 405 heading south. I don’t get to Mercer Island very often and really did not have enough time to do this. But it was my mom, and it was her wedding ring. At this point, I only had an hour until I had to be back. I also knew I might be fightMatt Phelps/Staff Photo ing Blue Angels traffic. The thought occurred to Diane Phelps, the mother me that if it fell out of her of former Mercer Island bag, it could just be lying Reporter sports writer Matt around anywhere. It could Phelps, lost her wedding ring. Ring | Page 16
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