August 23rd was a gorgeous day in Flushing, as we honored the legacy of an incredible champion and selfless humanitarian, Arthur Ashe. With well-over 20-thousand in attendance and the First Lady on-site, it’ll be a day most of us won’t soon forget. Kids enjoyed activities all over the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, then made their way inside Arthur Ashe Stadium for the main-show, recorded live for CBS.
Arthur Ashe Kids Day 2013 featured rising young talent including Ariana Grande, Austin Mahone, Coco Jones, Fifth Harmony and Lawson, with a special guest appearance by The Wanted. Quddus was back to host, alongside Olympic champion Missy Franklin and Nickelodeon’s Jeff Sutphen. Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and outstanding wheelchair player David Wagner participated in the skills challenge, while Novak Djokovic took the court against four young players in a game of Beat the Pro. First Lady Michelle Obama, a huge tennis fan, took the stage to deliver a special message about staying active, fit and healthy
My role with Arthur Ashe Kids Day is simple – keep everything moving, and make sure everyone is having a good time. Throughout the morning, we talked to the performers, entertainers and fans live on camera, broadcasting the fun on the video-boards across the grounds. During the CBS show itself, we keep the stadium engaged during breaks with the CBS filming by…well, simply goofing off and having fun with fans. Arthur Ashe Kids Day is always a blast, and such a fitting way to honor the man for whom the main stadium is named at the US Open Tennis Championships. There’s no better way to launch one of tennis’ craziest fortnights.
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